“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times” - Bruce Lee
When I first started practicing yoga, I practiced the Bikram sequence with Joel Pier in Philadelphia. Bikram is a series of postures practiced in a heated room. I remember after several classes I noticed the sequence was always the same. So I asked Joel if the sequence ever changed. Joel tilted his head down, looked over his glasses and poetically stated, “So much confusion outside of the Yoga room. Please don't bring it here.” I will never forget his words and the profundity stills rings true today.
A mindset that is predicated by having to change the sequence of postures falls in line with the adage of a mile wide and an inch deep. I also like the analogy of digging lots of holes or focusing on digging one hole deep enough to strike water. The mind and body are programmed through repetition. Introduce a stimulus repeated and an imprint is left. In essence, you become the stimulus.
I have heard movement experts say it takes anywhere from 160 to as much as 500 repetitions before you create a new pattern within your mind-body connection. The number of times is not important as much as the power of repetition. I have applied this science within the movements we teach at Empowered Yoga with incredible results. Although my body has benefited incredibly, I believe the true benefactor has been my mind.
Repetition for many can create boredom. I know for me this was the case at the beginning of my yoga practice. I got sick of Bikram and moved onto another style and then another style, continuing to search. It was not until I learned the principles of mindfulness and discovered the ultimate goal of yoga—Beginner’s Mind. I will never forget standing in front of a mirror several years ago, looking at myself and it hit me. I am searching in the wrong places. I am looking outside of myself for something that is right here. This moment is new! As I paid attention to that moment, everything seemed to magnify and brighten. It was a bit of an awakening experience and one you can have right now for yourself. Just sit still and pay attention. Look around the room. Notice the paint color, the trim, the ceiling. I mean really look. I bet you will see and feel something you never have before.
Beginner’s Mind is to see each moment as it is—new! Today is July 14, 2008. It is 5:26am and I have never lived at this time. Can I be awake and alert for what this moment presents? Many times our minds are aimlessly wandering from thought to thought – waiting for something to happen before we can begin living. I will be happy when I get the promotion, when I get the new car, when my kid gets out of diapers, etc. This makes the mind dull. Our attention is continuously on thought and the future instead of what we are experiencing right now. We develop a hardened concept around life in general and it develops by placing too much attention on thinking and not enough of experiencing what is happening right now.
The day that I realized this, standing in front of my mirror, changed my life. I started to pay attention to my mind and body while I went through the yoga practice that day. I felt things in postures I had never felt before. I will never forget that day but somehow, I do forget that day a thousand times a day. I get lost in thought, judgment, or analyzing. Then I remember to stop and pay attention and my mind comes back to the here and now. Life brightens up and gratitude grows.
Bruce Lee taught the power of Beginner’s Mind and the importance of mindfully repeating tasks in the pursuit of developing a mind and body that is sharp and awake. A lesson I need reminding of every second of my life. I am alive and this moment is new. Can I be present to receive it?
4 comments:
The concept of the Beginner's Mind led me to think of something I heard on NPR the other day. A neurologist suffered a stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain robbing her of the ability to speak, write or communicate in anyway (among other 'disabilities'). She gain, however, complete bliss and total peace. She describes the experiences of re-learning how to live her life while incorporating this new gift of complete peace or "enlightenment". You can check out the interview and get links to her book at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91965230
I have to be a bit skeptical when enlightenment is compared to brain damage.
A few months back, there was a story on NPR about someone with a acute lack of testosterone, who also described their experience as "very spiritual". Great to make the best of one's difficulties, but I don't think I'll be signing up for a stroke or a castration anytime soon.
(Chris)I don't want to use this space to go back and forth off topic but I did want to clarify that enlightenment was not compared to brain damage.
The story of this woman was interesting in the sense that the particular area of her brain that ruptured was the exact place that gets "lit up" during meditation. She explains this in a very matter of fact, scientific manner and does not claim to have reached enlightenment.
What she did experience and what she continues to experience is the sense that each moment is new.(The Beginner's Mind) She is not distracted by thoughts of future or past because her ability to plan was damaged and her memories of past stress were erased. Though, obviously, none of us would like to have a stroke, she was affected in a unique way that gave me pause.
The book Dominick is talking about is called My Stroke of Insight. It's by Jill Bolte Taylor. I just finished reading it a few days ago. She explains the brain science related to living in the moment and her approaches to doing so. Her insights are a good fit with yogic practice.
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