Notes from the past month.. part Une of Deux

Presenting.. another installation of the personally famous blog of my KSMO journey!

Preparation & Position
From the posts that I have read and from my own personal experience preparation is vitally important to a good session. Good preparation is needed for a clear relaxed mind and a clear relaxed body. As highlighted in the protocol:

The more you relax, the more you will feel

If I get the chance to have a session at night I tend to light some candles and some incense if I have it. Given that I work most nights my sessions tend to be during the day.

Sometimes I begin the day with some exercise, either cardio or yoga, sometimes I don't . I then have a shower and move to my chosen position and begin to consciously relax.

When relaxing I have a choice from a few things: I either meditate with focus on the 'coolness of my breath', listen to some relaxing music or both. If I begin a session while the 'mind noise' continues to blare then I invariably have an unproductive session.

The position which I have taken (either seated or on my back) has varied throughout the month. I began the month with seated sessions on a lounge chair but then found that to get uncomfortable as it promotes a curvature of the spine. I moved to the bedroom and oscillated between seated sessions and sessions on my back, more of a preference on the day.

With Jack's advice, Let the Echo Effects be your guide and guru, I've settled on seated sessions on a chair with adequate back support. Looking back through my experiences my most profound Echo Effects manifested while seated, and my ability to articulate resonantly and deeply is far better when I am seated.

Mindsets & Attitudes

For the last two months I have made it my intention to relax throughout each session, to enjoy each moment and to be consistent with my sessions. I had approximately two sessions per week in the month of January and look to take this to three sessions per week given that the interruptions experienced throughout January wont be there in February.

The beginning of the month I felt that my mindset and attitude had began to solidify, that is, I felt more and more relaxed in my sessions, discovered relaxing properties within the Key Sound, and began to enjoy sessions in their entirety (as opposed to annexing enjoyment to the intensity of Echoes that I would experience).

This attitude was reaffirmed during a coaching chat where Pan mentioned that if he was to give himself advice as a beginner it would be this:

..to Relax & enjoy the process, and (as someone once told me long ago) to think of this practice as a process of REMEMBERING what my body ALREADY knows and ALLOWING it to TEACH ME

And a KS mantra of his:

Grant me the wisdom to enjoy each and every moment

The last week of January I felt more mind noise creeping into my sessions. "Should I be sitting up or lying down?" "Am I articulating correctly?" "Is my articulation as resonant as it can be?" "I must be more relaxed?" "Is this an Echo Effect?" "Where did that Echo go?" (and many more variants of the above questions)...

Mind noise! Funnily enough, I know the answer to all of those questions, so to me, it reaffirms the importance of being relaxed entering into a session.

In that week I did observe more tension in my everyday life than I had become accustomed to. I noticed this tension when speaking to others, and when reacting (emotionally) to events that otherwise I wouldn't have been affected by. The more relaxed I am in everyday life, the more I relaxed I become during my KSMO sessions. Which brings me to some advice Jack had given me about mind noise:

Reframe mind noise as potentially being your body's way of saying "I want a day off"

The tension always has a purpose. It can mean to take 'a day off' or it could also reveal various judgments and negativities that may be lurking in the subconscious mind. The tension illuminated the expectations that I have been holding for my practice, i.e. expectations of linear progress, and expectations of result; revealed judgments of my progress, and revealed that is these very things (judgments, negative beliefs and expectations) that are most likely holding me back from the success that I deserve to have.

A quote from my journal:

When the body is aching, the mind focuses on the ache. When the mind focuses on the ache, thoughts and mind noise tend to flow right on through.

The re-occurring message of the month has been of the importance of a relaxed mind and body. The more relaxed I am, the more feel. The more tense I am, the more I am interrupted and disrupted.

The tension had begun to recede a few days ago and correspondingly, my session on Tuesday was characterized by much more relaxation.

So stop worrying and enjoy the ride!

continued in Notes from the past month.. part Deux of Deux