Back to Safety - Open to Life

A quote from Dr Stephen Porges, scientist and author of the Polyvagal Theory, intrigued me.

“Those who are the most bold and courageous are those who can easily find their way back to safety.”

If you sense there are areas in your life; career, love, passions, that you are holding yourself back, it may be that you haven’t learnt the art of returning to safety as a felt sense; safety in body, mind and nervous system.

We all need a safe place to come home to; regroup; gather strength and inspiration.

There are many possible reasons returning to feeling safe is not second nature to us. Perhaps the conditions during childhood were less than favourable; there was no-one with the skill who could offer it to you; your natural attachment to a safe other was interrupted. Or maybe you’ve experienced difficult circumstances since and have forgotten how to return to safety. The good news; evoking a felt sense of safety is a skill. It can be learnt or remembered.

Knowing safety is a skill. It can be learnt.

In my case, I didn’t even realise I carried an underlying unease until I started practicing yoga and subsequently meditation. Before this, I had experienced some feelings of ease and confidence, at least in moments, but I had no reliable way to replicate such a state. For reasons that are really no-one’s fault my safe attachment was interrupted. (see this blog for further details on how I learnt to feel safety and love)

Sound, movement, breath, are pathways to safety and connection.

Now the scientists are beginning to understand what the yogis have known for thousands of years. Sound, movement, breath, are pathways to safety and connection. It’s so rewarding that science has these processes in their lenses; developing modern and Western understandings of how we can find peace internally as well as between us.

Same things in a different system of learning

Mantra – sounding, asana – movement, pranayama – breathing, are the same things in a different system of learning. Like Western science, these Yoga practices also require awareness and attention. Buddhist and Yoga practitioners have been putting their attention on these things for at least 3000 years. There is a science here too.

There is a science here too

This yoga and meditation science does not assume our observation is outside of the phenomena that is occurring. The science of yoga developed through intimate observation, that also pays attention to the quality of our noticing. This is Mindfulness; something psychology has embraced in the last 30-40 years.

Yoga and Meditation are practices

Yoga and Meditation are practices. We cannot know them from reading a book or screen or listening to a podcast or talking or thinking about the concepts, (although these things can be helpful). I have been know to read and listen quite a bit! However information knowledge is not the same as realisation. In fact conceptual knowledge can get in the way of realisation at some point. Realisation only comes through practice.