Video 1 - Playing the Game of Life, by Alan Watts
1. What does our society tell children?
Society tells children that it is playing a game and playing by following rules. It will tell them the rules so they know their way around. Once understood and when the children are older, they will be able to invent better ones. Children are on probation and not considered to be real human beings. They are candidates and sent to go on a journey of preparation to something they will never get to.
2. What is our society's "preparation for life?"
Society's preparation for life begins with kindergarten, then elementary school, high school, college, and graduate school. Then commencement begins, where a student is released in the world just to end up in the same cycle of preparation.
3. When one arrives, Watts claims that he or she often feels cheated. Why?
People feel cheated because they have been trained for this their whole life, and then have to go through more training after. It dawns on them that this is what they have "arrived" to. Life feels the same as it has always felt.
4. What is the final goal of our society?
It is for retirement.
5. What is the problem with living ever for the future?
Making plans for the future is of use only to people who are capable of living completely in the present.
Video 2: The Secret of Life
1. What is the Chinese word for nature? What does it mean?
Ziran--meaning that which happens of itself.
2. According to Watts, you stop the spontaneous flowering of nature if you do what to it?
If you tell it, you must do it. When you try to command the spontaneous process, you stop it.
3. According to Watts, what are human beings?
The fabric and structure of existence itself.
4. What is the secret of life according to Watts?
Instead of calling it work, realize this is play.
Video 3: You're Already Awesome
1. What was Dr. Brewer's experience of flow?
No Shit! There he was. He was barreling down a mountain bike trail in Colorado. A whole lot of descent, not much trail. He was really focusing on staying on the trail, at some point there wasn't a bike, a trail, or even him. It was just flow.
2. According to the Harvard study mentioned by Brewer, what percentage of time do we get caught of up thinking?
50% of the time.
3. Finish the sentence: "A wandering mind is a _____"
A wandering mind is an unhappy mind.
4. What happens to the brain during meditation?
The default and craving regions of the brain become quieter.
5. In nine minutes, the test subject mentioned by Brewer learned the difference between what?
He learned the difference between getting caught up and getting out of his own way.
Reflection Question:
How does all of this relate to our yoga practice? How does it relate to killer ball? To performing? Was there an idea in any of these talks that stood out to you? If so, what was it and why?
Our yoga practices require a great level of presence and meditation to be done properly. For someone to reap the most benefits from yoga, they must be in a state of flow.
During killer ball, whether you were on the outside circle or the inside, a great amount of presence and focus was required to win. I know from personal experience that I sucked being in the middle. I was definitely too distracted to adequately dodge the ball or protect. However, when Skye and Maja were in the middle, they had a great sense of focus and remained in the middle for what felt like forever TWICE!
In relation to performance, an actor or actress will not be able to perform to their best ability without at least a taste of flow. Acting is being. To act, every action can not be planned ahead, it has to be in the moment or it won't be real. Or feel real, perhaps. When you are acting, you just have to live (be present), but if you can't do that in regular life, how can you expect to do it then?
My favorite idea discussed was the spontaneous process of nature. I loved loved loved when he said that if you tried to control it would just stop! This is exactly how I feel about so many things. One of the many reasons I hate the levels of education preceding college is because of the amount of control forced upon people, especially at such a young age when one just wants to be free. It's as if we're all being trained to be robots. I don't want to be forced to learned something I find useless, then be expected to reiterate it back. Only to receive a grade, telling me whether or not I can amount to a future or not. Everyone has the possibility of a future and everybody has the capacity to learn. I honestly can't truly enjoy anything unless I'm living in the present. Dancing, cooking, singing, laughing, writing, I all have to do it in the present. I don't plan to laugh or plan to sing to my favorite songs in the car, it just happens and I just love it. The main reason why laughter seems to be everyone's medicine is because it is completely and solely in the present moment. Freedom is the necessity of life, and it is what we all deserve as a human being. The right to live in the present and be ourselves, no matter what others deem otherwise.
Wonderful post Bridget! Your reflection was very eloquent. You are so right about laughter. Comedy is really fascinating because when you try to be funny, often times it doesn't work. Actors who "ham it up" often will not get nearly as many laughs as someone who is fully in the moment doing what they are doing. Nice connection!
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