Floating

Over a decade ago when I visited Devon I captured this image with a group of adventurers just bobbing along the water, floating downstream, just enjoying the ride. What you do not see is their mates watching them from the sideline just a few meters downstream, where the rest of the group were already drying off. The image looks scenic and relaxing as you see the water flow and the humans seemingly flowing along with the water. What you do not see, is their clenched muscles as they are trying to keep their body level and to some degree steering with their arms, so they to not get moved too close to the bushes on the side and get caught in the brambles and the rocks. What you also do not see the clear concentration on their faces, and their eyes tracking for any danger and making sure they do not overshoot their stop point.

In a similar fashion to these adventurers, you may perceive your fellow human just floating along in life, just bobbing to the rhythm of life, all the while underneath a current is raging, a river of emotions ebb and flow to the beat of the day. We look at a guru, a yoga practitioner, a monk, a seemingly balanced human being and you imagine how easily they float in life, as if with no care in the world. What you do not see is the years of contemplation, of tears, of muscle tension of sleepless nights in order to get there. You may not see them tracking danger ahead of time, tracking the emotion as it arises and riding the wave using the years of arduous work. They may look they move no muscle, they seem to shift for nothing, and yet their muscles tense, their breath increases, but then again they are aware of this change of state and they can balance the tension, they can breath through the tension, they can stop the eruption before it rises. The muscles they trained are very different to that of the people you see in the picture, the person seemingly balanced, may well be working even harder than you imaging to maintain this level way of being. The fiber of their being is at rupture point, and yet on the outside they may be serene and level headed.

How much time do you spend training your internal “muscles” to be able to recognise things before they unfold?

How much time do you spend getting to know your inner states?

How much time do you pay attention to smallest of changes in your body temperature?

How much time do you spend paying attention to when your hearing, eyesight or smell sharpens?

Have you figured out why those senses sharpened up for a second?

Have you figured out why your sweat glands all of a sudden feel like they are in overdrive?

Have you taken time to check in with your body why do you have that headache?

Do you reach quickly to medication to dull te aches, do you reach for that coffee before you even attend to your body in the morning, do you reach for that glass of wine before you recapitulate the events of the day?

Do you take the time to check in with you body at all?

Why do you think others seemingly float serenely on this river of life?

Time to take out your diary and take some notes when answering the questions.

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