Supports for Change

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I wonder if the chrysalis has a sense of its prior worm nature, or of its future butterfly nature? Whatever consciousness may or may not look like in other sentient beings, I experience a sense of past-me, hopes for future-me and the essential, embodied, present-case me. While the latter is often in short supply, years of meditation have at least introduced the possibility of an embodied present.

Where am I going with all this? As I mentioned in my prior posting, I'm in the midst of a midlife reboot. And a significant part of this reboot involves my graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
A cup of espresso seemed the perfect way to celebrate
a successful thesis proposal.

A couple of months ago I cleared one of my first graduate-school hurdles. In front of my thesis committee, I successfully made the case that my proposed project meets the Masters degree standards at the UW - Madison. Now, before any back-slapping and high-fiving occurs, I think it bears mentioning that one of the primary functions of the thesis proposal is providing a venue for feedback. While I did receive lots of encouragement and positive feedback, in no uncertain terms I was shown the significant errors in my understanding of the proposed data analysis. Without this feedback, I would have barreled along the Avidya (not-knowing-what-I-don't-know) Highway on a fast track to God knows where. Thanks to the kindness and directness of my MS committee members, I am now able to course correct.

I mention this aspect of my MS thesis proposal as an example of the growth edge of positive (or negative) change. Stasis can be a comfortable place, and I'd grown very comfortable as Scott Anderson, the Yoga Guy. As I reboot in grad school, I periodically bump into some uncomfortable places. No doubt, I sometimes have doubts... though I generally remember (sometimes it takes awhile!) to recognize the embodied present. In those moments, the constriction of worrying about past-me and/or future-me opens into the spaciousness of the embodied present.

Via meditation, recognizing the embodied present is one of my primary strategies for navigating this life. As I wade through the grad school process, I employ five primary strategies to maintain well-being;

  • Meditation
  • A Whole-Foods/Plant-Based diet
  • Sufficient Sleep
  • Physical Activity
  • Social Connection
I've grateful to have encountered these paths, and delight in sharing them with others.



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