“I Used to Do Focusing…”
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I’m lucky. I’m unlikely to get “out of practice” at Focusing, because it weaves its way through my life. But I do have a sense of how easy it would be to get out of practice with Focusing, because I am trying to learn German, and if I don’t do something with it every other day, it slips away.
So of course Focusing is like that, because it’s not only a totally natural way of being–it’s also a skill like playing the piano or doing tai chi or speaking a new language. With practice, it sinks into your bones. Without practice… well, it can start to seem like a big burden to get back to it again–and what a pity that is!
So what if we DO get out of practice? How can we come back to Focusing again?
“…So Long Ago!”
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The first step is to be gentle with yourself. It’s really not helpful to beat yourself up! If a part of you insists you’ve done something bad, another part of you will rebel, and things go downhill from there. So: OK, we’re starting fresh.
Do you have a Focusing partner? Did you use to have one, and did one of you not return a phone call? It’s probably worth trying to get that going again. Or click on the link below to connect with the Partnership Matching Program of the Focusing Institute.
Then, whether or not you have a call in to a partner, sit down to do some Focusing–soon! You might start by taking some nice deep breaths and feel those breaths moving your body. Then let your weight settle more into what you’re sitting on. (Maybe you’re even doing this right now, as you read this email… why not!)
Notice whether something in you is grateful that you’ve arrived, that you’re inside sensing. (Alternatively, something in you might say, “Where the heck have YOU been!?”)
You might acknowledge that.
And just take some time to sense what kind of contact it, in there, is wanting right now. … And you’re back.