Monday, August 31, 2009

Manifestation of a mature personality

I came across a wonderful few sentences while waiting at a doctor's office in Prague today. They were in Czech, so the words below are my translation of them. I believe I am coming along on some of the ideas, but I still need to do a lot work on all of them. Like letting go more and more of the safety of seclusion or being more kind towards my own as well as others’ imperfections. Which ones do you need to work on most? May these words be a useful reminder from time to time.

A mature personality manifests itself by:

A warm relationship with oneself (self-acceptance) as well as things outside of the self.
Willingness to “expose” oneself to others and let go of the safety of seclusion.
Participating in the forming of close, intimate, kind-hearted relationships.
Openess to the differences of various worlds in which “the others” live.
Understanding for ourselves as well as others.
Tolerance of the incomprehensible in others.
Kindness towards our own as well as others’ imperfections.
Patience with our own as well as others’ limits.
Searching for ways that provide opportunities to meet with ourselves as well as others.


Original text by Tereza Kocourková

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

TaKeTiNa: learn to relax in chaos by reconnecting with primal rhythms

One of the most interesting personal growth practices that I have tried is the TaKeTiNa Rhythm Process, which is an amazing technique designed to allow us to reconnect with primal rhythms. Of all the practices I have tried, this is the one I wish I knew of back when I was trying my hand at becoming a professional tennis player. The reason is that everytime I used to get into a stressful situation in a match, I would tighten up, try harder, and as a result play worse. What TaKeTiNa does, in my opinion, is program the body for the opposite reaction: try less, relax in the stress or chaos, and become much more effective.
So how does this method work? According to the official website,

"TaKeTiNa is a unique process capable of activating human and musical potential through rhythm. TaKeTiNa conveys rhythm in such a way that people can absorb, understand, and learn in the most natural manner. Instead of being taught random rhythmic patterns, TaKeTiNa guides its participants directly into the experience of primal rhythmic movements-that are anchored in the sensory-motoric system of every human being. This underlying rhythmic foundation expresses itself through music in every culture. In TaKeTiNa, the body is the main instrument. The experience is therefore direct, intense and lasting."

So if you're feeling that learning how to relax in chaos could be beneficial for your personal growth and / or happiness journey, I highly recommend that you check out the TaKeTiNa website, learn more about the process, and sign up for the next workshop taking place in your area. May the rhythm be with you!