This beautiful octagon shape reflects the areas of life experience and focus perfectly. It appears as though the center radiates out to all points in the octagon shape.
Imagine that the center reflects one’s health area and that it radiates out to all other lifes areas. Areas such as faith/education, career, community, roots, future, wealth, recognition and relationships.
Now consider your own health area at the center radiating out to all corners of your life. As the moon travels into a New Moon phase, it is a great time to pause and identify one’s own personal health experience and name the changes one hopes for.
@ Inside Awareness the center of the Octagon reflects not only physical, emotional and mental function, it also reflects one’s belief system and perspective. We differentiate functional bodies with an understanding of their interdependent relationships for ease of cultivating awareness, skill development and interconnectedness to the experience in the present moment. So try to imagine this independently from your other life area influences.
How to increase choices
Spider Web like interconnectedness of life
Have you ever watched the motion of a spider web when stimulated by the slightest shift of weight?
Let’s take this octagon and break it down into 9 segments to represent the 9 life areas previously mentioned.
In this octagon some black lines are added to create visual boundaries for each of the nine areas mentioned above. It would resemblance a spider web if the black lines continued along the spiral outward. Have you ever watched the motion of a spider web after the slightest shift of weight no matter how tiny? There is a wave like movement through the whole web. This is also the elusive wave-like response in our own experiences through all of the nine life areas regardless of where the actions is. This action can be in any of the individual areas including thoughts, memories, body functions and changes in the environment. Any shift of focus in one’s attention will bounce like a wave through all the areas.
Body functions
@ Inside Awareness we define body functions as a whole working function which includes; physical, mental, emotional, perspective and connection to all of life. Our focus of attention is on the present moment therefore in above paragraph thinking, memories and belief system is separated out, as we differentiate past learning with present moment experience. Similar to a mindfulness meditation exercise yet this is a living expression of functional mindfulness.
Special note: speaking with a student recently it is important to state that this can’t be compared to other modalities as it is a different approach. It would be like comparing apples and oranges. This approach isn’t focused upon explaining the philosophy or training the mind to organize the functions. Our focus us on integrating the practical steps of function from a somatic perspective, while in the state of present moment experience.
How does one turn this elusive response into obvious choices?
Through clarity of how the core experience expresses life
@ Inside Awareness we believe the core of one’s experience is personal health and wellbeing. Whether expressing aliveness, or showing signs of being drained of energy, the core is the driving force of each individual experience. This includes experiences in each individual area of life with or without one’s awareness. All eight of life areas influences personal functional health independently, however it is personal health that increases or decreases the quality of how each of them is experienced. Our definition of personal health is physical movement function, emotional function, mental function, and the interplay between them and functional perspective, belief system and interconnectedness with all living things. Read examples
Cultivating core awareness in life experiences
Take a moment and consider the percentages of time you spend on each of these areas every day. This will help you to discover any lack of balance you may have in where you focus your attention. This balance pertains to your own health and wellbeing, physical, mentally and emotionally.
- _______ Wealth
- _______ Recognition
- _______ Relationships
- _______ Roots
- _______ Health
- _______ Future Creativity
- _______ Learning
- _______ Career
- _______ Community
What would you like to do better?
Remember that your personal health is the center of any life action. It will be how you perform any function moment to moment. In return these other areas influence your health in a big way. Your personal health includes your physical, emotional and mental body functions, and your perspective and belief system. Your personal health is separate, yet interdependent, of other life areas. It influences each of the other 8 areas and each of the other 8 areas influence it. Developing discernment of the separateness of each of your life area increases inter-connectedness and supports learning to live interdependent relationships with others.
Your answer to what you would like to do better becomes your overall goal for 2021
You have just tapped into your motivation for 2021 and now this can become your target for this new year.
- This target can be further broken down into the seasons for 2021
- Winter – Rest, ruminate and rejuvenate
- Spring – New growth
- Summer – Fruition
- Fall – Harvest
Congratulations
You have identified your intention for 2021
Once your longing is identified and witnessed through writing or spoken word it’s achievable
By speaking it, or writing it out, you have engaged your senses of sight, sound and touch and started the process of turning the elusive experience into an obvious one
The obvious next steps
Ways you can explore cultivating your own focus of attention and awareness with Renee @ Inside Awareness are though integrating interdependent connections to functional actions through learning systems. Remember you are not broken, therefore do not need to be fixed! Whether learning new ways through action and responses in personal functions of :
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physical movement,
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processing active perception in the moment,
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sensing emotional stimulus in the moment,
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opening one’s mind to being present in the moment, or
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connecting to all life
Our focus is on starting where you are and asking the question: What can you do better?
@Inside Awareness Programs available in person & virtually
Speciality learning systems:
‘Goals create Purpose’
Personal goals can turn helplessness and hopelessness into hope!
Goals increase decision making skills & increases motivation.
6 Step Action Plan:
tap into the intention in your dreams & turn them into doable goals
The only way to change is action
Be the Master Creator of your 2021 experience
With Feldenkrais® experiences there is an opportunity to explore awareness through the senses similar to the shift of weight as described in the earlier spider web description. Cultivating one’s focus the Feldenkrais way increases the likelihood for clarity of the wave like motion. This will reverberate through the previous mental and emotional perspectives transforming the experience to the actual present moment. When achieving full consciousness to the felt experience in the moment, it becomes; the present healing the past. Many have become aware of the benefits of working with the mental function of mind through mindfulness training of mediation. I am suggesting here that the same state of open connection to the present experience of mindfulness meditation can be achieved through functional training.
Two ways to explore Feldenkrais experience with a practitioner:
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Personal functional movement patterns integrated through touch
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Guided patterns for personally exploring movement
The only way to change is action
With Communication experiences there is an opportunity to explore awareness through the spoken word that stimulates one’s senses similar to the shift of weight as described in the earlier spider web description. Cultivating one’s focus on the spoken word increases the likelihood for clarity of the wave-like motion. This will reverberate through the previous mental and emotional perspectives transforming the experience to the actual present moment. When achieving full consciousness to the felt experience in the moment, it becomes; the present healing the past. Many have become aware of the benefits of working with the mental function of mind through mindfulness training of mediation. I am suggesting here that the same state of open connection to the present experience of mindfulness communication can be achieved through spoken word training.
Ways to explore Communication with a practitioner:
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Personal spoken word patterns integrated through mentoring
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Guided patterns for personal learning
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Guided patterns for community learning and experience
The only way to change is action
With regards to our shared experiences of the surroundings there is an opportunity to explore awareness through the environment that stimulates one’s senses similar to the shift of weight as described in the earlier spider web description. Cultivating one’s focus on the space increases the likelihood for clarity of the wave-like motion. This will reverberate through the previous mental and emotional perspectives transforming the experience to the actual present moment. When achieving full consciousness to the felt experience in the moment, it becomes; the present healing the past. Many have become aware of the benefits of working with the mental function of mind through mindfulness training of mediation. I am suggesting here that the same state of open connection to the present experience of mindfulness space can be achieved through connection to the environment.
Ways to explore connection to space with a practitioner:
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Personal experience through consultation in your environment
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Guided learning experiences
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Guided patterns for community experience
The only way to change is action
Environment created by food choices
When hearing the use of the term environment one’s thoughts may immediately go to the forest, sky, ocean, animals and plants. Many of us many not consider the food they consume as part of the environment that stimulates them physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Each function requires nutrition to reach its potential health and wellness and each function requires different nutritional values.
Food choices creates future food choices
The only way to change is action
THE NEW ZEN
Experience is alive & the expression of actions
Cultivating a conscious and aware experience can be as simple as exploring:
Perpetual integration
Influence of Environment Stimulus including:
Surroundings, Physical, Mental, Emotional, & Cultural
The only way to change is action
MASTER CLASS
Children’s Integrative Programs
Culture of Values (Children)
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creating a culture with a focus on intention & connection to what matters
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learning with a focus on how; the mental environment influences thoughts, the physical environment influences reactions and the body environment influences movement, perception and feelings
The only way to change is action
Mentoring Programs Available:
1st Level – Getting Started (Introduction & Pattern)
2nd Level – Getting Intouch (Experiencing & Connection)
3rd Level – Integration (Embodiment)
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by Renee Lindstrom, GCFP @ Inside Awareness, Living in Natures Love Blog
& Renee Lindstrom Live
Copyright 2014 – 2021 Renee Lindstrom, GCFP
Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Awareness Through Movement®, Functional Integration®, are registered service marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America. Feldenkrais Method®
