Non Striving
In Eastern philosophy, Wu Wei is the art of non doing, or doing without doing. A concept westerners, like myself, struggle with. How can we do without doing? How will anything get done without doing. Wu Wei isn’t really about not doing it’s about non striving. It’s more about being, while doing.
When I first began to create jewelry, I spent so much time on striving so damn hard to create a piece with the end result in mind. It HAD to be just like my drawing or idea or thought. If it didn’t, I felt that I had failed! This made the process of creating painful, like I was gripping so hard to the outcome or a specific idea that I wasn’t allowing space for creativity.
Slowly, over time, I began to gain confidence and with much practice I loosened my grip. Before long, creating became so meditative to me that, ironically, I became very productive creating really amazing, unique, pieces.
Take Away Practice
This weeks Practice Take Away is Sitali (cooling) Breath.
Last Week
Last week in Adventures within Somatics, we transformed into a being filled with patience and presence in a world we created within visualizations. Here, we embodied, moved, ate, played, slept, dreamt as this being.
We explored box breath and sitali (cooling breath) techniques as well as going within breath awareness during a Mindful Meditation allowing us to sit within patience.
Ending, or beginning, the week with Sundays Rest & Digest, we surrendered to patience as we rested in a variety of poses for up to 10 mins, resetting our bodies, minds, souls.
This Weeks Class Overviews
Wednesday Aug 2nd, 2023 4pm PT/7pm ET
In Adventures within Somatics, we will play with movements and visualizations. Class is open to all ages, abilities, and levels.
Thursday Aug 3rd, 2023 6am PT/9am ET
During the Sunrising Meditation & Breath Works, we will reconnect within our breath and a Mindful Meditation within stillness. Class is open to all ages, abilities, and levels.
Sunday Aug 6th, 2023 5pm PT/8pm ET
For our most delicious class of all…Rest & Digest, is the ultimate stillness practice within comfort allowing us to reset. Class is open to all ages, abilities, and levels.
Even though classes have started you can still join us. Sign up gives you access to weekly class recordings, even if you can’t make the live zoom classes.
During the week, I invite you to take the idea of non striving, doing without doing and instead focus on being. See what happens. Will you actually get more things done without doing? Or will the things you do do be more effortless because you are being while doing?
With much Luv and Gratitude,
Casey
Enjoy!
Take Away Practice
Sitali (cooling breath) Practice
This breath practice can be done anywhere. I’ve been doing this cooling breath here or there all week as the weather hit triple digits. Do take notice, if you get dizzy or light headed return to natural breathing.
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position, either close your eyes or soften your gaze, take a few breaths to relax your body and mind.
Extend your tongue out of your mouth slightly and curl your tongue to create a channel. If you are not able to curl your tongue (genetically some can not) then just visualize the curling of each side.
Deeply and slowly draw in your breath, across your tongue, taking notice of the cooling sensation of the air as it is drawn across the tongue.
Close the mouth and slowly exhale out of the nose.
Repeat this 10 times, then relax.