Coming to your senses in West Kerry or The Day of the Mindful Stick.

Every story and journey starts with a beginning.  This might be self evident but when you gather a group of strangers together for the first time, that beginning, in terms of the “Me” and the “Us”, can be very uncertain.      All interaction and group process is ultimately about a conversation and relationships.     It is at this point of tentative beginnings, that you realise, that there is no such thing as a self managing group.   The need for facilitation of some sort to begin the process of group development is obvious.  The need for leadership is also evident, if only to build trust at the level of the “Me” and “Us”.

On Saturday 22^nd May, a disparate group of individuals of unique experience and enormous potential gathered in the Community Hall, Castlegregory, in what can only be described as Costa Del weather.   They did so out of a curiousity to explore the concept of mindful walking and also the notion of what it really means to come to our senses.

The day long programme started with an introduction to the untapped power of that brain that we all possess.    In fact two brains were described.    One an intuitive Stone Age brain which works rapidly in response to perceived threat.  That brain protects us, along with adding richness to our experience.    At its most efficient, it is that gut feeling which points us in the direction of our passion and what works best for us. At its worst, it is an inner critic that can distort our thinking and limit our possibilities in so many negative ways.

The other is a logical, rational, analytical brain which given enough time, has wonderful powers, but which binds us to the notion of results and avoids the possibility of intuitive emergent outcomes.   Einstein once said “The rational mind is a faithful servant; the intuitive mind a sacred gift. The paradox of modern life is that we have begun to worship the servant and defile the divine”.   The tension that arises between both brains can lead us all into a vortex of continuous mindless doing.    When is enough enough?  The challenge is to find the balance. That is the balance of not only doing in a mindful way but also, paradoxically, on occasions doing nothing but “Being”.

Having completed part one of the programme and having nominated a “Taoiseach” for the day, the group was introduced to Timothy Sweeney from the Kalyana Centre for Mindfulness in Clohane.   I know that each one was moved in their own way by Timothy’s powerfully gentle way of “Being” (In the moment).   However for me, when he invited us to stand and experience the constant motion that we are, I really understood our individual energy and the power of paying attention in a mindful way.  It was certainly a challenge to maintain our physical balance but also perhaps to maintain balance at the level of our own thinking and emotions. He invited us to come to our senses and to take that understanding with us on our journey to Annauscaul.   I feel that we all did that at the level of our awareness but we had much to learn about what that meant where the “Me” and the “Us” intersect.

When walking the metaphor of the journey is powerful. We had a very well specified goal of reaching the South Pole Inn but that was really not the point.  It was about the journey. Could it be the same with all the other goals we set ourselves?   All the while our own personal style, temperament and even uncertainties intermingled with our responsibility to the group.  “Should I slow up the group to deal with my own issue?”  Why not take a different direction”?  Maybe we didn’t come here on our own terms really.

As mentioned previously, it is not about getting to the destination.   It is about what you can learn on the way.  Stopping to look how far we have come.   Stopping to rest when necessary.   Stopping to celebrate.  Stopping to be more aware of how connected we are.  There is no need to rush to closure. The end will come soon enough.

The really interesting thing is where does the “Me” (Self) end and where does the group (“Us”) begin. Psychology has much to say about social conformity and the secret life of groups but to what degree does the group limit individual potential and to what degree do we have to accept that?   All interesting questions but perhaps for another day.

On the journey through Maghnabo (Pasture of the cows) it is almost impossible not to connect to your senses.   It is also impossible not to understand how far we have come from the challenges of living in a famine village.  It is hard not to be impressed by the enormity of the glaciated valley of Maghnabo as you arrive at the headwall and there appears to be no way out. There is; up and more.

We made our way steadily out of the valley, gaining over one thousand feet in the process. It was a challenge but taking it “Poly Poly”, we arrived at our lunch stop.

The second part of the day saw the “Taoiseach” lead his group into the heart of the Dingle Peninsula. Three hundred and sixty degree vistas were truly breathtaking and inspiring.  In the moving conversation as we went, relationships were beginning to form in exchanges of interests, past experiences, challenges and success.  Having traversed the peninsula, a series of switchbacks saw us arrive at Lake Annauscaul where our transport was waiting to take us to the South Pole Inn.

The South Pole Inn is a veritable museum. It was also home to Tom Crean of Antarctic fame.  We chatted about the learning of the day in the context of personal change and some deeper insights into what Tom Crean knew only too well.  We are all leaders who can inspire ourselves and others. We can all make our contribution. We need that now perhaps more than ever.  In the challenge of the day, each member of the group changed in subtle and not so subtle ways.  But the fact remains, in understanding how the mind works and in coming to our senses in awareness and in a more mindful way, we can better tap into solutions and the unique positive energy and potential that we all have, in a more balanced and knowing way.    Who knows what might happen when you take that first step. You might actually arrive at your destination which in reality is very much unknown and unknowable, but in the excitement of the journey, which Morgan Freemen describes so well in “The Shawshank Redemption”.

It was a good day and after a gentle tap of the mindful stick, we scattered to continue our own individual, unique and exciting journeys.  Every story and journey also has an end. The “Me” and the “Us” were less uncertain, only because of the shared conversation and relationships built. That is really all we ever have.

Come to your senses in Kerry.

On occasions we do it instinctively. We smell and accept the sweetness of the rose. Only recently, I was leaving the house, when I was stopped in my tracks by the early morning fulsome singing of a lone thrush.  It was heartily developing the possibility of the new beginnings to be seen all about, at this time of the year.  A moment to savour. a moment of stunning beauty and simplicity.

However, in our frantic and often mindless rush to action and oftentimes, rush to closure, we may miss all of this as we pull up in front of the school to collect our beloved, in ,our 4 x 4 SUV’s which have never seen off road activity.    We may miss it when we felt the need to buy a €1200 pair of shoes which could keep a family of four going for one full year in Nepal.  We are quite simply, all of us to varying degrees mindless and unaware of the beauty that surrounds us but, also more importantly our own potential and our own responsibility.

The question really is, how do we come to our senses?  How do we become more mindful?    How do we become more confident?  How do we take full responsibility?  The answer lies in understanding the paradoxical message of mindfulness, in gaining a more complete understanding of CRAIC and finally, in taking a more solution focused approach to the journey.

While the insight to all this is here in this moment, West Kerry is where it can really come to life.  Watch this space for more details.

Mindful “Walk and Talk” in West Kerry. Summer 2010.

If you are interested in learning a little more about Mindfulness and Mindful Walking in a remote place (West Kerry), send on contact details to hugh@hoda.ie  and we will keep you on the mailing list.       Planning is currently at an early stage for a one day event in early summer.  Details to follow.  (Accomodation / Programme / Speakers etc)     Keep an eye on the blog at http://www.hoda.ie