It was the first time that I worked with Richard Strozzi-Heckler. Our group of twenty or more sat in a large circle. The formalities of introductions and and ice-breaking were complete and Richard began guiding us on one of our first learning exercises.

“Close your eyes.”

We did.

“Now bring your attention to sounds. Take a moment. Listen. What do you hear?”

I brought my attention to the sounds in the room. As if by magic I became aware of the hum of the air conditioner, there were a few muffled voices speaking in the hallway, the coffee pot gurgled. I could hear the sounds of birds outside, and the far off sound of traffic. The sounds of my own breathing came into focus, a subtle hum that seemed to come from the flourescent lights in the room. I could hear the movement of one of the other students shifting in their seat.

The more attention I placed on hearing the sounds around me, the more I heard.

Then Richard interrupted, “Now place your attention on your ’sit bones’.”

As I focused on my ’sit bones’ the sounds faded away and the world of sensations in my body became more vivid. I could feel the pressure of the chair on my butt, the feel of my pants on my skin, my feet squarely pressed to the floor, my lower back slightly uncomfortable, a slight pulsing of blood…

After a few moments, Richard asked us what we had experienced. We reported out the richness of the sounds and sensations we had felt.

“I invite you to consider this: ‘Energy follows attention’.” he said simply.

It was true. When I focused my attention on listening, my experience of the room was transformed into a rich fabric of sounds. Likewise, when I focused on my ’sit bones’, I experienced the room in a completely different way.

Looking back on this simple exercise I realize there was a lot of wisdom embedded within it.

On one level it was teaching the power of training my mind to focus. With the right level of focus all the irrelevant distractions disappeared and many important details appeared that would otherwise have been invisible. These details and little subtleties that a trained and focus attention uncovered were the things that allowed me to experience the world in a richer and more connected way.

The exercise was also a way to bring each of us fully into the present moment. When I trained my attention on the “now” of listening or feeling my bodily sensations, I wasn’t anxious about the future or reliving the past. I wasn’t preparing, or judging, or letting my mind chatter crazily. I was in the moment.

This little activity showed me that when I deliberately focused my attention; incredible new worlds and new experiences opened for me.

I can see how easy it is to live without deliberateness. I can also see how different life is when I pay attention to what is important. When I focus, the distractions, the things that can suck up my energy in unproductive ways diminish. I become fully present in the moment and open to possibilities that I would’ve gone unnoticed if I were distracted or inattentive.

in gratitude to Richard

pete

Image Credit: TransDual Duality by H.Koppdelaneys

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