Learning to Bend Last

All wisdom is old wisdom. Anything worth saying has undoubtedly been said before, and probably more articulate. That doesn't mean we should resign ourselves in silence but strive to breathe new life into old adages, which is what I attempting to do here.

“ The Green reed who bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak that breaks in the storm”. Confucius said these sage words, which have been reverbing through our collective consciousness for 2500 years. They illustrate the value in being flexible; in being able to accommodate the chaos life all too often hurls at us. Since no one's life is guaranteed a smooth ride, being able to bend is often what prevents us from breaking

There are many methods to increase our mental flexibility or adaptability. One way which tends to get overlooked, perhaps because it is too simple is to work on our physical flexibility. It's cliched by now that there is a mind/body connection that threads through consciousness. Although this may not be a scientific axiom as a bodyworker, I feel safe in acknowledging how our physical reality is mirrored in our psychic reality and vice versa.

Our flexibility is derived from being able to relax as our muscles are stretched. As we learn to cease micromanaging our muscles they will grant us ever greater freedom to move. The more we practice relaxing under stress the more our body will trust us with its safety. As our body loosens up our mind will naturally unwind in turn. It's default frequencies will be calmer and more at peace with itself.

I can’t think of anyone I know who becomes less open-minded as they gain physical flexibility. Now sometimes people lose the strength to stability themselves, which can be a problem I will discuss some other time. But as long as we have enough strength to stay grounded in who we are I see great value in cultivating our ability to adapt. To bend with the wind as Confuscious instructed.

We are all creatures of habit to some extent. As we accumulate trips around the sun the tendency is for our bodies to become less flexible, less adaptable, more brittle and susceptible to breaking. It's easier to practice tensing up than relaxing. This makes it challenging to bend to the pressures around us. Having a natural inclination towards accumulating tension does not mean we are bereft of choice. We can always practice being flexible, more adaptable. We can learn to bend more.

Anthony Bruni