T
Tully Hall
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I’m a big fan of Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now“. It’s transformative.
I’m also a fan of the “Power of No”, in the Alexander sense.
Or as FM Alexander coined it, “conscious inhibition”. (He was pre-Freud, so not a particle of emotional repression was involved, phew!)
Conscious inhibition covers a lot of territory, from the very simple to the extremely profound.
Simple: Not doing what I don’t want to do. I prefer not to sabotage myself with any excess mental, muscular or any other tension!
Profound: A deeply quiet state of non-doing.
Below the conscious level, inhibition happens all the time in the nervous system. That’s how it preserves order.
Excitation: brain tells neurons to fire. Go!
Inhibition: brain tells neurons not to fire. Don’t go.
At the conscious level, it’s asking something not to happen or to stop happening…
I’m listening to someone… and I notice I’m forming my (clever, impatient, eager) response while he/she is still talking.
Ah, a *Sparky opportunity beckons!
What if I refrain from formulating and listen…all… the…way…through? Even if I KNOW what’s going to be said.
Can I quietly listen without tightening?
Receiving support… allowing breath… soft and tall.
Woot, I applied awareness and conscious inhibition!
Ding ding ding!
And as it turns out, I didn’t know everything that would be said! I heard much more than the words, from within my quietude.
Leaving myself alone…
No getting ready, pushing, trying…
Give time.
It’s spacious here.
I’m also a fan of the “Power of No”, in the Alexander sense.
Or as FM Alexander coined it, “conscious inhibition”. (He was pre-Freud, so not a particle of emotional repression was involved, phew!)
Conscious inhibition covers a lot of territory, from the very simple to the extremely profound.
Simple: Not doing what I don’t want to do. I prefer not to sabotage myself with any excess mental, muscular or any other tension!
Profound: A deeply quiet state of non-doing.
Below the conscious level, inhibition happens all the time in the nervous system. That’s how it preserves order.
Excitation: brain tells neurons to fire. Go!
Inhibition: brain tells neurons not to fire. Don’t go.
At the conscious level, it’s asking something not to happen or to stop happening…
I’m listening to someone… and I notice I’m forming my (clever, impatient, eager) response while he/she is still talking.
Ah, a *Sparky opportunity beckons!
What if I refrain from formulating and listen…all… the…way…through? Even if I KNOW what’s going to be said.
Can I quietly listen without tightening?
Receiving support… allowing breath… soft and tall.
Woot, I applied awareness and conscious inhibition!
Ding ding ding!
And as it turns out, I didn’t know everything that would be said! I heard much more than the words, from within my quietude.
Leaving myself alone…
No getting ready, pushing, trying…
Give time.
It’s spacious here.
*This post is from my ‘Spark of Alexander’ email series