Anchor in the now
Plum Village is located in Bordeaux on a hill between vineyards and plum trees. Everyone stops here every 20 minutes to reconnect with the Now. A bell will remind you of this. You stop what you are doing and consciously focus your attention on your next three breaths.
Another example: the text is interrupted by asterisks throughout the book. At the beginning of the book you will be asked to stop and make contact with your body at every star you come across. A great invitation in the book “The Power of Now”.
Both Tich Nhat Han and Eckhart Tolle help us to break the habit of our attention through the exercises mentioned above. This happens by consciously inserting a moment in which attention is shifted from thinking to feeling. The body and our breath can only be experienced in the now. In this way we make contact, through our bodies, with the present moment, where our lives take place.
Why am I in my head?
I think to a certain extent that everyone can relate to having an overactive head that does not want to rest. And that a small impulse from the outside can set off a chain of thoughts unravelling that lead you whirl around in your own world for a while. How is it that we are almost compulsive in our thinking? The main reason why many think excessively is simply because our bodies do not feel safe for us. The emotions and sensations going on in our bodies sometimes don’t feel right and we take refuge in thinking. And when both body and thoughts are disturbing, we flee even further away by dissociating. This is a word from psychology to indicate that you are out of your body and even out of your head. It is then not possible to process information and everything seems blurry.
Your body, the source of healing
It is wonderful to have a body. We can feel, taste, sing, dance and have sex. At the same time, our body carries pain and sorrow from the past. This is because our nervous system has not been able to deal with a certain situation. The body was literally unable to digest an event. Carrying these pains with us costs energy and it limits our sense of freedom. It is possible that it does not feel good to be in your body sometimes. And unconsciously you slowly go into your head.
Your body is a source of healing. When it experiences enough space, peace and life energy, it can even heal the old pains. This is why embodiment is so important to the quality of our lives. By getting more in touch with our body, we can feel more where our needs lie and what is healthy for us. We know our limits better. We surround ourselves with people who feed us. And do work that gives us more energy. Move more in the pace of our body and are more in contact with nature. This ensures that we experience more life energy and joy and more confidence in our body. With this confidence and energy we can also meet and heal the old pains. This creates the virtuous circle for an embodied life.
An invitation
I sincerely invite you to come into contact with your life energy and to, from this strength, meet the blockages that no longer serve you. To go through life more freely and full of life . You are welcome to follow our workshops or an individual session.