decluttering the mind

In a week I will leave my lovely house in this green, green valley and move into a camper van with my family. It’s a big camper van but nonetheless a serious downsize when you think about the contents of a whole household that one accummulates. So I am reducing the amount of STUFF we have. We have so much STUFF, much of it unnecessary. And when it is gone, I feel lighther. Decluttering does that for perople.

So how about decluttering your mind? The longer we old on to a thought or emotion the firmer and more fixed it becomes. Thoughts that over time become convictions; opinions that become facts; points of view that become intractable standpoints. Also perhaps a niggle in the wrist that becomes a chronic weak point; a stiffness in the neck that leads to sleepless nights, a twinge in the back that leads to being out of action for some days.

Mind and body are inseparable. F.M. Alexander was very clear about this:

As you work with the principles of the Alexander Technique, you start to shed layers of tension in your body, and whether you realise it or not, you are also shedding layers of mental, spiritual and emotional tension. Everything is connected. The body affects the mind and the mind affects the body. And more than that, body and mind are actually one and the same.

It takes a certain amount of bravery to embark on a series of AT lessons. It is a step into the unknown territory of your unconscious mind-body. Having navigated in this territory for many years now, I can assure you that it is endlessly fascinating and challenging.

Holding on to material possessions gives us a sense of security. Letting go of those possessions gives us a sense of lightness. Holding on to our ideas gives us a sense of who we are. Letting go of those ideas gives us a sense of who we could be.

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