COMING BACK

The universe is dynamic; its energy is always pushing on us. As soon we are able to manage one aspect of our lives, an other challenge is offered as an opportunity to grow. Rather than hoping to remain stable once and for all, our goal is to stabilize momentarily. To clarify this, O Sensei said, „It is not that I don’t get off center. I correct so fast that no one can see me.“ The idea is to becoming skilled at coming back, not holding on. The benefit comes from developing our ability to return. The more we practice returning to center, the more we can center in everyday situation.
When we are unified and able to experience ourselves as powerful, it is sometimes frightening. Feeling powerful may become an identity crisis. There is a tendency to sabotage ourselves and move back into our old pattern because it is familiar. As appealing the idea of unification seem, being able to tolerate and embody the actual eyperience is a long term, whole-life practice.
I encourage the acceptance of longevity with this kind of practice and training. There is ntohing instantaneous about it. The insights might be instant, but there is a difference between having an insight and living an insight. If insight were enogh, than all the people who take hallucinogenic drugs or write books on personal development would be happy, together, and enlightenend. In fact they are not. Having insight does not lead to an embodied experience. In fact, it can be incredibly painful to have an insight and then have our body react in a different way. We need to recognize that conscious embodyment is a long-term prcess that is integrated into our daly lives.
Establishing a formal practice has been very helpful to me. It is formal in the sense that I practice every day, at predetermined times …..

Wendy, Palmer. The intuitive Body. Discovering the Wisdom of Conscious Embodiment and Aikido, p . 41-42.