I have an addendum to the challenge for this week. The addendum is notice how couples stand when they talk with one another a flirting way for perhaps the first time or a first date. I have noticed with great curiosity and interest how the man and how the woman stand when they talk with one another. It is generally a stressful context when a man is trying to impress the woman. Of course, the same observations may be seen when two men or two women who like each other are talking.
The question to ask is: How is each individual standing? Often I have noticed one of the people, if not both, are actually not standing on both feet; one of the feet is pitched upward rather than firmly planted on the ground. There is often great anxiety in such situations. The level of stress is off the charts. The stress and anxiety is evident from the observation that the individuals are not balanced and grounded and connected to Mother Earth.
Just notice as you look around, traveling from one place to another for the rest of the week, how people stand when they talk with one another. It is actually rare when you see two people who are firmly and evenly planted on the Earth with energy that is evenly distributed between the right side and the left side.
By way of explaining the deeper meaning behind the challenge this week I have a little exercise that I invite you to experience right now. This experience is going to be pure fantasy. It is not real, but one that I actually personally experienced when I attended my four-year healing school. It is an experience that gave me profound insights about my own body.
What I want to tell you at the outset is I’m going to create a situation where in your imagination you are going to be frightened. Now know that this is not a real situation. There is absolutely no reason to be frightened. The entire idea is to fabricate a situation where you can experience what your body habitually does when you encounter something that is fearful. Once you image the situation. I am going to ask you to freeze your body in that position so that you can sense which muscles you are tensing up and which side of your body is taking the brunt of the tension and the stress; and remember, I’m going to create a situation where you are supposed to get frightened. Then you are going to react with your body and emotions. Then you are going to freeze all of that for a few seconds.
Again (I hate to repeat myself but I was a professor for 20 years) this is not a real situation; it’s just an exercise for you to experience what your body will feel like whenever you’re under stress and whenever you are in fear (which for many people is several times a day). Here it goes.
Imagine that you are having a wonderful day today. See yourself walking down a hiking path with gorgeous trees, with an individual by your side who you love dearly and who is your closest friend. You are talking with one another. You are having a grand time. You are taking sweet sips of water as you float down the trail. You stop for a few minutes to have a snack. It is a good day to be alive and it is a gorgeous hike.
Suddenly, without notice, just 20 yards away, your walking partner notices a mama bear with two cub bears. Your partner says to you,
“Oh my God, it is a mama bear with her cubs. Look!”
You look over, spot the bears and suddenly become frightened. Now, let your body be frightened right now. Just imagine you are actually looking at the mama bear face to face. How are you reacting right now?
Where do your hands go? What about your body, your shoulders, your feet? Be shocked and allow your body to react.
Now hold it. Freeze it. Freeze the shock right now. There is no need to hold the position for long – just a few seconds will do. Sense where the tension is in your body; where is it?
Notice. Be mindful. How is your body feeling now? Now go ahead and relax.
This obviously didn’t actually happen. Relax and now reflect on which muscles were tensing up when you became scared in that imaginary circumstance.
- Was it your right side?
- Was it your left side?
- Was it your neck?
- Was it your shoulders?
- Was it your knee?
- Was it your calf muscles?
- Was it your stomach?
- Was it all of the above?
What muscles did you tense up? Your body has reacted in the same fashion over and over and over again – every day, actually, although not to the extent that it will tense up when something truly fearful and scary happens like confronting a bear face to face.
The body becomes accustomed to using and stressing certain muscles over others. This stress creates a profound imbalance in the physical muscle structure interface. It becomes difficult to walk effortlessly. Balance becomes a problem because there is not an even distribution of how muscles are working in the left hand and right, in the left and right shoulders, the right and left legs, the right and left foot, etc.
When we are mindful of the extent to which we are stressing certain muscles of our body – wherever they might be located – much more frequently and much often than other muscles, we can redistribute that. Of course we need to be scared sometimes; of course we need to tense up. We can’t change that. But that very habit of reaction is going to create stresses and strains on the physical body that creates profound imbalances. This is the simple explanation for why so many people have back problems.
I am certain you are wondering why in the world I have created two back to back mindfulness challenges that are focused on the feet. Reflexology is an emerging discipline which in essence allows for healing to occur by touching certain places on the feet. There is a connection to each and every organ, each and every blood vessel that is actually located somewhere on the toes or under the soles of the feet, or even on top of the feet. When confronting neurological challenges, many people tend to think over and over that the problem resides in the brain.
It is actually a full system issue. The key access point for healing is not in the brain. It is not through our thoughts. The door way actually opens up through our feet.
Randy Eady, better known as the Foot Whisperer, works with people who currently experience the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Randy has shown why being more attentive to your feet does have profound implications for being able to reverse whatever symptoms you might be currently experiencing.
A final addendum to this week’s challenge is to consider taking off your shoes on occasion – and even your socks. Begin to walk around more often that way as you allow there to be a stimulation of the parts of your feet that may need to be stimulated. By stimulating all parts of the feet you are actually energizing and activating the lazy muscles and the all of the tired organs that in essence may need to get a wake-up call.
Have fun as you notice the balance between the right and the left sides of your body. Feel free to imagine this week that same experience of getting scared; perhaps as hiking as we just envisioned and encountering a mother bear with her two cubs. Or, create your own scary experience in your imagination.
Be mindful of which muscles you activate and what part of your body you are over-stressing. Them even that out. I suspect you will discover that your mobility will be enhanced significantly and other symptoms are likely to show a wonderful resolution.
Have fun as you have delightful week noticing the balance between the right and the left sides and as you continue admiring and appreciating your feet.
Robert
© Parkinsons Recovery