What is Mindfulness?
Dr. Kabbat-Zinn defines mindfulness as a way of connecting with your life in which you cultivate attention in a particular way. It's living in the present moment, experiencing your own thoughts non-judgmentally. Your life depends upon it because attention is "the faculty by which we navigate our lives". It doesn't matter what you are paying attention to as long as you are paying attention. Because it is only when you are paying attention to what you are doing can you truly experience what is happening around you. It's not a technique that you can turn on and off when you want to. In order to be mindful, we must cultivate it into our everyday lives so that it is a way of life for us. It makes life more fulfilling and experienced.
All It Takes is Ten Mindful Minutes
Andy Puddicombe suggests that we should spend at least ten minutes each day doing absolutely nothing, no Twitter, Facebook, books, or anything else taking our attention. Simply sitting and clearing our minds in order to do absolutely nothing. According to the Harvard report that he quoted, our minds are lost in thought almost 47% of the time. At the same time, meditation allows you to step back and view your thoughts and emotions as they pop up, viewing them non-subjectively, and allowing them to pass as they come without becoming stuck on any particular thought. He demonstrates this with juggling the balls. If he were to focus too much on the balls in his hand, he wouldn't be able to speak to the audience because all of his attention would be on what he was doing with them. But if he were to relax too much, he would drop them. This is symbolic of how we must approach our lives, finding the equilibrium of thought and emotion, and what we are outwardly doing.
Mindfulness Exercise Response
This one was a bit tougher than I remember it being. I used to spend most of my time in meditation, slipping into that state very easily. Now, my mind is very much wanting to jump to what I'm going to be doing in the future and what I've done in the past. It took me a few minutes of mindfully moving things aside as they came before I was able to just sit, breathe, and move through the emotions as they came without judging them. I actually ended up sitting there like that for forty minutes before I felt I was ready to come back out of the little cocoon I had made. It was refreshing.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Patsy Rodenburg's Second Circle
1. How does Patsy Rodenburg define Presence?
Patsy Rodenburg defines presence as being alert and ready to move, interacting with others in a natural state of readiness. She uses a lot of examples to demonstrate what presence is, like "[...]that jolt of energy, akin to electricity, that flicks a switch in your whole body if you are driving without full attention and a child runs out into the street" and "the surge of energy when you catch a stranger's eye and share a moment."
2. What are some ways that Presence is lost? When do you feel a loss or weakness of presence?
Presence is lost by letting the world bog you down. I always like to say that when the world gets too tough, I can always fall back into my imagination. World be damned, I'm happier in my own head. And it shows. I'm quieter, not paying attention to the people around me, and all presence I may have had when I left my house in the morning is gone.
3. What is First Circle? When have you experienced yourself in First Circle?
First Circle is being inside of yourself rather than interacting with your environment. I've had too much experience with First Circle. To me, First Circle embodies everything having to do with depression. It's a lonely place. Entering First Circle triggers off all the thoughts that have plagued me for years. It makes me numb.
4. What is Third Circle? When have you experienced yourself in Third Circle?
Third Circle is a bluff, a way to seem like you're okay, but really you're just nervous and extermely self-conscious. I've seen so many people behave this way and it makes me wonder what hurt them so much that they have to live in a constant state of bluff. In my own experience, I began to act like this in response to my own social anxiety. I remember going out with my friends to the mall when I was younger, getting dressed up in my full on goth garb, trying to come off like I didn't care what anyone thought of me. I was loud and obnoxious in public only to come home and collapse into first circle. It's very exhausting.
5. What is Second Circle? Relate a personal experience (in performance, athletics, etc) when you have been in Second Circle.
Second Circle is a state of being present and open. It took a lot to be able to get to a point where I could really be present with others rather than sitting in my own mind. The first time I can really say that I was present with someone was the night I met my fiance. It was like sparks were flying left and right and I just wanted to get to know him, to talk to him. I drank in conversation like it was the whiskey he was drinking. I got drunk on the feeling.
Patsy Rodenburg defines presence as being alert and ready to move, interacting with others in a natural state of readiness. She uses a lot of examples to demonstrate what presence is, like "[...]that jolt of energy, akin to electricity, that flicks a switch in your whole body if you are driving without full attention and a child runs out into the street" and "the surge of energy when you catch a stranger's eye and share a moment."
2. What are some ways that Presence is lost? When do you feel a loss or weakness of presence?
Presence is lost by letting the world bog you down. I always like to say that when the world gets too tough, I can always fall back into my imagination. World be damned, I'm happier in my own head. And it shows. I'm quieter, not paying attention to the people around me, and all presence I may have had when I left my house in the morning is gone.
3. What is First Circle? When have you experienced yourself in First Circle?
First Circle is being inside of yourself rather than interacting with your environment. I've had too much experience with First Circle. To me, First Circle embodies everything having to do with depression. It's a lonely place. Entering First Circle triggers off all the thoughts that have plagued me for years. It makes me numb.
4. What is Third Circle? When have you experienced yourself in Third Circle?
Third Circle is a bluff, a way to seem like you're okay, but really you're just nervous and extermely self-conscious. I've seen so many people behave this way and it makes me wonder what hurt them so much that they have to live in a constant state of bluff. In my own experience, I began to act like this in response to my own social anxiety. I remember going out with my friends to the mall when I was younger, getting dressed up in my full on goth garb, trying to come off like I didn't care what anyone thought of me. I was loud and obnoxious in public only to come home and collapse into first circle. It's very exhausting.
5. What is Second Circle? Relate a personal experience (in performance, athletics, etc) when you have been in Second Circle.
Second Circle is a state of being present and open. It took a lot to be able to get to a point where I could really be present with others rather than sitting in my own mind. The first time I can really say that I was present with someone was the night I met my fiance. It was like sparks were flying left and right and I just wanted to get to know him, to talk to him. I drank in conversation like it was the whiskey he was drinking. I got drunk on the feeling.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Opening Post
1. Why are you taking this class?
I'm currently taking this class because I think it will help me on stage to loosen up and be more present in my body.
2. What is your major?
I'm a theater with a concentration in Performance.
3. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
I tend to consider myself to be an ambivert. I like being around people and I honestly enjoy it. But when I'm at home, I tend to realize that I'm extremely drained from interacting with so many people, and sometimes need to take a break from social interaction for a while.
4. What questions/subjects/hobbies are you most interested in?
I'm very much in love with Doctor Who. I'm starting to get more interested in Magic the Gathering and playing video games. I'm a major geek for the English language and love reading HP Lovecraft and Shakespeare.
5. What does presence mean to you? Do you have "it"?
Personally, presence means being 100% living within yourself in the moment to moment, fully experiencing life as it's happening. I'd like to say I have it, but I don't think I'm ever as in tune with myself and my surroundings as I would like to be.
6. How do you feel about your body?
I have a love/hate relationship with my body. I'm in the latter stages of recovering from an eating disorder. I mostly love it, but some days the thoughts creep back in.
7. In what ways are you confident or proud about your body or your ways of moving?
I tend to move like a cat at times, like when I'm at home by myself just relaxing.
8. In what ways are you self-conscious about your body or ways of moving?
I still have some residual feelings that it has to be perfect, and when I look in the mirror I don't see what I expect. When I move the way I want, I get self-conscious of the jiggle.
9. What do you hope to get out of this class?
I want to get better acquainted with my body so that I can begin to move in front of an audience without being self conscious about what weird things my body might be doing.
10. Where will you be in five years? In ten?
In five years I'm hoping I'll be married and in the MFA program here at LSU. I'd like to actually have some stage experience and know myself as an artist better. In ten years, I want to be teaching theater. Hopefully, helping people along the road to voice acting as well as voicing some anime dubs.
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