Intro:
Welcome to Part 8, the last six weeks of Creative Self Exploration, a year-long experiment I publish every Saturday (damn near) solely following my intuition/inspiration.
In Part 8, we will be using our body as the tool of our expression. Each week I propose a theme, a particular emotion for you to seek out through the week, and when you find yourself feeling it, I ask you to use your body to express it. Much like choreography but doesn’t have to be a dance move, it can be just a small movement with your pinky. What’s important is that, you catch yourself in the moment of your such emotion and with the movement of your body you jump into the present.
Come Alive, right where you are
Into the Immediacy of the Moment
In case if your mobility is restricted in any way at the moment, please do instead make a movement in your brain/with your thoughts – as our brain is the one who gives the rest of our body commands to make any part of it move. You can still send signals, whether your bod responds with movements or not. I think that’d get you there.
Same goes for situations where you are not able to, or very difficult to, actually move, such as at work conference, on crowded train, etc.
I hope the idea excites you, I think it will be a great Quality Fun.
Please Be Noted: If, at any point, you feel overwhelmed or get other strong responses, please suspend the exercise and proceed with suitable self care measures. Read more in Introduction page – scroll down to “Few Important Notes”.
( in reverse chronological order )
Week 48: Let Sorrow Be Your Inspiration
November 30, 2024
This week, we are going to venture into another territory of our emotional state: please welcome, the Sorrow group.
Sadness. Grief. Melancholy. Include versions of defeat, disappointment, despair. A sense of loss, and its preceding state, disbelief. How sorrow creeps in while still bargaining with reality…
Oh wait, don’t leave without giving the following a try…
Spend this week being mindful of your feelings. Look for moments you feel Sorrow.
When such moments arrive, *dive into the depth of it and express the way you feel using your body.
*Weekly ‘caution note’ time:
Please also be mindful if you feel overwhelmed in any way. In such case, I strongly suggest you discontinue this exercise and tend to your needs.
Also proceed with this exercise only when it is safe to do so, that no one – you and/or other creatures – will be in danger because of it.
Different versions of this ‘caution note’ as well as instructions can be found in previous posts, just scroll down further to get to them, they are short and fun to read (I think).
This may or may not be true for you:
when you allow yourself to feel, in this week’s case, sorrow group emotions, even the ones from possibly long past may surface.
I am writing this, in case you are conflicted about “re-experiencing”, as in digging up the past discomfort from years prior.
My wish for you is that you deem the surfacing as an opportunity, that you as a whole know what has been stored inside, that is ready to be befriended, integrated, or perhaps released. Please give the benefit of the doubt that, the timing may be just perfect.
Do you know a song “Drown in my own tears”? What I am recommending this week is a swim instead – through the use of easily applicable creative actions.
As if to swim out into a lake made of your sorrow, feel into it, savor if possible, then express the way you feel with your body**.
You can then bring the experience of the ’swim’ to your creative pursuits, like a fruit to the kitchen table. Nothing gets lost that way.
**As mentioned earlier, more instructions on this I wrote on previous posts. Please do check them out by simply scrolling this page further down.
Just quickly tho, “feel into it” meaning, does it feel sharp like a knife, cold like an ice, engulfing or localized, heart aches, chakra collapses, etc. etc.
“Express with your body” means allow your body to move almost on its own, flow into movements, enough just for a few seconds, of course longer if you wish.
As we all know, Life can take us to very many places, some of them no doubt, would leave us with psychological discomfort. Creativity has a habit of turning those experiences into potent assets, as if to say joys and sorrows are both equally welcome.
Swim in a lake of your sorrow
Sunlight dances on the surface
will show you the way to the Shore
Wishing you a fruitful week ahead!
Week 47: Fear as an Opportunity
November 23, 2024
Fear. Anxiety. Nervousness. Antsy. Edgy. Panicky. Tremor, terror, horror.
This week we are going to positively experiment with the Fear group of our mental-emotional states.
Before going further let me re-emphasize the following:
if you find yourself overwhelmed in any way during this exercise, please stop right there and take a good care of you. No point in pushing when the timing isn’t right.
Remember, ‘not now’ doesn’t have to mean ‘never’.
This week as you walk the world, pay close attention to the way you feel.
When you find yourself in fear, feel into it and express it using your body*.
*As I wrote last week (in other words allow me to repeat again), please do make sure you are not a danger to yourself and/or others when you do this. Longer “caution” note is just a scroll (down) away, from last week in small letters just like this, right beneath the blue-background short paragraph, like the one above.
So, the fear-anxiety spectrum of feelings/states. I would like you to catch yourself in low-key background anxiety as well, not only in fear that is usually louder.
When in one of those states, feel into it as if to examine the texture, or to swim into a lake of it.
Where in your body do you feel it?
Back of your neck where they say your hair stands? Is there a butterfly in the pit of your stomach?
Not to label the feeling, just dive into it when opportunity arrives.
And allow your body to move in ways it wants to, let your body interpret-express the feeling, and flow with it just for a few seconds.
This exercise is not aimed at overcoming/solving/fighting against fear. It is to drop such intentions and flow with your fear, either right when you’re feeling it, or when you have time/space to do so.
How does it feel? Let your body speak freely in response. Exaggerate a bit perhaps. Suspend any self-criticism if any (e.g. this is ridiculous I look foolish…) and go ahead, steal a moment of freedom.
Lovingly, Life Pulsates
In the Ocean of your Unrest
Thanks for coming by,
join me again next Saturday.
Week 46: Anger, the Ultimate Dynamo
November 16, 2024
Been angry before? If you are a living human, probably have (so you know how it feels).
This week, I propose an idea to you, to utilize anger as follows:
Spend this week looking for moments when you feel angry.
When you catch yourself in anger, feel into it and express the way you feel using your body*.
*Needless to say perhaps, but on internet, playing it safe may be preferable:
only proceed with this exercise if you are safe to yourself and others. If you need to defend, flee, call for help, focus on task at hand, etc. please do so.
Also, using your body to slap a person in anger, for instance, is not what is suggested here. This exercise does not condone no violence, physical or psychological, unless absolutely necessary for your safety/survival.
Angry. Agitated. Frustrated. Displeased. Indignant. Triggered. I loosely group these psychological states in the anger category.
This week, I want you to feel into the sensation of anger. No need to spend too long. Just gently, playfully perhaps, dip into the emotion/reaction of anger.
How does it feel, is it anger, agony, discontent? Does the feel of it change as you go deeper?
Which part of your body feels it the most, how strong, what is the sensation?
Then, using your body as a tool of expression, express the feeling with the motion of your body. Like choreographing your anger.
Circumstance may not allow you to go full-on ballet dancing but perhaps, you can sneak Swan Lake a sec and gesture your hands without no one noticing.
Another example, if you feel your anger in your heart, and as you dip into the feel of it it starts to morph into agony, then perhaps, clutch onto your heart with tightened fists, but make it quick so to avoid paramedics turning up for you.
I think it’s best if you can do this the moment you feel it, but it may also be preferable to wait until you are alone in your room so you can really get into it. You know which is better for your specific situation.
Anger can be quite uncomfortable, but when you see it as an opportunity to feel Creative Energy flowing through you, it can be experienced quite differently. Often considered “negative”, anger can be seen as a transformative, life affirming experience, that gives you deep insight into your internal landscape.
Anger is an expression of Dynamic Energy
flowing through All in Celebration of Life.
Thanks for joining me,
and see you in a week!
