11-13-2006, 12:00 AM
Unlocking the Attention
This practice is an eye movement exercise that seems to recalibrate our neural network. It resets our sensory coordinates to zero, in less than 30 seconds.
Otherwise our sensory perception remains locked in the first attention, the tunnel vision of ordinary reality. This exercise will use the unlocking practice to
free our kinesthetic sense and perceive the rivers of light.
Imagine that your eyes are like the face of a clock. The eyes act like a pointing device and signal the region of our brain we employ for different activities.
For example, many right-handed people look toward ten o'clock when performing mathematical computations, and toward two o'clock when recalling their
favorite songs. Check this out with a co-worker. Ask them to add a 27 plus 19, then observe in which direction they turn their eyes. Everyone responds
differently, yet their eyes always point in the same direction every time. Ask them to recall the smell of freshly baked bread, or a song. Observe the
direction their eyes look toward. These are the perceptual coordinates of the first attention, of ordinary reality.
Unlocking the Attention involves rotating your eyes with your eyelids shut, to clear the perceptual screen. Sitting in an armless chair, close your eyes and
move them (without moving your head) from left to right, up to down, upper left to lower right, and upper right to lower left. Now, go through that series
again in the opposite direction. Now rotate your eyes in a big circle, left to right three times and then right to left three times. Repeat that once more,
rotating your eyes in small circles, eyelids shut. Through all these eye movements, you may find a hitch in your flow. If so, move back and forth over that
hitch until it is gone. These are locked points of attention.
Bring your hands together in the spider position, with fingertips and thumb tips touching, but keeping a small space between the fingers and palms. Your thumbs
should be resting gently against your chest. Take two breaths, in through the nose. Then, through the mouth, execute a deep "trigger sigh". You must
find that "settling within your center". "Sigh" again, if necessary.
Next, separate your hands and shake them vigorously from side to side for about 30 seconds. Shake them as if you were trying to shake water from your fingers.
Now relax and allow them to become limp. Slowly, bring your hands together again in the spider pose. Gradually, separate your palms, keeping the fingertips
together. Be of aware of the feeling in your hands. Cool? Warm? Do you sense a slight electrical sensation between the palms? Now, separate your hands slowly,
remaining aware of your fingertips. Do you feel a tingling in the pads at the tips of your fingers? See how far you can separate your fingers and still
maintain that tingling or electrical sensation. Imagine that you can sense the luminous threads that connect your fingertips to each other. These are
extensions of the rivers of light (the ten principal rivers running throughout the body, passing through the hands and fingertips, and when we bring our hands
together in a spider pose, we balance the energies that flow through these rivers).
Practice this until you can sense your luminous fibers (rivers) with your hands 12 inches apart. Find out which hand is more sensitive. Can you sense the
energy better with your left for your right fingertips?
This practice is an eye movement exercise that seems to recalibrate our neural network. It resets our sensory coordinates to zero, in less than 30 seconds.
Otherwise our sensory perception remains locked in the first attention, the tunnel vision of ordinary reality. This exercise will use the unlocking practice to
free our kinesthetic sense and perceive the rivers of light.
Imagine that your eyes are like the face of a clock. The eyes act like a pointing device and signal the region of our brain we employ for different activities.
For example, many right-handed people look toward ten o'clock when performing mathematical computations, and toward two o'clock when recalling their
favorite songs. Check this out with a co-worker. Ask them to add a 27 plus 19, then observe in which direction they turn their eyes. Everyone responds
differently, yet their eyes always point in the same direction every time. Ask them to recall the smell of freshly baked bread, or a song. Observe the
direction their eyes look toward. These are the perceptual coordinates of the first attention, of ordinary reality.
Unlocking the Attention involves rotating your eyes with your eyelids shut, to clear the perceptual screen. Sitting in an armless chair, close your eyes and
move them (without moving your head) from left to right, up to down, upper left to lower right, and upper right to lower left. Now, go through that series
again in the opposite direction. Now rotate your eyes in a big circle, left to right three times and then right to left three times. Repeat that once more,
rotating your eyes in small circles, eyelids shut. Through all these eye movements, you may find a hitch in your flow. If so, move back and forth over that
hitch until it is gone. These are locked points of attention.
Bring your hands together in the spider position, with fingertips and thumb tips touching, but keeping a small space between the fingers and palms. Your thumbs
should be resting gently against your chest. Take two breaths, in through the nose. Then, through the mouth, execute a deep "trigger sigh". You must
find that "settling within your center". "Sigh" again, if necessary.
Next, separate your hands and shake them vigorously from side to side for about 30 seconds. Shake them as if you were trying to shake water from your fingers.
Now relax and allow them to become limp. Slowly, bring your hands together again in the spider pose. Gradually, separate your palms, keeping the fingertips
together. Be of aware of the feeling in your hands. Cool? Warm? Do you sense a slight electrical sensation between the palms? Now, separate your hands slowly,
remaining aware of your fingertips. Do you feel a tingling in the pads at the tips of your fingers? See how far you can separate your fingers and still
maintain that tingling or electrical sensation. Imagine that you can sense the luminous threads that connect your fingertips to each other. These are
extensions of the rivers of light (the ten principal rivers running throughout the body, passing through the hands and fingertips, and when we bring our hands
together in a spider pose, we balance the energies that flow through these rivers).
Practice this until you can sense your luminous fibers (rivers) with your hands 12 inches apart. Find out which hand is more sensitive. Can you sense the
energy better with your left for your right fingertips?