Attention, Awareness, Acceptance – Investment in Harmony – transition from Fear to Love.
I would define awareness as love – spontaneous and effortless that may be encouraged but not created.
Through millions of years of evolution our capacity to fear of new was the basis for survival. As a result, fear become our deepest emotion. We are all in search for deep experiences and find it in deepest ancient fears. Nothing else can satisfy with the same level of attraction and excitement. Looking again and again we get overdosed with new information and anxiety and at the end of journey stay paralyzed in fear or boredom.
In this note I will try to define possible direction in how to release layers and layers of stored fears that we cannot see or remember. And to transform deep “original fear” to neutral or positive experience.
“If consciousness as ability to do something without knowing what you do – swallow, pee, yawn and …being depressed, anxious, obsessed. By developing attention and awareness we assist consciousness with knowledge that allows to have choice in present moment. Actively directed – conscious attention in opens the gate to awareness.” M. Feldenkrais
From our previous life experience if we search for something hidden, we need to put a lot of attention. Attention is a mix of interest, necessity, and desire to search and find something new. We will have to find new in old and learn to enjoy it. Acceptance or Love that is willingness to tolerate will be the tool for it. Awareness connects and includes both of practices and experienced as freedom and joy.
Awareness grows with the child – it develops and changes with time. As we grow and get used to ourselves, we stop to be interested in own changes and be aware. It means that we lose awareness and ability of free choice. As an adult we think that we are already know all about ourselves. But the only things we know is same old patterns and no hope for choice. The new information does not feel like new, and it is boring. The only thing left is to compare and judge. Until our awareness stays in ordinary pattern, we as adults unable to enjoy the progress. When awareness gets adjusted to relative (tolerant – accepting – loving) world that gives equal rights to all systems the way of evolution and learning becomes indefinite. The adjustment happens through attention and acceptance.
We are only able to pay attention and accept to what is easy. New experience may be free from danger for our nervous system only if it is easy. Easy cannot be fast in the beginning. Remember that each excitement consists of a fear. Please choose how much of it you need right now.
Another thing to keep in mind is if we choose to perform from higher intellectual space, emotions get weak, but joy comes through senses. Remember to find out what is the right amount of knowledge that will be tolerable to your senses.
And how to know where to stop and do not become triggered by lower emotional systems when all our intellectual treasures defused in ancient fear or anger. How to encourage effortless and free awareness to visit our tired bodies and minds? May be to build a habit of attention and do not forget to accept limitations during the process.
“I can walk up the stairs in my house fully conscious of what I am doing, and yet not know how many steps I have climbed. In order to know how many there are I must climb them a second time, pay attention, listen to myself and count them.” M. Feldenkrais.
Feldenkrais, M. (1977). Awareness through movement: Health exercises for personal growth.
