White Space

A few weeks ago I was talking with time management goddess, Lisa Hunter, about my ideal vision of daily life that included everything I wanted to accomplish without feeling overwhelmed and always behind. I imagined a day that ebbed and flowed, where everyone's needs (including my own) were met, with necessary periods of busy activity, but also, with what I called 'white space'.

'White space' is the yin to the yang of activity; the pause between breaths, between music notes, between ocean waves... the space on the page that allows for the content to be visible and remarkable... the context and container that holds everything else and gives it meaning.

I love to be busy. I've learned that I am, by nature, a restless person. But when everything runs together without space to breathe, reflect, daydream, do 'nothing', I fall apart.

I think this is true of just about everyone. We just may have widely varying degrees of tolerance, but sooner or later, we hit that point of 'enough already!' It's true of our activity level, our living space in the form of clutter, our webpages (grin), our choice of food intake. Simple, clean, uncomplicated anything just seems to be easier to assimilate, more fulfilling to experience, more nourishing for mind, body and soul.

And I chose to write this today, a Sunday.. a day earmarked for rest and worship in Christian traditions. I am not a particularly religious person, but I have observed how, as a consumeristic culture, we've all but done away with the sanctity of a day devoted to reflection, rather than busy-ness. As if that would only benefit adherents to a religion.

A Sabbath day, is, of course, not exclusive to Christianity. Jews observe it on Saturday; Muslims, on Friday. This is not a post exploring the origins and meanings of each tradition's Sabbath. I'm bringing this up because I recently came across an interesting, fresh interpretation of the fourth commandment (third for Roman Catholics) to "remember the Sabbath and keep it holy."

This interpretation (and, please forgive me.. I'm almost positive it was in a book about Mary Magdalene, the title of which escapes me now.. will reference later) suggested that the injunction to rest on this day had to do with retreating from all of the activities and associations that are connected to and further perpetuate our identities with 'self'.  We become very much identified with what we 'do', what we have.. our 'busy-ness', even with the people around us. As humans walking this earth, it's natural.. it's what we do. We are unique individuals who have and do stuff. But to take one day a week to step back and put all of that into a larger context.. put white space around our little stories, and open up to the bigger truth of Who We Really Are.. this is holy work. The work of becoming re-acquainted with Spirit, with God, with Self.

And if you're not of that frame of mind, at least it provides breathing room, fresh perspective, renewed appreciation and gratitude for our blessing to even be here walking this earth.  A clean canvas.

White space.

Under Pressure - Opening Up

In yesterday's post, I talked a bit about the catch-22 cycle of pressure and overwhelm creating a posturing of contraction, which then leads to more perception and experience of pressure and overwhelm.

As our bodies adapt a 'curling-inward' type of form.. hunched shoulders, rounded back, stooped posture.. with the associated symptoms of tight neck, shoulders, and back (as well as restricted breathing, impaired digestion and headaches), our mental processes tend to reflect contraction as well. I mentioned yesterday that the yin (receptive) meridians which run along the front of our bodies are being pulled inward, almost protectively. Add stress and tension to the equation and you have chronic pain.

Let's take a closer look at those meridians.

If you're not familiar with the idea of meridians, here is a brief explanation. But suffice it to say,  they are specific pathways believed to carry energy... each meridian being associated with a specific organ or organ function as the ancient Chinese understood them.

In the front upper body, the area that becomes the most pulled in and protected, are the Lung, Heart and Heart Governor meridians. These run from the area of the upper chest along the inside of the arms.

Functionally speaking, the Lungs are all about receptivity. They are our first interface with the external world from the moment we take our first breath, and the necessity of breathing makes us extremely and immediately vulnerable to our environment. (I've heard it said that smoking, which, through the introduction of heat, is yang-izing, and therefore means of feeling less yin: receptive and vulnerable).

The Heart, of course, is our center. Believed by the ancient Chinese to be the supreme organ, it is referred to as the Emperor, and represents our innermost core. The Heart Governor (or Heart Protector), which would be most closely associated with the pericardium, is given the title of Prime Minster, as it protects the heart, and governs which influences are allowed to come into the presence of the heart.

So, you can see our natural tendency, in the face of what we deal with on a daily basis, to adopt a stance of protectiveness, even unconsciously... and how many of our daily activities reinforce this posture. It is a good thing to be compassionate and appreciative to our bodies for what they do to serve our emotional needs, but important to recognize that the pain and suffering we experience as result is a signal of imbalance.

Some ideas for relief.

See the above photo? That is a beautiful illustration of those three meridians being brought out and stretched in the light of day. What does that picture say to you? To me it speaks of openness, expansion, and trust (one of the key emotional associations with the Lungs is trust), letting go, and yes, surrender. Just releasing yourself into this pose causes a deep inhalation, and is an affirmation of the above qualities.. a temporary release of control, and an acceptance and trust in the rightness of things, regardless of our momentary perspective.

A brief exercise you can do.

Begin in a standing position, arms at your sides, with your middle fingers and thumbs touching lightly. On the inhale, step your left foot forward, bringing your arms up gracefully overhead. On the exhale, release your arms, letting them swing at your sides, and replace your left foot to stand next to the right. On the next inhale, repeat this with your right foot. You can do this several times until you experience a sense of calm and relaxation. For a little more challenge, at the inhale you can give a little lift with back foot, like a dancer, as if you were going to leap off a cliff. This is a good visualization to accompany that, too. This might feel silly, but it is a very clear kinesthetic message to your body of your intention to trust in letting go.

Self massage.

I said that these yin meridians run down the inner side of the arms from the upper chest. Most of us feel our tension in our backs and neck, but this frontal area is where we get contracted. (See here for a post about this.) Applying deep pressure along these lines will help to get the energy flowing along these meridians and facilitate opening.

You can start at the points under the collarbone, closest to the midline of your chest. Apply circular motions with your index and middle fingers, working out toward you armpit. This area may feel surprisingly tender. The Lung meridian begins between your first and second ribs, three finger widths below the outer tip of the collarbone, in the pectoral muscle. It continues down the inner length of the arm to the thumb. Even simple massage at this point will invoke a sense of release.

The Heart Governor meridian can be traced from a point just outside of the nipple, over the armpit, and along the length of the inner arm to the tip of the middle finger.

And the Heart meridian begins in the armpit, along the inner arm, in line with the outer part of the hand to the tip of the pinky. A light tapping with a loose fist, and a firm grasping massage down the length of the arm will stimulate these meridians.

(By the way, firm pressure with the thumb in the center of the opposite palm - Heart Governor 8 - brings relief from anxiety.)

Play with these techniques for a bit, and tomorrow I'll show you some ways to relieve tension on the yang side.

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Under Pressure - Turtle Syndrome

It's been great seeing the comments rolling in about this topic, obviously it's something many of us have experience with!

So, now let's move on to another popular manifestation of the expression of pressure in our bodies: the tight upper body syndrome.

This is a very common condition that brings a lot of folks into my office... tension, pain, stiffness in the neck, shoulders and upper back. Structurally, it seems obvious why this is such a widespread malady... caused by something Moshé Feldenkrais referred to as "flexion addiction". Take a look at the predominant posturing in our culture -- hips flexed as in sitting: sitting to eat, drive, work, anything, and for long periods of time, with arms flexed as well. This alone creates a chronic imbalance between extended (stretched) muscles and contracted muscles. Add to this all of the moments of stress experienced while in this position, and we kind of lock ourselves into this form.

Energetically, let's look at what's happening through the meridian lens.

The yang, (active, strong) meridians are located primarily on the back side of our bodies and limbs. If you curled yourself up into a ball, you would be exposing only the yang meridians. Conversely, the yin (receptive) meridians are on the underbelly, the softer sides of our bodies and limbs. Describing the trend of our culture's posture in this way, it is as if we are assuming more of a protective stance, curling in on our more vulnerable sides, almost becoming like turtles. We put our backs (literally and figuratively) toward things which appear as threats, because they can withstand trauma and pain better than any of our other parts, while our more vulnerable areas, upper chest and abdomen, become more drawn in and, in effect, weaker.

We are, in essence, closing in on ourselves, becoming more contracted, and exacerbating the experience of pressure.

Not only is this manifested externally in our form, but the contraction of structure inhibits full breathing, circulation and ease of organ functioning. More pressure is created as a result, and on and on it goes.

Does this sound accurate to you? Does this feel like your own experience?

Tomorrow's post: some exercises to open up the contraction of the body. See you then!

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Under Pressure - Grounding

....In which we begin to explore methods to relieve the physical experience and pressure, and shift our posturing in relation to the world and what it is offering us... sound like fun?

Beginning with my own experience of feeling "pressured", which I can only describe as feeling like a part of myself is running ahead, and getting away from me. I'll start off the day feeling centered and energized, and once the momentum gets going, if at any point, my thoughts turn to all of the other things I still have in mind to accomplish... whoosh!... I feel almost an immediate sense of panic and anxiety, especially in my chest, accompanied by either paralysis, sinking mood or irritability. So, in this scenario, it's really a need for grounding and a reining in of my energetic body into myself.

** So, the first thing I would do is to just stop for a minute. And breathe. Not deeply, just gently and intentionally. Maybe even spend a few moments in Mountain Pose.

** I would then get a sense of my feet on the floor, maybe even go outside for a minute, barefoot if the weather allows, and reconnect with the earth.

** In these few moments, I might ask myself 'what is the reality of the sense of urgency I feel?' What is really important to accomplish on this day, and what can I just allow to flow or wait.

** A good grounding pressure point is Spleen 6, located three finger widths above the inside ankle bones, and just along the shin bone. Pressing into this spot or massaging it, as well as just general massage around the ankle and the feet, will bring some of that upward moving energy which leads to irritability, downward into the feet.(Pressure on Spleen 6 is also good for relieving menstrual cramps, but should be AVOIDED in pregnancy).

(Interestingly, one of the characteristics of an imbalance in the Earth element, of which the Spleen meridian belongs to, is pensiveness, or too much thinking...)

** Another efficacious point for sending energy downward, and relieving headaches from too much thinking, is the Hoku point, or Large Intestine 4. This point is located on the fleshy mound between the forefinger and the thumb. This point also should be avoided during pregnancy.

** Next, to further nurture the earth element and a sense of expansiveness, would be to have a small snack or meal with a sweet taste. Sugarr is most definitely expansive, and great to relieve mental contraction after a lot of cerebral activity (can't you just feel it in the front of your head?), but refined sugar can be too extreme, and I find that it really exacerbates that breathless, tight chest feeling. But something whole and higher in carbs is good for grounding, like an organic PB & J. (I also like almond or cashew butter...!)

Ttomorrow, I will give some tips to deal with the sense of feeling boxed in and contracted. Stay tuned!!

Under Pressure - How Do You Feel It?

In the last post, I began to describe how the example of the mental experience of pressure (as in, "I have so much to do and not enough time!", or "I can't see beyond all of this stuff in front of me to get to what's really important!", or "I feel completely overwhelmed as to be paralyzed!") translates into a literal physical experience of pressure.

By necessity and by choice, many things demand our attention.

So, aside from the changes that we can make to organize, deter, declutter and otherwise tame our external world so as to get a sense of peace, how can we begin to affect our experience of pressure...thereby allowing us to feel a sense of freedom, centeredness, and space in the midst of a very hectic world?

First of all, let me ask you to picture yourself, if you are not in this place in the moment, experiencing a situation in which you could describe yourself as feeling pressure.

Maybe it's one particular circumstance, or a recurring one, perhaps a particular time of day-- or maybe it's just work, in general. Or if you happen to be feeling "pressure" right now... what are you physically feeling? Can you notice your breathing (or lack thereof?) Where, specifically, in your body can you pinpoint feelings of pressure? And, what is your posture like?

When you think about "all the things you have to get done", what do you notice happening in your body?

Is it energetic enthusiasm? Calm clarity? A slight sense of panic with increased heart rate? Chest tightness? Maybe a sudden drop in energy and a deadening feeling. Try to be very specific as you describe to yourself (or in the comments, if you like) what you are feeling. Jot down a note to yourself, if you can remember, to be aware of those places in the day where your mood drops. Bringing these automatic responses into the light of consciousness is the beginning of being able to make long-lasting change.

Tune in again tomorrow for ways to change your experience of pressure...

Under Pressure - More Than Metaphor

As I've been hobnobbing lately with women immersed in businesses dealing with organization and time management, I began to reflect on the nature of pressure, and how we experience this expression of stress in our culture, and how I would view this condition through a shiatsu lens.

There are many styles and systems to choose from created for the intention of taming the external causes of pressure... new, and tried and true ways to approach the continual influx of stuff and information, as well as that disparity between so much to do and so few hours.

But what about our internal experience of pressure?

I mean, when we perceive that we are being overwhelmed by what life is throwing at us, or by what we are allowing in, either by intention or default, doesn't the word 'pressure' accurately describe what we physically feel, and more than just metaphorically? It's like a feeling of the world bearing down, of a hindered ability to breathe... a closing in, a sense of limited mobility and a lack of options. Yes?

Our bodies, as is true with practically all of our mental and emotional states, express what is going on in our heads. And likewise, our moods and perspectives are directly affected by how our bodies feel. In a state of pressure, we literally contract and become smaller and more compact. It doesn't matter which came first... physical, emotional, and mental conditions feed off each other, unless we can interrupt the feedback loop, and consciously introduce a new way of being.

Fortunately, it really doesn't take too much of an effort to effect this change. For one thing, we can just change scenery. Get up, get outside... introduce a sense of expansion. Stretch, breathe, move a little. Get bodywork. This will provide some temporary, but immediate relief.

Tune in again this week for more on pressure and tips for creating a greater sense of expansion and relief.