Are we actually listening…

Not only to the words but the meaning and tone…
Are we connecting to the unspoken…

When we come onto the mats, do we hear the instructions or are we on auto-pilot?
What happens on the mat will usually be the same pattern of what happens in everyday life…
So often we think we know what is coming next and move to it, always moving onto the next, have we been in the current moment though?

• Are we in-tune and listening to the feedback from the body?
• Are we listening to the messages our body is feeding us, as it’s always feeding us information –
• Are we listening or do we say to ourselves – I’m alright, I can push through this, I can do one more…then we may get injured, we may get sick, we may think we know better, but do we?
• Are we tuned in, tapped in, attuned to the messages of our own systems that know better than we actually do about our own bodies?
• Are we attentive to rest, to do more?
• Are we responsive or are we reactionary?

The same can be said of conversation…

Have you ever found you are trying to finish your sentence and before you can, someone is speaking over you and giving you their own opinion?
Have you caught yourself talking over another before they’ve finished their sentence?
Could we all take a moment to just take a slow deep breath and let the person we’re in relation with in that moment, speak or finish what they want to say?  Or are we already formulating our own response? Have we heard the full sentence and answered correctly or did it change tact 1/2 way through but we weren’t there as we already had our answer completed and ready to respond?
Are we over-excited to get our reply out?
Are we just not interested in the conversation?
Do we just want to get our point of view across?

So this week, can we listen to the unspoken, can we hear the message that is being conveyed more than the words, are the words really what we hear anyway?

Perhaps we could have a fixed point of focus and be attentive to the moment and be focussed in the moment too…

Ekagrata

Ekāgratā

(Sanskrit: एकाग्रता, “one-pointedness”)

Is the intent pursuit of one object, close and undisturbed attention. Yoga emphasises regular practice and self-imposed discipline to acquire ekagrata.
Source: Wikipedia

Eka = one
Agra = proceed

So maybe it’s not so easy to be one pointed or to focus continually on one thing! Have you ever tried to meditate and sit in stillness and be in the moment with a single point of focus?
Theory versus Practice is very different!

Yes it is difficult to still the fluctuations of the brain and bring it to a single focussed attention but could we start?

• Focus with the breaths
• When in conversation listening fully and attentively
• Catch ourself if our mind starts to wander before the person has finished their sentence, and bring it back
• Can we simply be respectful of others and listen to them
• Can this one step lead us to a greater stillness and understanding of one pointed fixed attentions and lead us to a more connected life.