Where does your arm begin?

At this moment, stop whatever you are doing just for a few seconds. Notice where your arm is. Is it mid-air, on your lap or touching the chair. In your mind's eye, where does your arm begin and where does it end? Now begin to move your arm in a direction and notice what you are doing with your whole self. Does your arm move from the shoulder towards your fingers while the rest of you remains still and separate from your arm?  How much of you is participating in your movement of the arm? Now do the same with the other arm. Which is more awake to YOU?

When I work with individuals, I notice that often, they use parts of themselves in isolation of the rest of themselves. A classic example is the use of arms in activities throughout the day. Notice how you use yourself when you open the car door, turn on the shower, type on a keyboard, make a gesture while sharing an exciting date, reaching for your cup of coffee, etc.

Do YOU come with yourself or do you leave YOU behind? To what extent do we bring in our mechanistic view of the universe in our relation to ourselves as bodies.  The repeated leaving behind of ourselves creates a tremendous amount of tension and overwork for our arms while the rest of the body is underutilized. It's like we move against ourselves rather than with ourselves. It takes awareness to notice, to include, to appreciate and to move as ONE.

Next time you use YOURSELF AS YOUR ARM, how much of YOU is there? Pick one activity, like reaching for the door or reaching for a cup to be a time to check in. Let me know what your discoveries are.

Kathrina Peterson is the owner of Marin Mindful Body in Mill Valley. She empowers individuals to be more awake through movement and touch. Contact me at kathrinapeterson@yahoo.com and visit www.marinmindfulbody.com