What's on your Mind?
Winter 2022-23
What’s on your Mind?
by Alexandra Johnson, MD
Anxiety, depression, alienation, separation—all are presenting symptoms of the same diagnosis: disconnection from yourself. And unfortunately, many of the prevailing ways to manage these symptoms increase this disconnection.
Recently, something was disturbing my mind. Thoughts about this came in—uninvited—throughout the day. I became curious to see what I could do.
I remembered the Breema principle of No Judgment. To experience any of the Breema principles, the first step is to bring body and mind together. I decided that whenever the thoughts came up, I would do a Self-Breema exercise. The results weren’t immediately evident, but as I continued my experiment, a few things became clear:
No matter how much force I use, I can’t tell my mind what thoughts to have!
Those uninvited thoughts affect my emotions.
When body and mind are together, I can experience those thoughts not as a problem, but as an indicator that I am disconnected from myself.
When I connect with myself, I have more perspective on the events of my life, and what I can do to increase harmony.
The unconscious mind is just a reflection of the events of life—the way the wind ripples the surface of a pond—so we really have no control over our thoughts or feelings. But, with the support of No Judgment, actualized via Breema bodywork and Self-Breema exercises, we can begin to shift how we relate to ourselves, and choose whether our life experiences increase our unconscious reactions, or serve as a reminder to become present.
Touching the Essence in This Moment
Sit or stand comfortably.
Gently cluster the fingertips of both hands.
Cross your forearms, bringing your right hand’s clustered fingertips to hold the left side of the upper chest in the soft indentation just below the collarbone, and your left hand’s clustered fingertips to hold the right side of the upper chest. Hold very gently, just barely touching, for three breaths.
Uncross your forearms and bring your clustered fingertips to gently hold just below and behind the earlobes (in the indentations under the mastoid process of the skull), for three breaths.
Bring your clustered fingertips to gently hold on the top surface of the cheekbones just under the eyes for three breaths.
Bring your clustered fingertips to hold, even more gently this time, on your closed eyelids, for three breaths. Bring the left hand’s clustered fingertips to gently hold between your eyebrows, and your right hand’s clustered fingertips to gently hold on the midline of the forehead just below the hairline, for three breaths. The heel of your right hand rests gently on the back of your left hand’s fingers.
Open the hands and brush with both hands up the forehead, up to the crown, down the back of the neck, down the chest to the abdomen, around to the kidneys,* and down the thighs to the knees (if you’re sitting).
*If you’re standing, continue brushing down the back of the legs, to the toes and off, and gently return to an upright posture, with your arms resting at your sides.
Simple Recipes for Wellness — Herbal Gomasio
From Roxanne Caswell, Breema Instructor
Gomasio is a savory dry topping and a general tonic for many of the organ systems in the body. The additional herbs in this recipe support digestion. Gomasio can be used on grains, salads, fish and vegetables—just leave some on the table in a small bowl and experiment! Makes a great holiday gift!
Combine all, taste, and adjust if needed.
½ cup of raw, organic unhulled & toasted sesame seeds—Dry-toast seeds in skillet over medium heat until they have a nutty aroma, are golden brown, and begin to pop.
3-4 seaweed nori sheets, ground fine in a blender
Pink Himalayan salt to taste
Mix the following spices with a mortar & pestle, suribachi or spice grinder:
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp fennel seed
The First Step Toward a Balanced Life
Matthew Tousignant, M.A., CMT
In Breema, body-mind connection is the beginning. It is the first step we take toward becoming present. Our direction is to come out of the past and future and to enter the present moment. But how exactly do we do that? Simply and practically, we start by bringing the attention of the mind to be with the activity of the body. Doing this many times, we become familiar with what it means to know there is a body.
How many times have you experienced your mind lost in something that happened in the past or caught in something you anticipate in the future? How many times have you found yourself in a repetitive thought loop about an interaction or argument you had with someone? How many times have you noticed yourself judging, categorizing, or narrating your life? This is living from the conditioned mind.
When I recognize an overactive mind taking me to the past or future, draining my life energy, disturbing my emotions, tensing my body, or diluting my attention, I can always register one inhalation and one exhalation and come to the body. Taking that breath gives me a new direction. Rather than being lost in thoughts, the mind has something to do. If there is sufficient willingness and desire, I ask the mind to stay with the process of breathing.
Giving my attention to body breathing and body having weight conserves my energy. I experience the mind becoming quieter and more available, and my body becoming more relaxed. With some practice, I may even begin to notice my emotions becoming calmer. When body-mind connection becomes my foundation and my direction for life, the challenges that face me don’t seem so daunting or insurmountable. Working through obstacles and details doesn’t drain so much energy, and the rewards are much more satisfying and meaningful.
Breema’s Nine Principles of Harmony invite me to practice body-mind connection in my daily life. Anytime I remember a principle, I have an opportunity to take a step in the direction of being present. When I do, I am more connected with that which nurtures me. I am less judgmental and more grateful. I am more available to outer conditions and demands. I don’t waste as much energy and, as a result, I am less stressed and better organized to handle whatever arises. If I had one wish, it would be to make body-mind connection the first step I take in every activity in life.
Matthew holds degrees from Harvard University and the California Institute of Integral Studies. A Certified Breema Practitioner and Instructor, he currently teaches Breema extensively in the U.S. and Europe. Matthew’s body-centered therapeutic work, based out of Lambertville, New Jersey, combines the universal wisdom of Breema with a practical knowledge of psychology to connect others to their unique potential as human beings. To schedule an appointment please call 267-864-8608.
An Excerpt from Breema and the Nine Principles of Harmony by Jon Schreiber
Life is a process and it’s constantly manifesting. But we never seem to appreciate the flow of life.
We drink buttermilk and say, “I wish this were tea.” And when we drink tea, we say, “If only this were buttermilk.”
We create problems for ourselves by not being with what is. And to be with what is, we need to be present.
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