Listening
The old phrase, "You are given two ears and one mouth for a reason," underscores our need to listen And I would submit that there are various levels of listening Developing listening skills is health promoting
Listening To Others
This is the most common form of listening but without interpretation of what is being said there is little communication That is, to listen between the words and to truly understand what your friend is saying is the more difficult
What interferes with this form of listening is reacting(anger, resentments, inertia, running away) to what is being said This interferes with listening and so as to not hear truly what the person is trying to communicate
Listening to Ourselves
Just as there is communication with others there is listening to what we ourselves have to say
The preponderance of what we say to ourselves on a day to day basis is the same Is this startling? Our daily dialogue with ourselves doesn't change Just write down your thoughts and see if that's true Yes, there are changing dramas on a daily basis but the undercurrent of how things are done with the dramas is the same Try that exercise out and see
This mind chatter gets practiced daily and so we really get good at reading our lines We have them memorized in detail and since the mind resists change this kind of listening becomes our Waterloo, our point of defeat
If we succumb to the same tired way of lifestyle behavior patterns that we always have done in the past there is no freshness, no chance for new ways of doing things
Listening to the Sensations of the Physical Body
A third way of listening is to bodily sensations themselves This takes the mind out of the picture We're no longer a victim of its dialogue but sensors of our physical sensations
The reason that this works is that the mind field is a tricky area to negotiate and will do anything to maintain the status quo But the physical body with its sensations is a reporter of the truth
The body says, "I'm having heartburn," and the mind says "Tough it out" or "I'll get you some medicine"
Learning How to Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to the breath often druing the day
When having symptoms of imbalance, ask what quality is bothering you For example, if you're experiencing heartburn, the hot quality is the problem If you're having trouble with weight, the heavy, liquid, oily and static qualities are the problem
Observe mental activity without judgment Commit to quieting this activity so you can appreciate the sensations of the body
Pay attention to your posture
Until tomorrow To health as a Skill Love DrBill
