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"You know you have finally "grown up" when you can enjoy life with a child-like sense of appreciation while the wisdom of your years is enough to keep you from being childish"... n.
*** The Art Of Effortless Body And Mind Life after meditation... Earlier when we discussed "The Simple Three Step Meditation That Changed My Life!", you learned how to coordinate your body and mind into a state of complete focus, awareness, and relaxation using three simple steps. Then in step four you learned to establish a reference point so that you can maintain this connection as you move through the experiences of your daily life. With practice you will be able to return to your reference point simply by snapping your fingers (so to speak) along with your pure intention to experience complete body/mind focus, awareness, and relaxation. This is where the art of maintaining an Effortless Body And Mind truly begins! One Thought / One Experience… Each time that you think or have a thought, your body begins to respond with some level of physical manifestation of that thought. Maybe you begin to salivate when you think about your favorite foods, or maybe your heart begins to swell when you think about an emotional event from the past. Regardless of the thought, there is always a physical manifestation within your body. From your reference point for complete body/mind focus, awareness, and relaxation, you can choose to allow one thought and to enjoy one physical manifestation of that same thought in great detail. For example, if you choose to eat a banana from a state of complete body/mind focus, awareness, and relaxation, you will be able to experience this body, mind, and banana event with the greatest quality and the deepest sense of appreciation. From the temperature and feeling of this tropical fruit in your hands, to the sound of the peel as it opens, to the smell, texture, and flavor, to the way it feels as it moves down your esophagus and into your stomach, to the way it feels when the banana’s sugar reaches your bloodstream, each moment of your life can be a truly extraordinary event when you can allow yourself to have just one thought and one corresponding experience. When you finish with one event then you can move on to the next, or you can just as easily return to your reference point. Remember that relaxed is ready! But what about multi-tasking? Naturally, when you keep your life as simple as possible it is easy to maintain an Effortless Body And Mind, but what if you have to manage a lot of events all at once? The secret is to always turn everything that you are doing into “one thought” and/or “one experience“. A great example of this is when a musician sings and plays a guitar with two hands, sings and plays a drum set with two hands and two feet, or sings and plays the piano with ten fingers and two feet. In order to maintain an Effortless Body And Mind, your “one thought” and/or “one experience” simply needs to be focused on the “harmony” of all parts. A Constant Flow Of Relaxation… As you may have already experienced, life’s events can be quite complex and therefore quite challenging. This is when the true art of Effortless Body And Mind must really be applied. The secret is to maintain a constant flow of relaxation so that you are always letting go of at least as much tension as you are creating with your thoughts and physical actions. When you can release more tension than you are creating moment after moment, then you will know the true essence of Effortless Body And Mind. Effortless Posture… The secret to maintaining a constant flow of relaxation is proper physical structure. Remember, the more ways you find to align with the incredible intelligence and power of your own design, the more you can appreciate and experience your own greatness! When it comes down to it, you are designed to move with absolute ease, fluidity, grace, and power using a magical blend of relaxation, structure, and gravity! 10% Structure / 90% Relaxation… When you learn to sit, stand, walk, and run with effortless posture, you will be able to maintain approximately 90% relaxation within your body at all times. The remaining 10% can be accounted for by adding up the various degrees of tension that manifests within different segments of your musculature and skeletal system. A Few Hints To Get You Started… Even without a teacher, you can begin to discover the power of effortless posture by applying an intuitive approach to the following guidelines. 1. Standing Posture. - Stand with both feet together and facing straight ahead. - Allow your feet to relax completely as you sink your body weight into your ankles and heels. - Let your knees, hips, and chest relax and begin to float within a set of parameters that still allows the weight of your upper body to transfer down into your ankles and heels. - Allow your head and shoulder girdle to sit naturally on top of your chest (not rolled forward nor pulled back) as you feel the weight of your entire body sink evenly into both ankles and heels. With a bit of practice you will be able to reach a state of complete body/mind focus, awareness, and relaxation while in this standing posture. It will feel as though your body is floating effortlessly overtop of two very firm roots and as if even the slightest breeze could set you into motion as you move gently back and forth on your vertical axis. Right And Left-Side Substantial… Once you are able to reach your reference point for complete body/mind focus, awareness, and relaxation while in standing posture, you will be ready to open the door to the unlimited possibilities of Effortless Body And Mind. You can begin simply by transferring your body weight over to your right ankle and heel while allowing your right knee to bend slightly. As you maintain proper structure over your right ankle and heel, the rest of your body can become completely relaxed (10% structure / 90% relaxation). Practice moving your weight back and forth between right and left-side substantial while still maintaining your reference point. The secret to moving throughout your day while still maintaining your reference point is simply to flow in and out of different combinations of right and left-side substantial. As you maintain your effortless posture it will be easy to enjoy a sense of mindfulness along with a constant flow of relaxation. When the way you coordinate your body and mind becomes an art, a constant state of focus, awareness, and relaxation becomes simple, easy, and fun! Naturally, one open door leads to another and there are many more secrets to share. Stay tuned! n. Want more Free Articles, Tips, and Helpful Hints? Click here to subscribe to nate's blog! |