goals for the second evening  to begin learning more about coping with “mental chatter”  to be clear about the specific practice you are to work on for the rest of the week  to realise that problems are normal: autogenics are one of the effective responses

the crucial balancing skill focus attention release letting go remember: specific sensations such as heaviness are unimportant but balancing focus & release is important

dealing with mental chatter the challenge is to be a wise fish! 3 lessons to be learned

the three “wise fish” lessons 1.) hooks/distractions are normal - let the irrelevant thoughts float by without giving them our attention 2.) we will occasionally be hooked - noticing that this has happened will allow our minds to slide easily off the hooks 3.) these challenges when learning calming skills are just simplified versions of the challenges we are faced with in daily life

zen mind, beginner’s mind....  to reach the other shore with each step of the crossing is the way of true living  if you practise zazen with your whole body and mind, even for a moment, that is zazen. so moment after moment you should devote yourself to your practice Shunryu Suzuki Zen mind, beginner’s mind New York: Weatherhill, 1970

the practice for this week Both arms are heavy Both legs are heavy Neck & shoulders are heavy I am at peace 2nd week’s exercise: 3 x each day: and remember at least two of these practices should take 10 minutes or longer. One or more long practices each day should be without a tape. Make sure that you are competent at practising both sitting and lying. As usual, start with a bodyscan. Then deepen the relaxation using the words on the right. “I am at peace” carries various connotations. At minimum it emphasises the relaxation/ peacetime/rest & recovery response.

three levels of being  extended consciousness & autobiographical self  core consciousness & present time core self  unconscious biological state & the proto self Antonio Damasio The feeling of what happens: body, emotion and the making of consciousness London: Vintage, 2000

consciousness as evolutionary step Antonio Damasio The feeling of what happens: body, emotion and the making of consciousness London: Vintage, 2000 evolution of consciousness – major survival advantage going beyond non-conscious reflexes & conditioning changes in the body’s internal environment are monitored by basic brain stem structures making up the ‘proto-self’ a major leap forward occurs when an organism develops the capacity to recognize that responses are ‘mine’ stimulus consciousness response core consciousness is the ‘feeling of what happens’ when see, hear or touch