Heard the saying “seeing is believing”? It certainly feels true, but is it? There is a great video about ‘selective attention’ where you watch a short recording and are told to count the number of times a group of people bounce a ball back and forth. While this is happening, a person in a gorilla costume enters the room, pauses while he pounds his chest, then crosses and exits the room. 50% of those who view the video never see the gorilla. We see things through our own personal lenses, and many things right in front of us go unnoticed because we are chugging along focused on our own life, our own drama.
Did you know: Richard Gregory’s research suggests that up to 90% of what the eye ‘sees’ is lost by the time the information reaches the brain. Your brain fills in the picture’s gaps based on your past experiences. You actively construct your view of reality.
Theme: As you move through your practice today, work to notice things in the body, places where you might not normally focus, like the nail on your left little toe, or a single eyelash on your right eye. Notice at least 5 things in the yoga studio you’ve never seen. When your eyes are closed, notice any imagery and, if your eyes are open, notice the space in the room. Open up your curiosity and receptivity within your practice and take it out into your day.
Breath:
While yogi’s eyes are closed, invite them to visualize their breath as an exchange of energy. As they inhale, they breathe in cool vibrant energy from the space around them, and as they exhale, they let go of things they no longer need, watching as their cares and worries are transformed by the energy around them.
Theme Pose:
Balasana – Childs pose. With the forehead comfortably grounded against the earth, let your awareness rest in their Ajna chakra, or third eye. Become more in touch with what you see via your intuition, a more accurate sense than seeing through the physical eyes.
Cuing:
While yogis are in poses, invite them to notice each individual muscle central to the pose, or to notice another physical area of their body. Invite them to see the energy in the room, or to notice more details about items in the space. While eyes are closed, invite them to bring their awareness to their third eye, or even to their fourth eye, at the back of the end.
Meditation:
Visualize a rainforest, starting from high above with a bird’s eye view working your way down to visualizing an individual leaf and all its aspects. Lead yogis through not just the visual aspects, but the intuitive aspects as well, seeing the process of photosynthesis, the leaf actually growing, feeling the leaf’s breath.
