The Yoga of Healing

On Sunday I had a breakthrough.

While co-facilitating a workshop on the Chakras I transcended an internal barrier and made an awesome discovery -

I have been existing outside of my body.


My colleague Amanollah was teaching the class about the art of Observation. In an exercise designed to awaken the senses he asked everyone to close their eyes and FEEL the texture of their clothing on their skin. Although I'm familiar with the different observation tools, I decided to open full heartily to the exercise and participate in it as if for the first time.

I closed my eyes... and the bottom of my world fell out.

I couldn't feel my clothes! No matter what I did or how I concentrated I could not feel my clothes on my skin. My head was swimming with words, overflowing with adjectives describing what my clothes should feel like, but there was no actual sensation.

I couldn't believe it, but I couldn't deny it. With eyes closed I took an inventory of my life and saw with absolute clarity that I had been separating my physical experience from my mental experience.
For example, when I would see the color RED I would instantly mentally associate the color with words like energizing, Root Chakra, vitality and so on. I would even get a clear mental picture, which I would pat myself on the back for, but at no time was I actually FEELING energized, or revitalized.

In a matter of moments my life transformed. I became completely aware of the fact that I have been existing solely in my head. My perception, which I had thought to be well rounded, has been all mental. I have been naming and categorizing all of my experiences, not EXPERIENCING them.

This awakening is MONUMENTAL!
For the first time in years I am FEELING my emotions, and sensations, not merely naming them.

I feel like a child. I am experiencing everything for the first time...