This week a friend of mine reminded me of the “false flat” concept. Now, for those of you who are not runners or bikers this might be a new concept so I will explain it.
Imagine you are looking at a road in front of you, a flat road. You run or pedal as you would on a flat road but begin huffing and puffing. You immediately think, “huh, what is going on? Did I forget to hydrate? Did I not get enough sleep? I don’t understand - it usually isn’t this hard.” The whole while you keep pushing wondering what is wrong with you - what you did or did not do that makes this situation harder. And it actually gets harder the longer you go along - it is tougher and tougher to manage the same amount of effort. Only after you are done, when you check your GPS or look behind you do you realize “that wasn’t flat, that was actually a hill.” The imperceptible grade to the road, making it look flat and free of obstruction is a “false flat.”
In the time of COVID-19 many of us are living on a “false flat.” We are healthy, our jobs are intact, we are seemingly “ok.” But the road has an imperceptible mental, psychological and emotional grade. Everything takes more effort, there is more demands on our time, there are conditions outside of our control. This takes a toll, it wears us out before we can finish the ride or the run. So what do we do? We recognize that it is not because we didn’t sleep enough, or eat enough - we stop beating ourselves up for not being able to produce at the same level. We recognize that even if we are seemingly “ok” we are also on a hill. And that hill requires us to conserve our energy, to stop when necessary and accept that we are tired.
The problem with this “false flat” we are on is that we are not sure when it will end. It requires us to be more in tune with what we need and know that we are worthy of rest. Instead of powering through can you listen to your body? What is it telling you? What do you need in this moment? Food? Water? Movement? Connection? Silence? Stillness? Rest?
The Body Knows
The body knows
its way
surefooted among the rocks and deadfalls
with an instinct for edges, directions - trust it
in any forest, though the strong horse of the mind shies
at own sounds, a raccoon’s chuckle, the scent
of a bear now four days’ foraging distant.
The horse wants the traveled path, daylight,
the gregarious corral, glad to take you
anywhere you’ve been. But the body
is its own animal, trail wise in spite of you,
sensing destinations beyond the dreams
of horses. Don’t ask it why. It’s told you
often, but you were never listening.
When you get there, you will understand.
- John Haag
Practice: Body Check-In
Come to a comfortable seated position or lay down. Pick a position where the breath can easily move. Gently close your eyes or soften your gaze to allow your focus to turn inward. Without judging, changing or making a story - notice the rhythm of your breath. This is compassionate observation, just simply observing the breath.
Just notice, with compassion, whether there is comfort, discomfort, or tension in your body. Pick a part of your body to focus on - perhaps the belly or the shoulders. Patiently direct your breath to that part of your body. As you inhale, imagine you are drawing in life force, energy, and faith. As you exhale, imagine you are releasing tension, negativity and doubt.
Continue this practice moving throughout your body, allowing the breath and the practice to become more general. Observe any physical sensations without getting caught up in them - what is present? hunger, thirst, fatigue?
Now observe any thoughts that surface. What is there quality? distracting, fearful, hopeful? rapid, slow? Again, simply observing without judgement. If you feel you are getting caught up - go back to counting your breath.
Continue breathing and draw your awareness to your feelings. Note the tone of your emotional self today. What emotions are present - are you anxious, sad, distressed, content? Notice without needing to become attached. Notice on the inhalation and as you exhale, release.
Now that you have observed your body, your mind and your emotions - take a full inhalation and a full exhalation. Continue fully breathing and allow yourself to become more aware of your surroundings while still maintaining connection with your inner world.
What did you observe? What will you do with this inner knowing? What do you need?
Final thought
This is a long road, my friends. Please take time to attend to your needs. We cannot pour from an empty cup.
With love,
Monica