Velvet Revolution Tactics
The little voice in the back of my mind that's 100% correct in retrospect has been whispering to me for years that daily practice is the only way out of the armor I'd already had 10-25 years to get used to before I found the desire to unwind it. Taiji has become a daily practice since I finally memorized a form via youtube videos. YOu can't learn these arts from videos or books alone, but if you have a teacher in the flesh they're a great aid for study.
Today in the woods between PSU and OHSU I did the form on a bridge with water flowing under it as I usually do on that trail. The quiet and calm became so deep that I literally felt myself vibrating on a deeper, more grounded frequency where the other humans jogging and talking were buzzing like a swarm of bugs that suddenly approaches and then moves on. I've been taking shorter doses of computer time lately, which seems to be a side effect of the practice. Our culture of noise is why time seems to be speeding up. When you skim the surface of sensation by distracting yourself with mental stimulation at all times time slips away and you don't even notice. As my mind sank like a bowling ball and settled into my kua (the environs of the hip bones inclusive of the other tissues) joggers and talkers whose bodies were in the woods but whose attention was still focused on the city seemed like flimsy cellophane cut outs flapping in the breeze.
I'm sorry if that sounds insulting, but when I'm rooted that's exactly what it feels like to be around the average Portland city dweller. I came from the same culture so I don't want to point fingers so much as raise awareness. Our culture of mental noise creates a cloud in our heads that prevents us from feeling our own heart beat unless it's in distress, prevents us from feeling our kua unless it's actively stimulated with pain or pleasure, and keeps us utterly cut off from awareness of our feet unless they hurt badly enough that brain can no longer ignore them. And if your feet are out of awareness you're also out of touch with the ground beneath them. Computers are valuable tools, but when you've always got your nose pointed at a glowing screen (watch movies on your ipod! DAZZLENOISE) you've made yourself a slave of the corporate wizards who feed on your health and well being to sustain their wasteful lifestyles.
If you're reading this on a portable computer out in public, please turn off your computer now and sink into awareness of the world around you. It needs you more than the machine between your thumbs. Blessed be.
Today in the woods between PSU and OHSU I did the form on a bridge with water flowing under it as I usually do on that trail. The quiet and calm became so deep that I literally felt myself vibrating on a deeper, more grounded frequency where the other humans jogging and talking were buzzing like a swarm of bugs that suddenly approaches and then moves on. I've been taking shorter doses of computer time lately, which seems to be a side effect of the practice. Our culture of noise is why time seems to be speeding up. When you skim the surface of sensation by distracting yourself with mental stimulation at all times time slips away and you don't even notice. As my mind sank like a bowling ball and settled into my kua (the environs of the hip bones inclusive of the other tissues) joggers and talkers whose bodies were in the woods but whose attention was still focused on the city seemed like flimsy cellophane cut outs flapping in the breeze.
I'm sorry if that sounds insulting, but when I'm rooted that's exactly what it feels like to be around the average Portland city dweller. I came from the same culture so I don't want to point fingers so much as raise awareness. Our culture of mental noise creates a cloud in our heads that prevents us from feeling our own heart beat unless it's in distress, prevents us from feeling our kua unless it's actively stimulated with pain or pleasure, and keeps us utterly cut off from awareness of our feet unless they hurt badly enough that brain can no longer ignore them. And if your feet are out of awareness you're also out of touch with the ground beneath them. Computers are valuable tools, but when you've always got your nose pointed at a glowing screen (watch movies on your ipod! DAZZLENOISE) you've made yourself a slave of the corporate wizards who feed on your health and well being to sustain their wasteful lifestyles.
If you're reading this on a portable computer out in public, please turn off your computer now and sink into awareness of the world around you. It needs you more than the machine between your thumbs. Blessed be.