Kids, please try this at home.

In the spirit of dance I’d like to give you a lesson that you can have at no charge.  The lesson is called Body Parts.  Now what you do is focus your mind on each body part, starting at your fingers.  That’s right. Focus on each appendage then see your wrists, your arm, elbows… etc. Slowly.  You can do this anytime, anywhere. Its discrete. No one needs to know. 

The purpose of Body Parts is to ground your thoughts in your body.  Here is why- It allows your brain to calm down and simplify a target.  An intention.  That way you and your brain trains itself into relaxing and putting an intention on one thing instead of your brain going all hurly-burly with constant stimulus.  Like a dust storm.  Settle. 

It is a form of ‘meditation’.  And meditation, for our purposes, is: the deliberate pondering devoted to self-care.  You don’t need to be Buddha on the Mountain or sit lotus for days to reap the benefits of meditation.  Imagine sitting in class and feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed.  Think 1-2-3. One, just focus on a breath.  Two, Shift your mind to your body.  Three- start the meditation- fingers or toes, your pick.  

You can look someone in the eye as they are yammering.  Half-way listening just think about that left ankle… Imagine your face looking calm as you are not getting caught up in this persons own nonsensicalness.  Oh you can still interact, then come back to a body part in order to appear serene. I say appear because it can be temporary. But that grace of time might keep you from saying or reacting more negatively thus creating more stress.

 Yes, this takes practice, patience and fortitude. Yes, it is ‘weird’. So what?  What else do you have to do? How is staying anxious and medicated working? Take a risk.  Use common sense.  If you like it- do it at home, alone.  Dance party.  “Hey shoulder, how you want to move, girl?” “Way to move left elbow…”. Ha.  Have some fun. You are a hurdy gurdy- an exquisite instrument.

Either change, or keep doing what you are doing.  Let me know if it helps.  Hotplate7@yahoo.com