Week 2: How To Get Your Eyes Open?

Last week you were introduced to mindfulness meditation; the woman who created this is Dr. Marsha Linehan.  The recorded meditations are her works based on her life experience. 

Life is difficult, it somethimes doesn't work out the way I want it to and this fact can be extremely difficult to deal with.   Pain and suffering can lead me down a road of depression and avoidance, not wanting to experience the sensation of feeling sad or sorrowful.  So what do I do?  When I was younger I developed and mastered a skill called running away, I really never had a safety net nor did I feel that I had a network of support in my life to get me through the difficult times.  In turn I developed this survival instinct of self preservation and after years of mastering this skill I had began to look at what it was that caused this or was the root of my avoidance.

This is where the mindfulness recording by Dr. Linehan comes into play, she states in the meditation attached below the following:  It is knowledge  that will set you free or lock you up, so we avoid this or that. Knowledge comes from our "Constructs of the Universe."  This knowledge is okay as long as our constructs are accurate; yes accurate.  We use these constructs to relate to our world, if they are the slightest bit in-accurate our perception of reality becomes skewed.  Like walking across a room with your eyes closed, wouldn't it be easier to walk acrossed the room with your eyes open.  The question becomes, how to get your eyes open?  How to learn to be aware? 

The Practice... I began practicing Yoga when I was experiencing a particularly difficult time in my life; I wish I could say I began practicing yoga when everything was great!  On my mat I was introduced to Baptiste Yoga; during the practice I would not be able to breathe and I would go to childs pose, it was here that awareness began to take shape.  Why wasn't I breathing?  Like life during intense physical practice of yoga I hold my breath, without which I end up on my knees, just like in my life.  I added these meditations and ever so slowly I became more aware and that inaccurate construct in my universe shifted.  Practice, continue to practice noticing where I distract, where I get bored, where I don't follow through, where I'm afraid; where I'm not present.  These are times when I check in, five minutes of sitting silent at any point in my day can create awareness.

Break down the words "Constructs of the Universe" define these terms for yourself and begin to open your eyes, shifting your vision.  Let me know if this is helpful for you.

http://aaron-warren-fv6s.squarespace.com/blog/2013/8/5/fight-or-flight