Blog: To Slow & Notice & Linger

Blog: To Slow & Notice & Linger

To Slow & Notice & Linger

by Dunya Dianne McPherson

Kate Russel Dancemeditation Breath Dance
Kate Russel in Breath Dance

We get down on the mat, move hypnotically, dumping burdens we’ve been carrying all day, or all week, or all our life…Our bending and breathing, arcing, torquing and squeezing lull our controlling-ness to sleep; or strong repetitions of vigorous motion release tension. On the mat, we practice the patient art of slowing, feeling what we are doing, noticing the sensation of breath, skin, organs, bones, space, gravity. We slow and notice and linger to digest what we are feeling. We experience our experience…The more we slow and notice and feel, the more we can notice and feel. Little by little, anxiety whittles down and whispers of our real-ness sneak out to play inside us…Little by little, we cut through our crust of who we think we are, our personal identity, and our social conditioning, that sly, nimble thief inside our intimate body.

We move and breathe and feel, disengaging our ticks and drives, slipping out of the groove, a sort of sleight-of-hand in the body. Our practices are deceptively playful and unostentatious, because if we tell ourselves to be serious and fix this, then we are just practicing self-correcting and perfectionism and competitiveness, and so forth down the long list. A friend once said, “Dancememeditation is such a pleasant way to do what is difficult.” We do not-doing, undo overdoing, and finally notice that something else is going on, has been going on unbeknownst all this time.

— Excerpt from Sojourn the Inner Heaven: Movement Meditations for Awakening

Nisaa Christie

I am delighted that you are with me and appreciate your sharing these writings friends. Thank you!

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