10/26/08

Day 13: Focus through Distractions



Pose #6: Dandayamana Dhanurasana - Standing Bow Pulling Pose

Since I have been a SAHM/W these past couple of months, I seem to have a lot of time to my self and my own thoughts. Never really realized how much white noise there is rambling around in my head till I had a lot of time to actually listen to it. When I was working outside of the home, I had so much going on (sales calls, contracts to write, teams to manage, dinner to cook, laundry to do, children to raise, husband to love....etc.) and rarely heard or even listened to the voices in my head. So, when the voices get loud in the day and your mind travels wide and far conjuring up all kinds of wild, fantastic, interesting, troubling thoughts & ideas...what do you do to focus/re-focus on the here & now? What do you do to be present in the moment?

At the start of every practice, the instructor tells you to become present in the moment...to commit to your practice, look yourself in the eyes and focus on yourself and your body. Somtimes (most times) this is hard to do. There are other people in the class, I can see them in the mirror - in my periphery. That ta-do list is being checked off or added to. And then there is always that one person who just thinks they know oh, so much more than the instructor and wants to march to their own beat. That one person who SIMPLY WILL NOT BE STILL in between poses, that one person who always does the poses the way THEY feel like doing them, that one person who ALWAYS does all of this in my line of sight...


That one person/thing/thought that distracts you from focusing on the task/moment at hand.

What do I do? BREATH.

Breath...look into your eyes or a central focal point and....breath. No matter how fast your heart and mind are racing...BREATH...clear your mind, relax and....BREATH. It sounds very simplistic, like it wouldn't work, but it does. DistractaGirl...ignored. I stopped even glancing at her, looked into my eyes on every pose (never took my eyes off myself) and BREATHED. The last couple of practices - I have been able to focus through the distractions of other people and my own mind and they have been the best sessions ever.

To focus through or in the midst of distractions...just BREATH and find your focal point.


Pose#7: Tuladandasana - Balancing Stick Pose