ANIMATED CHAOS
Have you ever held a perfectly fine pencil, about to write something down, and thought, "You know what? This pencil is too blunt. I shall sharpen it!"? When you proceed to sharpen the pencil, the graphite keeps breaking and breaking and, honestly, the pencil was not even that blunt when you picked it up. You … Continue reading Don’t fix what ain’t broken
Only a few things are better than sitting alone on my bed in front of an open window in my tiny studio in Amsterdam, watching the sun set behind the railway and a countless number of aeroplanes descend behind the three wind turbines, listening to crickets singing outside. These are moments of peace, serenity, and … Continue reading I’m coming home
I saw a post on Reddit the other day where a Grinberg practitioner was looking for volunteers who could help him try out an online session. Of course, I signed up. We did a session via Zoom for approximately 1 hour with introduction and cooldown included. In the beginning, we talked a bit about what … Continue reading Grinberg method. Done remotely.
I find it fascinating how the mind tricks us. When I close my eyes and meditate for 30 minutes, all sorts of peculiar things happen. For example, thoughts. No matter how hard I try to focus on the body scan, these rogue thoughts keep attacking me. Thoughts about whose couch I should ask to crash … Continue reading MBSR 4: Virgin meditation
aka Body scan for pain relief I have been having weird pains these last couple of days. It all began with my right wrist. I noticed it during yoga. There was a sharp pain whenever I had my wrist at an angle. It wasn't intolerable, but it was also far from being pleasant. The next … Continue reading MBSR 3: How I achieved a state of no bones
There is an old Zen Buddhist story about how we tend to see events as either good or bad, not simply neutral happenings in life as a bigger whole. I have copied the story at the end of this post and I encourage you all to read it because what happened to me today was … Continue reading Maybe so, maybe not
Exercise Take a few moments to be still. Congratulate yourself for taking this time for meditation practice. Begin this mindful check-in by feeling into your body and mind and simply allowing any waves of thought, emotion, or physical sensation to just be. Perhaps this is the first break you’ve taken amidst a busy day. As … Continue reading MBSR 2: Mindful check-in
Exercise Place a few raisins in your hand. If you don’t have raisins, any food will do. Imagine that you have just come to Earth from a distant planet without such food. Now, with this food in hand, you can begin to explore it with all of your senses. Focus on one of the objects … Continue reading MBSR 1: Mindfully eating a pecan nut
I went to a lesson of contact improvisation by Kahbam and Loby Lam. Contact improvisation is a form of improvised dancing that focuses on body awareness, sharing touch, weight, body contact, and movement. The workshop took place in Prismare in Enschede. The group was not big. There were eight of us altogether, mostly international people … Continue reading I feel like swimming through the air
Lately, I have been feeling dissatisfied. Restless. Anxious. Worried. Worn. I feel like I am sitting in a pressure cooker. Yet I am unsure where the pressure comes from. Yes, I have a Master's graduation project to do, but I am a clever girl, I should manage just fine. I have a company to collaborate … Continue reading From worries to motivations