|
Serving a community of private individuals and professionals
who have the desire to cultivate a life of clarity, compassion,
and creativity. We warmly welcome our new subscribers. Thanks
for joining! Your feedback is encouraged. Please contact us
at seishin@seishindo.org.
|
Workshops Announcements
The discipline of Seishindo offers you the best of
both Eastern and Western models of health and well-being.
A remarkable system that merges Oriental philosophy
with Western science.
Click on these links to find out about the details.
The
Body of Tenderness–The Body of Fear:
Finding the Wisdom of Love
Wash. DC, April 16-18, 2004
Tuning
Your Instrument:
Seishindo Life Coaching workshop for performance artists
Manhattan, New York City, April 24, 2004.
ADD,
Dyslexia, and Other Learning ABILITIES
Manhattan, New York City, April 25, 2004.
Use
Eastern Wisdom to transform your life,
and thrive in the Western World
San Diego, CA: July 12- 13, 2004.
|
1. Main course
Although each newsletter is meant to stand on its own, this
issue follows from our very last issue on "The
Paradox of Reason and Emotion".
If you think that you want to brush up on what we talked about
last issue, you can go to the link above and read the opening
piece.
Our somatic, reptilian, and limbic brains, along with our body,
orchestrate and "speak" a language that is at least
as complete, sophisticated, and grammatically correct as the
verbal language of our neo-cortex. This pre-verbal language
is the language of love and emotion, and it determines the framework
that verbal language is constructed from. Increase your heart
rate, breathe shallowly, and constrict your muscles, and this
pre-verbal somatic communication will lead you to report that
you are tense and ill at ease. Relax and calm your physiology
and breathing, and this somatic communication will lead you
to a very different verbal conversation, and a different perspective.
Our feelings emanate from the body, and are reported on after
the fact by the verbal centers of our brain, much like a journalist
reports on news events. Without a bodily reaction, there is
no news to report.
When our emotions and our intellect are at odds, invariably
we find that the language of our body and the language of our
intellect are communicating conflicting messages. When our heart
says "No" and our intellect says "Yes" we
rarely wind up achieving our goals. By better understanding
the primal messages of love and emotion that our body communicates,
we can meld our emotional and rational desires into one comprehensive
whole. Often instead, we subvert or deny our emotional longings
by telling ourselves what we "should" be doing. Our
intellect says we "should" do this or that, and our
heart says "No thank you." and soon we have a stalemate.
For millions of years prior to the neo-cortex being developed,
the regulation of the body's systems was successfully carried
out by the triumvirate of the enteric nervous system, reptilian
brain, and limbic brain. We simply are not designed to have
our rational mind tell the body what to do and how to feel.
We cannot command ourselves to secrete the various enzymes necessary
for high quality digestion, and we cannot willfully direct ourselves
to no longer feel heartbroken, depressed, or incompetent. To
change our emotional experience, we need to speak to our body
in the language of love and emotion. By stabilizing and calming
our heartbeat, breathing, posture, hormonal flow, and visual
focus, we can begin to affect changes in our overall mood, health,
perception, and identity. As our enteric nervous system, and
our reptilian and limbic brains orchestrate changes in our physiology,
we change the structure of our thinking and emotions, and we
change the physical structure and activity of our neo-cortex
as well. Our somatic intelligence initiates the changes that
lead to our emotional and physical well-being, and our rational
mind will do well to honor such wisdom. Deny or denigrate the
wisdom of the body, and you will find yourself constantly at
odds with developing the conditions for health, happiness, and
loving relationships.
Each human being has a primary set of internal relationships
that make up the self. Indeed we can say that the primary unit
of "self" IS relationship. No one part of the system
of self is the commander in chief. No one part of the system
is any more intelligent than any other part. Living a fulfilling
life is a team effort. We need to cultivate a deep appreciation
for the vital communication that emanates from the body, and
communicate to the body in a supportive life affirming manner.
How to do this? "Speak" to your emotional self in
the languages of poetry, music, dance, and visual arts. Take
the time to exercise, breathe freely, and appreciate nature.
Form supportive intimate relationships with friends, colleagues,
and loved ones. Meditate, perform community service, play with
a child or a pet. Enjoy life, and appreciate the few moments
you have to spend on this wondrous planet.
|
Private Sessions
If you would like to become better able to work wisely
with core issues such as your identity, deteriorating
health, a general sense of well-being, destructive
habit patterns, strained personal relationships, and
various professional concerns, please consider engaging
in an in-person private session with me.
My private sessions in Wash. DC will be on April 20th
and 21st.
My private sessions in New York will be on April 13th
and 14th.
Read
more about what Seishindo sessions can bring you.
Read
what other people say about Seishindo sessions.
If you think you might be interested in a private
session, please contact Charlie directly at charlie@seishindo.org.
|
2. Epilogue
Poetry talks to us in the language of love and emotion. Here
is a heartfelt poem by the obscure poet cb Hop.
I of the Storm
I felt myself going down for the count,
Spiraling,
Looping,
Almost falling over.
The beginning rumblings that usually lead to an "off the
chart" reading on
the Richter scale.
I closed my eyes and waited
Part of me dreading what would come next,
And part of me hoping that some ancient teaching I had studied
in one of
those weekend seminars,
Would miraculously kick in and start working on its own.
At first I thought I heard only the sounds of breaking glass
And the screech of tires,
Coming from my overwrought and anxious soul.
And then from somewhere off in the distance,
Getting ever closer and louder,
I heard an insistent chatter chastising me,
"Here you go again! Down, and down, and down!"
I was feeling so very stuck,
So I stayed right where I was,
Kind of like a deer caught in the headlights of an onrushing
car.
And then I must have gotten lucky,
Or perhaps God was in a particularly kind mood that day,
Because the longer I stayed glued to where I was,
The more I began to feel and hear the loud and steady beat of
my heart.
Perhaps too fast, but definitely strong and true.
At first I felt it in a very simple way:
Boom-boom....Boom-boom.....
And then I began to notice that my heartbeat was enticingly
simple yet
complex,
Like the beat of an African drum,
Calling to the other players.
Ba-boom Bi-bam....Ba-boom Bi-bam
Ba-boom Bi-bam....Ba-boom Bi-bam
And I knew this beat was ancient,
I knew that it was more than me,
And so was my pain.
Suddenly I was only spiraling,
Only looping,
Only going down, and down, and down.
Captured, mesmerized, fully engaged.
No verbal conversation inside my head.
And in a moment that seemed so clear,
I was full of energy and moving,
In a very big place,
Like a dolphin in the water,
Like a hawk in the sky
Like Fred Astaire on a rainy Saturday evening, dancing in the
rain.
Shaking, twisting, and sometimes very still,
And silent.
Endless energy,
Fed by a source MUCH more powerful than my brain.
Tears, joy, laughter,
Intense pain, a sense of deep beauty,
A sense of being deeply loved.
Somehow all of these states were not so dissimilar.
The source was all the same.
I don't know how long this went on for,
Because I was really far away from the one who tells time.
All I know is that I found myself sitting here
slumped over in my chair,
Eyes closed,
My breathing pure and simple,
Innnnn........Outtttt........Innnn........Outttt........
Don't just read these words,
Feel them within yourself.
Your own breath........
Innnnn........Outtttt........Innnn........Outttt........
Like the rise and fall of the tides,
Like the slow pendulum of a huge clock,
Like the ringing of a gong in a temple ceremony,
Marking the passing of old souls,
And the entry of new.
Slowing down........
Muscles relaxed,
Heart beating freely,
Ba-boom Bi-bam........ Ba-boom Bi-bam........
Ba-boom Bi-bam........ Ba-boom Bi-bam........
Are you feeling your heart now?
Really feeling.
Your heart........ Ba-boom Bi-bam........
And your breathing Innnn........and Outttt........
Like a symphony,
Fueling your life.
And I ask myself now,
Where did all this start?
How do I go from madness to bliss?
And I ask you the same.
3. Practice
"Only
one, Only moving, Only calm"
The main idea for this Practice is to notice how movement and
breath are important components of the language of love and
emotion. Notice how movement and breath connect all living beings
together, as active players in the symphony of life.
4. Links
Sobonfu
I have yet to have the pleasure of meeting Sobonfu, but I have
heard many wonderful things about her work, and thus I would
like to introduce her to the Seishindo community.
Sobonfu was born in West African to the Dagara tribe, and she
shares the wisdom of her culture in various heartfelt workshops
that people tell me are magnificent.
Her site at http://www.sobonfu.com
says:
In this weekend workshop Sobonfu will share one of the most
important rituals of her people. The Grief Ritual is a soul-cleansing
rite that can clear away lingering clouds and festering wounds-like
abandonment, divorce, death, and the loss of dreams. This is
a traditional Dagara ritual to help release your grief, lighten
your soul, let your true spirit be heard, and to assist your
life in becoming more balanced and fulfilled.
Sobonfu's work has helped to move African spiritual practices
from the realm of anthropology to a place alongside the world's
great spiritual traditions with a message of profound significance
and practical application in the lives of westerners.
5. Suggested Books by
Cindy Franklin
The
Dictionary of Gestures, Signs and Body Language Cues
by David Givens
An illustrated online "dictionary," it offers some
fascinating insights into the significance of various body language
cues that have similar meanings cross culturally. In general
it is dangerous to assume that particular gestures or postures
have the same "meaning" from person to person or situation
to situation. Despite this, if you take the definitions offered
in this dictionary as evocative suggestions, this book offers
an illuminating and thought-provoking read.
Please click on the title to read this book online.
6. Suggested Music
CD: "#1's" Mariah Carey
This is another CD that I am a little shy about mentioning,
but if you take Mariah's music and mix it in with other artists,
I think she does some very nice stuff. This CD, being a variant
of a "best hits", has a number of very nice tracks
from Mariah and her friends. I use four or five of these tracks
quite regularly. Especially when I am roller blading.
7. Introducing our subscribers
Connie Miller writes:
I truly enjoy and get lots of wonderful inspiration and clear
information from the Seishindo website. I am honored to appear
on it.
My practice includes helping professionals of all kinds conquer
their stage fright and find the flow of being truly present
with their audiences. I also help attorneys prepare their witnesses
for deposition and trial – teaching them how to relax and
focus on the issues in that confrontive environment. My website
Speaking
from the heart tells all about it. Welcome!
Seishindo team thanks Connie heartily for
her kind words!
Deborah Ager writes:
Spark Your Creativity with a Poet
Boot Camp
Get your imagination rolling with a five-day poet boot camp
held via email, so you can participate while wearing pajamas.
Deborah Ager, poet and creativity coach, will lead you on a
journey to expand your imagination and move past fear to write.
The spring session is held May 15-19, 2004. Learn more about
this fun course at:
http://www.lifespacecoach.com/bootcamp.html
or phone 301-559-2296.
Get free articles on sparking your creativity and discounts
on workshops when you subscribe to Creativity
Tips. This THE newsletter for anyone struggling with
time imbalances and wanting to make space for creativity. Subscribe
at http://www.lifespacecoach.com.
* * *
If you have a business, hobby, group, or organization that
you would like other members of the Seishindo community to know
about, then please send us a write-up similar to what you see
on the links page shown above. You don't have a website? Then
let us know how other members might contact you by phone, fax,
in person, or in writing.
* * *
We invite you to send in
A) Questions and comments relating
to what you read here.
B) Experiences that relate to
the "Practices" presented.
C) The names of books/music/services/products,
etc. you feel might be of interest to the Seishindo community.
Please include a short write-up about your selections and send
all input here.
8. Copyright
Unless otherwise attributed, all material for the newsletter
"Pure Heart, Simple Mind"(tm) is written and edited by Charlie
Badenhop ©. All rights reserved.
You may reprint, copy, or distribute "Pure Heart, Simple
Mind” (tm) provided you: a. Receive our written permission
(which is likely). b. Attach the above copyright notice
to our material. c. Do not sell our material to others.
d. Keep the content of our material intact without any editing
whatsoever.
9. Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Delivery
Please
subscribe or unsubscribe here.
Is our newsletter only arriving sporadically? Our "Pure
Heart, Simple Mind" newsletter is meant to come to you
twice a month, on or about the 1st and 15th of each month.
If you aren't receiving every issue it could be because of
the filtering systems your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
uses to keep unwanted messages out of your inbox. In attempting
to block unwanted mail, your provider will sometimes wind
up blocking email like this newsletter, that you DO want to
receive. If you are having delivery problems, send a blank
e-mail to delivery@seishindo.org
and we will send you a list of tips that can help ensure delivery.
You can use these tips for other email as well.
|
