Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Jane circles the wagons

The title of this post refers to those old Westerns where settlers circled their wagons and prepared to defend themselves against attack. When something goes wrong in a big way in life, sometimes we need to circle our own wagons and prepare to defend ourselves. Maybe we don't actually have wagons and certainly we are unlikely to have settlers crouched behind the large wheels...which, come to think of it, is a good thing. I mean, really? Have you watched those old Westerns? Wagon wheels are a poor source of protection. They consist of spokes and empty spaces, people. How many brave settlers have crouched there, seemingly unaware that other than their toes, perhaps an elbow and maybe part of a shoulder they are completely exposed?

But enough about them. This is about Jane and anyone else who can relate. This is about self-protection. Something Jane has learned about the topic is that beyond the wagon metaphor the methods of self-protection that she embraces the most are largely Eastern, not Western. Now, really, this is a matter of whatever floats your boat and sometimes you simply have to try a few things and discover what works the best. Since this blog is about seeing Jane in various aspects of her life, the philosophy discussed will be hers. Okay? So Eastern it is.

More about all of this in detail will appear in future blog entries. For now, Jane offers the basic trio. Yoga, meditation and affirmations. Oh, and exercise, too, but that is in its own category.

Now Jane realizes that just as there are large differences between Eastern and Western philosophy there are also areas of overlap. And she realizes that it is very difficult and perhaps unwise to try to strictly categorize any idea. Someone will either shake their head in disagreement or feel outright offended. Put all that aside and simply go with the flow here. Disagreeing is fine and no offense is intended.

Let it first be said that Jane attends a protestant church regularly and enjoys it very much. She sees absolutely no conflict between that and what might be termed her "woo woo" philosophy. In fact, a recent discussion with her big brother brought forth the opinion (offered by Jane) that the greatest benefit comes from combining the two. Big brother concurred. An example? Medical science is discovering, or perhaps rediscovering, the benefits of adding in some of Jane's basic trio. Jane does not get credit for this because she is simply embracing the idea and did not invent it (yet another good idea that she was only moments away from creating).

So, then. What's the point? Why bother with woo woo? Because woo woo works.

Yoga, meditation and affirmations are all designed to get you in touch with your body, inside and out. Mental and physical and while all that's going on, emotional gets a boost as well. What's not to like about that? All Jane is saying, is give woo woo a chance.

Yoga has been around forever, and if not forever at least for a very long time. Stone carvings dated around 3000 BC depict yoga poses. That's pretty darn old, people. Pretty darn old. And why is it good for you? It's good for your body to stretch and hold for greater flexibility. The breathing done with the poses helps center your thoughts, slow your pulse, draw your energy in (okay, that sounded very woo woo) and release tension. Your mind concentrates on the poses and the breathing and not on the myriad of things that push and pull you in the regular world. During that time, you are are not racing or rushing or multi-tasking or worrying or achieving. You simply are.

Meditation seems to have been connected to yoga from the beginning, and so it also has thousands of years of history. Why meditate? To circle your metal wagons. If you find your thoughts going flittery gibbet and think that meditation is not for you, try again. Youtube has some dandy guided meditations that get you going and literally talk you through the relaxation process. Ten minutes is the average time. Surely you can spare ten minutes to start what might benefit you for a lifetime? Jane did. You can, too.

And then there are affirmations. Jane suggests reading something, anything, by Louise Hay. That lady knows her stuff when it comes to building up what has been smooshed down. Jane wrote affirmations on index cards and repeated them to herself every morning. She stuck them wherever she thought she would read them. She breathed them in during yoga. She said them again and again and again while walking her dog. And sometimes she looked at herself in the mirror and offered them to her reflection with love and acceptance...and if you think that's odd you might be right, but Jane will tell you that it's not easy and it's worth every odd and not easy moment.

More about those and about exercise and about whatever else Jane has been discovering in future posts. What works for Jane might not work for you, but these are not new and unique philosophies (if they were, Jane would be a Guru). These are philosophies that we are seeing more and more about in today's unsettled world. There is a reason for that. They are needed and people are rediscovering them.

Many wagons are circling. What about yours?

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