A Joyful Practice

Noticing Things (on April 19th) April 19, 2020

“For me ‘plus tôt’ is a piece that talks about the sort of space and time that you’re in before things happen to you. The sort of calm you can feel when you don’t know that some events are about to change you. It’s the beginning of the trip. It’s the beginning of the inscape.”

– Alexandra Stéliski explaining the inspiration for the first piece on her album Inscape (the song title translates to “earlier”)

When do you notice things? And what do you notice? Our sense organs are always picking up information and, unless something goes wrong, sending that information to the brain in the form of sensation. The brain sifts through the information, works on the puzzle, and then sends back more sensation, more information. Sometimes we add a layer of judgment and a layer of story – especially when we don’t feel we have enough information or when the pieces are starting to fill in the gaps.

Our minds like a good story.

However, a lot of what the mind does is purely unconscious and subconscious processing. Someone will bring our awareness to something and we will say, “Oh, I didn’t notice that.” The reality is that some part of us did notice – otherwise we wouldn’t be able to recognize whatever it was that someone brought to our attention. What we notice ourselves noticing, when we bring our awareness to our awareness, is that which is in the conscious part of our consciousness.

Take a deep breath in; open your mouth, sigh it out.

Deep breath in through your nose; deep open mouth sigh.

Take the deepest breath you’ve taken all day; open your mouth and sigh it out.

As you inhale through your nose, and exhale through your nose, notice what you notice. Bring your awareness to your awareness.

There are certain times in our lives where we seem to notice – be conscious of – everything. Other times, it seems our conscious mind shrinks down and we are only aware of one thing. This can, and does, happen all the time without us ever thinking about it. But, what happens when we think about it?

A meditation practice, whether you are moving, sitting, or lying down is sometimes referred to as a mindfulness practice. Mindfulness being: the state of conscious awareness. In that state of conscious awareness there can be peace and calm, but not always. There are times when conscious awareness is neither peaceful nor calm (even though the peace and the calm is why so many people meditate). More than anything mindfulness, however you get to it, involves clarity and an understanding of cause-and-effect.

Sometimes we notice things because of tragedy. Sometimes we notice things because they are too beautiful to miss. Sometimes we notice things because we are “trippin’.” Sometimes we notice things because we are the person who just notices things.

Sometimes we notice things because we choose to notice things.

Please join me today (Sunday, April 19^th) at 2:30 PM CST for a practice of noticing things, virtually. There will, unfortunately be tragedy (since we can’t change what’s in the past). There will be something beautiful and you will, if you like, have the opportunity to “trip” (or, maybe just gain some insight into that). Some of the new Zoom security protocols are definitely kicking in; so, please use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems. Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

You may notice that the playlist is longer than normal – that’s because it’s actually two (2) different playlists. If you are using the music, you get to choose your musical experience. That’s part of the trip.

Speaking of trips, I can hardly believe Kiss My Asana starts (this) Saturday, April 25^th!!!

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, part of my offering to support Mind Body Solutions this year will be to tell seven special stories, your stories! Check out Friday’s post and then you can either email me or comment below.

Founded by Matthew Sanford, Mind Body Solutions helps those who have experienced trauma, loss, and disability find new ways to live by integrating both mind and body. They provide classes, workshops, and outreach programs. They also train yoga teachers and offer highly specialized training for health care professionals. This year’s yogathon is only a week long. Seven days, at the end of the month, to do yoga, share yoga, and help others.  By participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon you join a global movement, but in a personal way. In other words, you practice yoga… for 7 days

Tell me your Kiss My Asana story!

You don’t need to wait until the end of the month, however, to consider how you might participate. Start thinking now about how you can add 5 minutes of yoga (or meditation) to your day, how you can learn something new about your practice, or even how you would teach a pose to someone close to you – or even to one of your Master Teachers/Precious Jewels.

To give you some ideas, consider that in past years my KMA offerings have included donation-based classes and (sometimes) daily postings. Check out one of my previous offerings dated April 19th (or thereabouts):

30 Poses in 30 Days (scroll down to see April 19th)

A Musical Preview (scroll down to see March 19th)

A 5-Minute Practice

5 Questions Answered by Yogis

Answers to Yogis Questions

A Poetry Practice

A Preview of the April 19th Practice (see “A Poetry Practice” link above for an actual preview)

‘plus tôt’

### OM OM AUM ###