The concepts of Movement & Stillness

Hey All!

As I progress with this blog, I'm going to introduce many concepts to you. These concepts are sometimes completely opposite to one another...or just appear that way. However, once you understand the concepts, you realize that you just had a physics lesson. The opposites attract and complement each other. That is true balance.

Ying and Yang are said to be complete opposites of one another, however they balance each other. Without one, there is no other. You may think that one can survive without the other (it is possible) but the sum of the parts are greater than the parts themselves. Think about this in the back of your mind while I proceed.

Human beings are either moving or still. Nowadays, especially in New York City, it's very difficult to keep still. Even when you're packed in like sardines on a crowded train, you can't move but you can't keep still either. I like to pat myself on the back because even in the midst of chaos, I can be still within myself, maintaining a certain peace. Too bad the person elbowing me brings my awareness back to the ding dang train! LOL

The concepts of movement and stillness are bound by everything we do. Even when our bodies don't move, our minds are not still. Our souls may be restless. When you move your mouth and sound comes out, that movement is called noise. The opposite of noise is silence. Silence and stillness seem very similar, in this respect.

The reason I want to introduce these concepts to you now are manifold. The good news is that these two concepts have to do with breathing. The bad news is you'll have a lot to read before I get to that point!! LOL

There are many forms of silence: there is the silence between my posts; there is the silence that two people share when engaged in conversation; there is the silence of a quiet room; there is the silence of a quiet mind. I want you to know that even through all of these forms of silence, there is still movement. Some of it can be considered "noise."

Let's talk about the silence between my posts. When I speak about "silence", I'm talking about the amount of time it takes for me to put up a new post. The movements are created and performed by me. My "noise" may be in the form of research, getting my life together, or just trying to figure out how to take the things from my mind and putting them into this blog. You know, the noise of organization. You don't have to see or hear the noise, but it's there. I buzz all of the time. :)

The second reason for the silence between posts is to give readers a chance to take all of the information I have given and try somethings out. Experiment with other concepts and lessons I have provided. If it takes me a month between posts to talk about posture, I can only pray that some of you are taking that month to look at your posture and make the proper decisions in regards to either making it better or maintaining what you have already achieved. It will be the same with any topic I speak on...unless my brain can't hold things anymore and I do 3 posts in one day! It's a very rare feat so don't worry about that. ;)

As a health counselor, I have to learn how to be a good active listener. It doesn't mean that I let you talk all day and I say nothing. Sometimes, people do that and they're not listening. They're just hearing (the function that your ear naturally does when sound enters the inner canal) and not paying attention. Being an active listener means that you are not only hearing, but you are being attentive, and absorbing what is said in the moment. When you actively listen and engage in conversation, sometimes there will still be moments of silence. It's not because there is nothing more to say. You mind is in constant "movement," wondering if you should say more or waiting for the other person to respond.

People say that when there is silence, it means that something needs to be said but you don't know how to say it or are wondering if you should say it at all. If you ever encounter a health counselor and you have this silence, say what you feel. Health counselors love this silence because it gives them time to write their notes. It also gives you time to add or further explain things that may really be helpful in your process and progress.

The silence of a quiet room can be scary at times. You may be still but your mind is moving and other things are moving as well. Your ears are working overtime, since you can now hear paper rustling and such. You can hear bugs moving or an appliance of some sort doing it's electronic magic. You may hear noise from outside and be startled because you don't know where it's coming from.

So what is scarier? The silence in a quiet room or the silence of a quiet mind? When you quiet your mind, you can hear all kinds of "noise," just like in a quiet room. You don't know where these noises are coming from...that voice inside your head...those images you see, even if your eyes are open. The goosebumps you suddenly feel. You can now feel the wind brushing on those baby hairs on your arms. Your other senses pick up all kinds of things your conscious doesn't understand.

Traditional Meditation is the quiet mind in a quiet room. Dang! Double trouble!! Most of us can't stand being alone, much less dealing with quiet. Especially in NYC (yeah we pray for silence but then when we get it, it's like a really bad culture shock). That's why most people don't do it. They can't take all that silence or the stillness of your inner self.

It's ok. Breathing is the tool to help you control your movement and appreciate stillness. Meditation is one of the techniques that uses breathing to heal you.

In my next blog, I will go more in detail about the methods used for good breathing and using the breath to heal on many levels. For now, I've got to get my research on so that I can get you up to latest information.

One more thing. I have homework for you!
Google this name: John Douillard
Take a look at his book, "Body, Mind, and Sport". Once I get my Amazon widget together, I'll have it in my blog so you can buy the book directly. I will also do this with other items I would recommend you buy and try.

Until my next post,
stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!