After a recent lesson I was chatting with my Alexander Technique teacher about just how similar physical and emotional release are. To release physical tension you can allow yourself to focus on both sets of muscles in tension, either one then the other, or both simultaneously. To release emotionally you can allow yourself to be present to both sides of an issue, either one then the other or with practise both simultaneously. To get more freedom physically you can stretch both sets of muscles. To get more freedom emotionally you can embrace both sides of an issue to stretch your comfort zone.
I think it is striking how the same Central Nervous System that effects physical movement through polarity (e.g. bicep and tricep) also effects emotional response through polarity (e.g. love and hate).
Maybe it's the only way. Maybe we cannot grasp one without other. Maybe it's just the way we hold onto truth.
1 comment:
hmm great thoughts... the proverbial *they* say that all emotion can be reduced down to three wants, want for control, want for approval and want for security... I think Christian's in general have been told, and bought into, that their eternal destination is directly affected by what they think (i.e. believe)... the consequence of this is that if they think the "wrong" thing they will go to hell... so when you're presented with truth that your authority figure didn't approve you cannot evaluate for yourself or allow yourself to experience it or even consider it as a possibility in case you backslide and go to hell - http://thoughtkid.blogspot.com/2005/07/religious-monopoly.html
a divorce put me in a world of total theological crisis... my life goal was to be a pastor and 10 years ago a leading figure in the denomination pronounced that divorced people couldn't be pastors although (graciously) he did concede they could take some form of leadership role... (I think the stance at the denomination level has changed since)... I remember the day 2 years ago when my own pastor gave me permission to get divorced... this issue was discussed at "board" level in the church... I can't tell you how good it felt to have my personal life being the subject of everyone’s scrutiny... I had good friends decide that they disagreed with what I was doing... though some considered my behaviour to be impeccable and no accusations have stuck... my pastor said that if he ever wrote a book on the subject of divorce he'd base it on my life and behaviour in this time... "how to go through a divorce - the Christian way"... and all this was beyond my control... the ex was dealing with a reasonable amount of mental illness and the issues were many and varied...
so I ended up, what felt like at the time, committing "Christian" suicide... I had no choice but to consider many more perspectives than I had before... and so I'm here to say it's not as bad as people seem to fear... you can maintain a deep sense of your relationship with God and allow yourself to be open to any possibility... as you relax it is easier to evaluate what you opinion is on a given matter... life is more peaceful now... ;o)
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