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1] Thanks to @xuenay for sharing his experience using my 'stop doing awake' approach to fall asleep. What I love is the focus on having a clear intention. This is an important part of Alexander Technique, from which I derived the approach. This is worth digging into. (thread) https://t.co/sfLKX4F9oJ
2] Intention is what organises your system in a particular direction. Without intention, you'd be adrift. The trick is to have a clear intention and then let go of any need to achieve it. If you over focus on the outcome you interfere with the process. https://t.co/2V1nLApelK
5/ Non-doing does not turn you into a jellyfish to be pushed around by the currents of circumstance. Peeling back the layers of doing reveals something naturally powerful and alive. It's you – more you than you ever thought possible – only its effortlessly you.
3] Why? For the same reason that trying to fall asleep keeps you awake - trying to 'do' the outcome is still interference. This of course sets up a paradox. How do you achieve the thing without trying to achieve the thing? Why does not trying actually improve your 'performance'?
4] Because the part of you that actually achieves the outcome you desire – hit the tennis ball, fall asleep, sing the note – isn't the same part of you that thinks or tries. This is why @xuenay noticed different parts with different agendas regarding sleep.
5] He may think he wants to sleep, but if he's really honest with himself he's actually quite enjoying thinking about <x> so the intention is unclear – the thing that actually does the process of falling asleep gets contradictory directions.
6] When I do this, I 'assert' to myself that I want to sleep and let that intention spread throughout the space of my mind and body. This asserting is somehow pre-cognitive. It's the same as intending to stand up or move your hand. You don't use words for that, yet it's there.
7] This point around setting an intention and letting go of attachment to the outcome is something I'm going to dig into in more detail, so obligatory "subscribe to my newsletter!" tweet. https://t.co/SeMJY9QFv2
Meta] If you've come across this thread in isolation and want to go deeper then you might be interested in my 'thread of threads' on the topic. https://t.co/pppidMHSzH
Meta] Also, if you want to dive much deeper into this stuff, I have built what I believe is the only asynchronous online course that explores Alexander Technique from a first principles perspective. You can find out more and stay up to date by going here: https://t.co/GHzsyr4ILq