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Relaxing Into Wakefulness |
Written by Carrie Edwards
Saturday, 29 March 2008
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In late February, I spent most of the week at a meeting with a couple of my long-time mentors. One had experienced a life-threatening illness some months ago, and thankfully, is now recovering well. After sharing a few of the details of his illness and recuperation process, he ended with a laugh, "You know what? What we teach is true!! We are so much more than our bodies!" His direct experience was a point well-taken. How do we know how we will respond to a crisis, a life-threatening illness, or that of a loved one, or even to a momentary stress? Truly, we don't know in advance. I often remind students, clients, and myself that we are all on the big ‘Trust Walk of Life. ' This week, I had my own experience that confirmed one of these spiritual truths that is conveyed through the Enneagram and other wisdom traditions. In the big picture, my situation really was no big deal. I had colonoscopy. My doctor told me he does 35-40 procedures a week, so certainly for him and the medical team, it's all routine. What about for the individual patient? Historically, I've tended toward the ‘wimpy' side when it comes to medicine. I have noticed how I have gotten queasy around excessive blood and tensed up around needles and intrusive instruments and procedures. But that was not so this time. What was different yesterday when I found myself with an IV inserted, and oxygen flowing, laying bare-bottomed on my side on a table (excuse me, but it's true) with just a thin blanket for ‘privacy' (might as well forget that notion), with 5 young technicians (one female, four males, all seemingly in their early 20's) moving about the room, and who were busy talking with each other while we awaited the arrival of the doctor? What surprised me was that I found myself laughing inside, and I noticed the genuine smile on my face. A part of me was simply watching what was taking place, recognizing the parts of me that was experiencing emotions, including embarrassment; the part that was being compliant; the part that was ‘at home in myself,' the part that was curious about the young technicians and their experience. This was the third anniversary of my dad's passing, and I was in contact with the feeling of missing him and experiencing our closeness. Simultaneously, I felt connected to my body and my heart, and experienced being a part of a precious, sacred moment in which Perfection and Love were absolutely present. One of the teachings of the Enneagram is that all we really need to do is Relax, not in the sense of ‘relaxing ourselves to sleep,' but Relaxing Ourselves into Wakefulness: relaxing tensions in the body in order to come into contact with sensation; relaxing mental strategies, attitudes, and fixed ideas in order to come into contact with curiosity and deeper knowing; relaxing identifications with emotional states in order to experience open heartedness, compassion and truthfulness. That is when how we move toward contact with the Great Reality of life. In the midst of the craziness of life, there is a place of Sanity, Love, Perfection—all of the qualities of Essence. What the Enneagram teaches IS true. And here is a way in: Relaxing into Contact with What Is Here in This Moment. If not now, when? Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
About the Author: Dr. Roxanne Howe-Murphy is Principal of LifeWise Learning Institute, a coaching and Enneagram education company and Director of the Enneagram Institute of the San Francisco Bay Area. Howe-Murphy is the author of the book, Deep Coaching: Using the Enneagram as a Catalyst for Profound Change (2007). www.lifewisecoaching.com
About the Author: Dr. Roxanne Howe-Murphy is Principal of LifeWise Learning Institute, a coaching and Enneagram education company and Director of the Enneagram Institute of the San Francisco Bay Area. Howe-Murphy is the author of the book, Deep Coaching: Using the Enneagram as a Catalyst for Profound Change (2007). www.lifewisecoaching.com
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