Bone-whispering

Text from Red Alternativa (Madrid, Spain) - March – April 2003

None of us can avoid pain, injuries, or fear. Like it or not, it is, quite simply, part of everyone's life. We are in one sense, a 'psycho-physical' organism, and "pain" is an energy that each of us must receive and somehow learn to understand consciously. (Think of low back pain, poor digestion, a 'broken heart', stiff neck, troubled sleep, cuts, shocks, shallow breathing, sore legs, aching shoulders, tired painful feet, a broken wrist, sore -throat, colds, etc. Who can avoid these happenings?) Ask yourself, "What happens inside the bodymind when we experience pain or strong fear?" Your bodymind tissues (which includes our muscles, bones, joints, nerves, protective mechanisms, thoughts, fluids, hormones, organs, breath, and fascia) have an "imbedded memory" of every painful "physical" and "psychological" event. "Pain" causes body tissues to contract and lose their ability to conduct positive energy... the body doesn't move there, or movement is compromised. The inner consciousness there is less, and awareness and sensitivity levels go
down. We become "out of touch" and careful with that part, and this has a negative affect in other parts of our 'energy field'. The "movement pattern" and possible range and fluidity of each joint of our skeleto n is 'imprinted' in the connective tissues immediately surrounding the
joint...the inter -action and coordination "between" joints is also a determining factor in the "movement pattern"... so is the "mind's" memory/sensory/motion connection within the brain. (On the deeper inner-anatomy level, these specialized tissues deep within each joint, are known
as "proprio-ceptors" and they provide us with a constant feedback awareness of our sense of movement , feeling, and inner space). If this tension-protection remains unconscious and fear oriented, the joints will eventulally develop tension and distorted movement patterns, and pain.
Unconsciously, there is a deep, constant fear in the psyche that the part could be injured again, so we hold the part , thinking this tension will prevent new pain. We are almost 'expecting' some future pain. In fact, this subconscious fear forces the pain to hide deeper within the bodymind.
You can see that this psychic energy now affects the whole organism. What can be done? With a conscious, 3-dimensional, liquid movement of the joints, we can give the area "a new message" which alters the existing pattern and enhances movement and sensitivity. This "new message"
along with conscious touching, is what I want to call "Bone-whispering ".

We can learn a lot through the relaxed observation of animals and their movements. Dogs, especially, demonstrate the effects of psycho-physical injuries and pain. You must have seen the extreme case of a dog who has either been beaten, yelled at continuously, or dominated by other
dogs. Its body becomes tight, its eyes are in constant worry, its breathing is erratic, and it does not trust or welcome any contact. It lives and moves in fear that has been learned through very unpleasant experiences...there is no trust moving through its body or mind. They "expect" to be hurt or scared again, so their bodies almost never relax, and all their movements are jerky and nervous. They don't relax and melt with their surroundinds or other animals and people. (In other words, they lose their ability to be "here-now", and they live trapped by negative memories and fearful expectations). This also happens to horses and cats. And to people! In the American West, a person who can re-establish the trust and graceful, intergrated movement to a damaged animal is known as a "Horse-Whisperer". They have the ability to give the horse 'space' and begin to interact in a non-threatening, healing, and personal way. With time, and constant repeating of positive listening and patient touching, a new trust is established. The message is that the iternal protection does not serve any beneficial purpose NOW. And, because even the ears have been traumitized and are 'on guard' they need to be soothed with gentle words and sounds. For this reason, all the messages are "whispered"; not spoken forcefully. The 'communication' actually happens through what would be better called 'communion'- the whisperer goes into a state of deep awareness and is able to feel and respond to animal as if he knew its deepest secrets, and remained an open observer.

In modern vocabulary, all life energy is 'electro-magnetic' in its nature.. (All people who practice yoga and other deep going meditation methods have experienced this energy flow inside). So all pain, or inappropriate tension is a disturbance in the electro -magnetic balance within our energy
field. (Hard to understand or feel what I am talking about without taking lots of time "watching inside") "Bone-whipering" implies learning to listen and observe minutely and sensitively with your hands and entire awareness to what has happened, and is happening, in the body you are
touching. In modern vocabulary, you can learn to witness the 'harmonic' and 'disharmonic' waves in the person. You can then 'amplify' the harmonic waves, and negate and redirect the disharmonic waves back into the whole system- they become a 'rebalancing influence' on pathological elements. Then with ARUN, we redistribute these new electo-magnetic waves back into and throughout the bodymind. The response of the touching is triggered through listening to the person's own internal oscillations only.

The healing has begun...within 3 days the dog or horse allows you to come closer, and if your hands know how to untangle and release the tension that is in the body, the psyche also undergoes a "let-go" and the fluids of trust and inner harmony flow unimpeded. Many points throughout the body may be painful to touch. We touch slow; soft; deep shiatzu and friction; liquid moving touch, connecting body parts; moving tight connective tissues with and against the bones: using round, light 3-dimensional hand contacts. Mostly full, often soft, very respectful and loving, while always trying to touch and move the body in a harmonious way, feeling everything...tuning into the individual body (electro-magnetic field) frequency. Soon, he or she begins to welcome and look forward to more contact and her own inner love and enthusiasm for life starts to move towards you and her outer environment. A circle of energy begins flowing again. It is amazing and gratifying to see the little dog moving again with spontaneity and restored flexibility and trust!
For 30 years now, we have been exploring and studying the mystery of the Human Energy Field (each individual is an organic unity made up of physical, mental, emotional, energetic, imaginative, and reflective potentials). ARUN is dedicated to the ongoing evolution of creative Human Touch and meditation. It recognizes, and teaches simply that we are a "body" and "consciousness" as a living organic unity. Rooted in a deep appreciation and respect for the inbuilt wisdom of the human body, ARUN nurtures love and awareness for all the natural functionings and interactions of the Human Energy Field. We have asimulated wisdom from the East (Anubuddha and Anasha have spent parts of 20 years living, practising yoga, giving sessions and Trainings, and meditating in India, Japan, and Thailand), and the West (A & A have taught in U.S.A., Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Greece, Holland, and France) many simple and direct touching and healing methods. The understanding and awareness in ARUN will enhance whatever approach to creative touch and the body that you are interested in. 'Conscious Touch' is not a technique to be learned. It is learning to feel directly, 'in this moment', the touch...without judging, analysing, or comparing the experience to any other moment. Being inside yourself and feeling, without fear or expectations, the life within the body' electro-magnetic field. You easily learn how to use your touch in a safe, intimate, positive way that helps the body relax and the inner awareness expand. ARUN could also be called, "Interactive Meditation" or even, "Bone-whispering".