"How often should I do Focusing?"
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In a recent class, Ruth asked "How often is it ideal to do Focusing?" She added, "All day long I’m noticing things coming up I’d like to focus on!"
Dear Ruth,
What great news, that lots of things are coming up for Focusing! Isn’t it wonderful what treasure troves we are, inside?
And you know what? It really isn’t possible to do Focusing too often! The process of sitting down to listen gently within, to our felt senses that come from our life situations, is a natural one. Every now and then, when I’ve done Focusing a lot (several times a day is what I’d call "a lot"), I’ll sit down to do Focusing and all I get is a feeling of spacious, clear, open, enjoyment… and a message like, "Let’s take a walk instead."
That would be a sign that one had done enough Focusing.
So there’s no reason to worry about doing Focusing too often! Your body will tell you when "enough is enough," and until then, go to it!
What about on the other side, a "minimum frequency"? Everyone is different, but I’d recommend once a week. As in the old joke about how often they take a bath in the hill country, "once a week whether you need it or not."
The easiest way to make sure you get your weekly Focusing is to schedule that time with a Focusing partner. Then you’ll keep the appointment and you’ll do the Focusing, because you’ve made the commitment to the other person. Unfortunately it’s usually easier to keep a commitment to another person than to ourselves!
…how about all the time?
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Of course the other answer to "How often should I do Focusing?" is: All the time!
How’s that again? Let me explain…
On the one hand, you have the "formal" Focusing, where you’re sitting down with a Focusing partner, or with yourself, setting aside the time just for that, usually closing your eyes, often taking yourself through a series of steps or stages….
OK, that one you can’t do all the time, I agree.
Yet on the other hand there is a more informal Focusing that IS possible to do more and more of the time. It’s like an awareness, a noticing, a scanning. I am ready to pause if needed, to sense the impact on me of something that is happening.
It’s the actual pausing that starts the Focusing… so one isn’t actually Focusing all the time, that’s true. Yet the readiness, the availability to turn toward what needs attention, that’s there.
I can do the turning toward, right there, no matter what I’m in the middle of, and at least say hello to "something" there. I can acknowledge and sense some whole situation here that is needing attention. And if more than that is called for, I can let it know I’ll be happy to get back to it as soon as possible!
Learning Focusing
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Finding it hard to do Focusing from a book? You might enjoy my CD set Learning Focusing, with five guided exercises and tips on everything from dealing with sleepiness to the inner critic.