Fix Your Gaze

Image credit: detail of painting by Auguste Garufi

Like it or not, we are officially in holiday season, with all that comes along with that. For many, activity levels increase, we are out and about more, busier. There is a ramped up collective energy that is palpable whether you’re actually celebrating anything or not. So, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you’re taking time to settle and ground yourself. Destabilizing forces comes from the things we enjoy and look forward to as well as the things we dread or would like to avoid. We tend to get away from our routines… exercise, eating, work… these are just a few of the things that can become compromised or erratic at this time, and often there can be a range of consequences to that.

So, to minimize collateral damage and make this time of year as enjoyable as possible, I’m going to suggest finding one practice that makes you feel grounded, focused, and centered. The type of practice may be different for everyone. Perhaps you have a meditation or yoga practice, or maybe you get centered by drawing, cooking or walking in nature. Whatever it is, the important thing is that while doing it you feel the shift in your consciousness and in your nervous system.

It is quite possible to go through the motions of any practice without fully shifting consciousness to reap the benefits. This happened to me yesterday: I was doing my movement practice, focusing on the alignment of my body, and regulating my breath, but was feeling unstable. I then noticed that my eyes were bouncing around the room. As soon as I shifted my gaze to a fixed point, I felt everything shift. I moved more deeply into the pose and felt myself become focused and grounded. My mind had aligned with my actions as a result of fixing my gaze, and from there I entered the state that I intended. What followed was a much better day than I likely would have had without the practice.