This post was inspired by the Pause for Thought segment given by Rabbi Pete Tobias on today’s Chris Evans breakfast show.
We have just witnessed the 2010 Oscar ceremony in Hollywood. The glittering stars of the silver screen have congratulated each other on a great year. And golden statues have been awarded to those deemed deserving of the greatest honour.
But what about us in normal land? What Oscars do we get? Do we even deserve them?
Of course we do. But we are normally so busy rushing around working, keeping a roof over our heads and keeping up with the Joneses that we rarely stop and award them to ourselves. We don’t stop to pause for thought and realise what great things we all have in our lives.
When you complete a project at work do you stop and think about what you have accomplished? Or do you wait to be disappointed by the boss to not awarding you an Oscar with a big pay rise or bonus? Or what about passing an exam or balancing your household budget? Do you stop and think about what you have accomplished or rush on to the next item on your to do list?
Stopping, pausing for breath, returning to the centre. Big themes in shiatsu.
When I begin a treatment I usually start at my client’s belly, work around the body and return to the belly to finish. Why? Because the belly represents the energetic centre of the body. Buddha and Eastern deities have big bellies because they are powerful and compassionate, not because they think of food too much.
In the West we spend so much time filling our heads we forget the our centre. Instead of feeling connected with the centre and contented we think in our heads that we are falling behind and missing out.
The Chinese classic called the Tao Te Ching says:
There is no greater mistake than following desire;
There is no greater disaster than forgetting contentment;
There is no greater sickness than seeking attainment;
But one who is content to satisfy his needs
Finds that contentment endures.
And Rabbi Pete Tobias talked about the ancient Rabbis who asked:
Who is wealthy? Someone who is satisfied with what they have.
To be satisfied with what you have means stopping and feeling. Take some time out of your busy schedule and just let your mind settle. Let your body energy settle. Get a feeling of your own belly. Relax. Open up your senses and listen to the silence, the birds, the world around you.
In my own little way I hope that my shiatsu treatment will for the hour you are with me give you space to return to your own energetic centre. Some time to stop, feel and relax. By starting and ending at your belly I hope to remind you of your power centre.
Remember what you have accomplished recently and in your life. Be proud of that. Be satisfied and contented and that will be your Oscar. Because satisfaction and contentment don’t tarnish like a golden statue. They cannot be stolen from you. In the end this is what truly endures.
Recommended Reading
Anywhere But Here – Being present in your own body
Self-Touch is Love – Stop directing your body from your head
Lets hear it for you – Are you reluctant to praise yourself?
