Seeing as I expect to learn some stuff about opening in my Year of Opening, I thought it might be useful to benchmark my experience of opening and see if and how it changes over time.
(If you’re freaked out by woo-woo, move along, please).
In the past couple of days, I’ve moved opening up my priority list. I’ve set a reminder on my phone to go off during daylight hours on the hour. The reminder just says, ‘Opening?’
Amazing what that does to create a ribbon through my day. Also shows how unconscious I get when not reminded.
Coming into the present
When I get the reminder, one of the first things I find is that I come into the present moment. My experience is that I kind of wake up, like coming out of a reverie or a daydream, and notice my surroundings more. Everything comes into sharper focus, and I notice more than what’s in my central vision.
Relaxing habitual mental tension
I find myself relaxing my slight habitual straining-at-the-lead. I notice the thoughts that want me to want to be somewhere else, doing something else, or at least thinking something else, and drop quietly, even for just a moment, into experiencing what I’m experiencing.
Becoming a bit more peripheral
My habitual mental/emotional/’energetic’ set up is somewhat tunnel visioned, somewhat focused on my central vision, somewhat angled internally. When I open, it seems like I become more aware of the peripheries, not just in terms of vision, but also of my limbs, and the space around my thoughts/feelings.
Dropping commentary on what’s happening
Just for a second, I drop my mental story about what’s happening. What’s surprising is how easy this often is, it’s just so unconscious that I don’t notice.
Physically relaxing
On a mundane level, I find myself breathing deeper, relaxing my shoulders, softening my face. Sometimes I let go of my stomach muscles, and at times get conscious of the soles of my feet.
***
I have some idea that there are levels or depths or parts or something to opening (indeed, I have experienced these from time to time) so I wonder if other things will grow from this practice.
***
Yeah, not really a comment-y post, more of a benchmark.
But, you know, feel free…
If you liked this, you might like some of these too...
