What Can You See Without Looking?

This week my glasses broke.  At first it was just part of the frame, but then one whole arm broke off. Without both arms, they no longer sit properly on my face, so I couldn’t see properly. It prompted the question, “Where else in my life am I not seeing properly?”

Admittedly, when the question came up, nothing came to mind! I even asked a friend of mine if she could think of anything.  Nada.

All of my energy and focus was on replacing my glasses. I went to the optometrist, I looked online, I did all kinds of research (something I happen to excel at).  In the end, replacing my glasses consumed 2-1/2 days. I did very little else those days.

This weekend I revisited the question, “Where else in my life am I not seeing properly?” Doing yoga out in the back yard, the question changed. It became, “What am I missing by focusing so much on what I see?”

I took my glasses off, and spent most of my yoga session with my eyes closed.  I tuned in to the feeling of the sun and the small breezes on my skin, and the grass beneath my feet, and even the ant crawling on my arm.

I  listened to the audio for my yoga tape, and the quiet conversation next door, and the lawnmowers in the neighborhood, and the birds flying past, and the soft movement of the leaves in the blackberry bush.

I smelled the rich sent of the growing grass, the fresh scent of the newly mown grass, the spicy scent of my deodorant, and the clean air around me.

I reveled in the movement of my body, and the stretching of tight muscles, and the relaxation of being fully present.

Through this exercise of giving attention to my other senses, I became more centered in my body. I was grounded, and not so much “up in my head”. No major or mystical revelations came through, this time, and it was still a glorious feeling to raise my awareness in so many other ways. I did realize that because so much information comes in through my vision, the signal often overrides the information coming in from my other senses.

I encourage you to take a few moments, close your eyes, and tune in to your body and other sensations. It’s amazing how much I was able to “see” without looking. 🙂

Blessings,

Mary