Part 3: Matching

in Parts 1 and 2, you felt your body in a deeper way when you moved through an exercise.  In Part 3, you will play with the Force within the exercise.  You will see your self as a force that will "match" the force within the movement. The reason is simple, to create deeper presence and to see that force is not solid but permeable.

Step 1

Step 1 is to mentally understand the concept of "force."  Force is the feeling in exercise that makes you feel uncomfortable.  If you are lifting a weight and it feels heavy, the force is the feeling of heaviness.  You can also think of force as the exertion by the body as you are exercising.  In this part, you are going to experiment with the feeling of Force.

Step 2

Just as in Parts 1 and 2, you are going to SLOW DOWN.  You will do another set of whatever exercise you have chosen.  Set yourself up to know what you are about to do, know the muscles that will be engaged, get into the right posture.  The difference now is that instead of putting your attention on the movement, you put your attention of the Force.  Before you start, there will be no Force.

Step 3

Play with the Force:  As you exercise, notice where the Force is coming into your body.  At the start of the set, the Force is usually small.  It's critical that you "meet" that force head on.  With your attention, go into the Force the moment it first shows up.  As you "meet" or "match" the Force, the feeling (uncomfortableness) from the Force will dissolve.  

When the Force increases, you may not be able to keep matching it.  This is an important situation.  You will probably notice yourself thinking...thoughts like, this is too much, when will this be over, or distracting thoughts totally irrelevant to what you are doing.  In other words, you will lose Presence, and the "small you" or "ego you" will show up.  It is important to see this, and watch this part of you show up.

Jot down what you noticed when you were able to meet the Force.  

What happened after you put awareness on your body?

What did you notice about your various body parts?

What did you notice, if anything, about your breath?  

After you finished the exercise, did you notice anything different in your presence or state of awareness? Were you quieter (are you quieter now)? Did the room feel the same? Were your senses altered?

Jot down what you noticed when you were NOT able to meet the Force.  

What happened after you put awareness on your body?

What did you notice about your various body parts?

What did you notice, if anything, about your breath?  

After you finished the exercise, did you notice anything different in your presence or state of awareness? Were you quieter (are you quieter now)? Did the room feel the same? Were your senses altered?

Step 4