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Serving a community of private individuals and professionals
who have the desire to cultivate a life of clarity, compassion,
and creativity. Your feedback is encouraged. Please contact
us at seishindo@seishindo.org.
1. Starting Line
In this issue I want to begin to talk about peak performance
states. In a larger sense what I will be discussing is how
we can live our lives with a greater sense of ease, grace,
and power. Peak performance states is an interesting and complex
topic, so I will begin my discussion today and continue this
discussion in other newsletters in the future. First though
I think we need to step back and get a little more background.
From previous newsletters, numerous people have asked me what
I mean when I use the term "state." Since I use the term "state"
in the title of this newsletter, and since I will use this
term frequently during the course of this newsletter, I want
to take a moment and give you my definition of this term.
"State of mind." is a common term in English, and it is synonymous
with "frame of mind." Both terms I believe relate to how one
is "thinking and feeling." Since one of the activities of
Seishindo is to help people reevaluate what "mind" means we
tend to use the term "state" where others would use the term
"state of mind." So for instance, when, I use the term "learning
state" I mean "a way of thinking and feeling that will help
to facilitate learning." When I say "a state of embodied presence"
I mean "a way of thinking and feeling that leads you to feel
in your body, and present in the moment." So in most instances
when I use the word "state" and I am not talking about the
geopolitics of the United States, (there must me a pun in
there somewhere!) I am referring to the way in which one is
thinking and feeling. Is that clear enough? I hope so!
In Aikido we learn how to enter into a peak performance state
that in the Japanese arts is known as "mushin." In
Seishindo work we often call "mushin" a state of "embodied
presence." "Mushin" is similar to the term "flow state"
as used by many people to describe the conditions for peak
performance. For several years now I have been defining "embodied
presence/mushin" in the following manner: "When the
structure of your body is balanced, and your thinking mind
is fully present but not engaged in any form of internal dialogue,
you will tend to release any extraneous thoughts or actions
and enter into the flow state of "mushin." Your thoughts,
feelings, and actions occur simultaneously and spontaneously.
Nothing comes between your thoughts and your actions, and
nothing is left over. When we embody such a state we greatly
improve our ability to learn with grace and ease."
At such times we have a pleasing sense of fullness and great
potential. We do not attempt to eliminate or control our thoughts,
feelings, or actions, but rather we move with our thoughts,
and feel into our experience. Breath, movement, action, and
rest. Breath, movement, action, and rest. So when I say above
that I want to talk about peak performance states and how
we can live our lives with a greater sense of ease, grace,
and power, I am referring to how to enter into a special learning
state where our thoughts, actions, and feelings occur simultaneously
and spontaneously.
This state of "mushin" is one that we very much strive
to experience in Aikido (and in other Japanese arts as well)
knowing full well that it is not a state that we will maintain
throughout the course of our everyday life. Indeed, what we
do when we find we are NOT in a state of embodied presence
and instead mired in a difficult situation, tells us much
about our spirit and our deeply held beliefs. Mushin
is an ephemeral state that is to be experienced and released.
An experience that is meant to be lost and found again, many
times over in the course of our life. Please be certain that
I consider peak performance states to be an enjoyable quest
and not just for some special few who are professional performers
of one sort or another.
When we enter into mushin for even brief periods of
time we find that we receive what I call "a residue experience."
By this I mean that even when we enter back into our everyday
mind, we find ourself living our life with a greater sense
of vitality and well being. Our relationships with others
tend to be more heartfelt, compassionate, and aware. We find
ourselves feeling more connected to our "self" and our everyday
experience, while living our life with a greater sense of
meaning.
2. Main Course
If you are at all like most of the human beings I meet every day, and
the one that I meet in the mirror every morning, during much of your life
your thoughts, actions, and feelings occur somewhat independently of each
other, and you lack a certain sense of spontaneity. To some extent this
is part of the human condition, and yet we can definitely also achieve
from time to time, a much fuller way of learning and living.
One of the unique aspects of embodied presence is that we do not have
internal dialogue when we are fully present in the moment. By "fully present
in the moment" I mean remaining relaxed while fully engaging in an activity,
without internal dialogue taking up any of our attention or awareness.
Mushin = Embodied presence
Embodied presence = Fully present in the moment
Fully present in the moment = Michael Jordan during an NBA
final; Tiger Woods at the Masters; My daughter watching her
Saturday morning kids program.
I think that being able to be free from internal dialogue at times is
quite an interesting phenomenon. One of the main questions I always ponder
in this regard is "Who is talking to who?" during internal dialogue. Another
thought that I often have is "Why in the world do I need to tell myself
what I am feeling? Why not just feel?" And of course asking myself such
questions is just another form of internal dialogue!
To me, the fact that we have internal dialogue in the first place leads
me to understand that each person has at least two different selves that
they experience life through. One self is a rational/cognitive self with
its "headquarters" being just that, in the head. This is the self that
generates our internal dialogue and likes to critique what we are doing.
Our other self is an emotional/somatic self with its command center being
in the body. This appears to be the self that the cognitive self is trying
to inform via words. The problem is that the somatic self thinks in feelings
and not in words, so really the only thing it understands from the verbal
communication of the cognitive self is the tone of voice, volume, and
phrasing. Seem hard to believe?
If you have a dog bring it to a foreign country some time and you will
notice that it does quite well in understanding the basic conversation
directed towards it by the local populace. In Japanese they would say
"Kawaii! Kawaii!", and your dog would soon be wagging its tail. Either
your dog is a heck of a lot better at learning foreign languages than
you are (which is quite possible if you are like many of my fellow Americans),
or, your dog is picking up the basic meaning of what is being said, via
the tone of voice, volume, and phrasing. Your rational self thinks with
the aid of verbal language. Your somatic self "thinks" like all other
mammals, and such thinking involves making meaning out of what is sensed,
rather than distilling meaning from the spoken word. When entering into
a state of mushin we want the feeling, intuitive, mammalian mind to come
to the forefront, while the rational mind is encouraged to take a bit
of a holiday.
When things are going well for us our two selves seem to cooperate rather
nicely and at such times it is likely that we will not have internal dialogue.
We easily reach this cooperative mushin state when walking in a
beautiful mountain range area, playing with a young child, or perhaps
when watching a compelling movie. In my way of thinking, the three examples
offered here are everyday examples of a peak performance state. The whole
self is actively aware of, in touch with, and absorbed by, what is transpiring.
There is no need to comment on what is occurring, because every part of
you already "knows" what is going on. Your thoughts, feelings, and actions
occur simultaneously and spontaneously. If you take a moment to think
about it, most any state that we find highly pleasurable could be defined
as a peak performance state. Interesting to think about how peak performance
relates to pleasure.
On the other hand, when we get worried, frightened, or angry, we usually
find our two selves (rational and somatic) in conflict with each other.
In fact what becomes most obvious during times of stress, is the very
different methods that your rational and somatic selves have of processing
and understanding what is occurring. When your rational self gets upset
it uses words to express what it is feeling. "What's the matter stupid?
I thought you knew better!" might be a common complaint uttered by your
rational self. Your somatic self on the other hand communicates that it
is upset by releasing various enzymes that lead to an upset stomach, or
by tensing up the muscles of the body until you find yourself with a headache.
What is important to note here is that both selves can be quite adept
at communicating that something is wrong, but often the cognitive self
delivers this message in the form of self criticism rather than really
helping you to note in a compassionate manner just what needs to be different.
Your rational self is sort of like a scientist or news commentator. It
comments on what is being felt, much more than actually feeling into the
experience.
One of the main tasks of entering into and maintaining a mushin
peak performance state is keeping your rational self and your somatic
self cooperating with each other and supporting each other. In most instances
what we invariably find, is that instructions delivered by the rational
mind via internal dialogue, almost always get in the way.
What to do then?
Well that is exactly what we will explore step by step in future newsletters,
and by experimenting with the various practices that we present.
****
The ephemeral glimpses I have had of the embodied state of mushin
have been greatly aided by my study with Dan DeProspero, one of my principal
Aikido sensei's.
3. Practice
Today's exercise is called "Peak
Performance Coach #1".
The main thrust of this exercise is helping you to begin to
understand the early stages of peak performance states. Rather
than "trying" to achieve a certain way of being, and wondering
why it isn't quite happening yet, this exercise is designed
to help you start from where you are, and begin the journey
from there.
I would love to know about your experience with this exercise, so please
write and let me know.
4. Links
http://www.hp-hinrichsen.de/index.htm
Kirsten Hinrichsen
Kirsten is a dear friend and a talented holistic practitioner
working out of Munich, Germany. She has many different modalities
that she works with, ranging from colonics, to therapeutic
counseling. Right now her site is in its fledgling state of
development, but don't let that fool you, her skills are well
developed. Her site is only in German at the moment, but I
am already cajoling her to add some English.
5. Suggested Books and Music
Book: "A
Sacred Unity" by Gregory Bateson
As I have said before, Gregory is considered to be one of the great thinkers of the 20th century. His books are never easy reads, but always fascinating. It might just be me, but I find this book easier to grasp than some of his other writing. As usual he covers a WIDE range of topics. Sex and Culture, Human Dignity, The Science of Knowing, Double Bind Theory, etc.
If you like to do some creative wondering about life, this book is a must!
CD: "Ngaio
Gamelan" David Parsons
David Parsons is a highly regarded ambient musician, and he has turned out a lot of great stuff. This CD is great for a circular groove, and I use it often in my workshops.
6. Endnote
Several people have asked how I get the
inspiration for the overall structure of each newsletter.
Here is my process:
First, I browse through a file on my computer that houses
random ideas of interest. In this file there are topics I
want to write about at some point, quotes from newspaper
articles, verses from poems, and snippets of conversations
with my coaching clients. In particular, insights utttered
spontaneously by either myself or a client are very
inspiring to me. I listen for things that neither myself or
my client had ever really thought about before. Something
new and unrehearsed that naturally presents an insight into
the processing of living a fulfilling life.
Next, I put on either a single CD or a selection of music
from several CD's and I let the music further inspire me. At
some point the writing starts to more or less happen on it's
own. I attempt to start out by not knowing exactly what I
will write until I find my fingers typing. Then once I
eventually catch a thread of an idea I can be more task
oriented. A lot of what I initially write winds up being a
bit helter skelter. Ideas about "this and that" that wind up
being the topics for future newsletters. So in the early
stages of each newsletter I have to give myself permission
to ramble. After rambling for a while I do a good deal of
editing. I cut a fair amount of what I have written, and
paste it back into the file of random ideas that I mentioned
above. It is very much a process of serendipitous discovery,
and sometimes I am quite surprised by what I wind up with. I
find that this process works MUCH better if I start about a
week before the newsletter is due, rather than working under
a deadline. Today for instance, I initially had a somewhat
different topic in mind. But the ideas and impulses I was
having seemed to be leading me in somewhat of a different
direction, so I took my starting topic and added it back
into the hopper for the future. Make sense? I think that
this is a fairly common creative process.
7. 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.
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