Developing Conscious Control

Introduction

Let me start by introducing you to the idea managing your Awareness and Attention.

Awareness : Awareness is what you are noticing in any given moment. ?Awareness can be expanded or contracted.

Attention : Attention is what you choose to prioritise or focus on in that given moment.? Attention can be increased or decreased (fixed or released) on whatever has taken priority. ?

So, currently, you're reading this text: ?You're aware of the screen, ?what I've written and I bet the screen has ALL your attention. ?Screens are very good at grabbing our attention!

Your awareness has shrunk and your attention on the screen has increased and is FIXED. ??

But conversely, when you're on a mountain top, your awareness expands and your attention is no longer FIXED. ?It isn't being grabbed by one thing but is moving freely from one thing - a bird, cloud, gust of wind etc.

But what's the point of Expanding your Awareness?

We all live busy lives; we're swamped with emails, reminders, alerts, deadlines, lists of chores - things that are grabbing our attention - things that are shrinking our awareness.

We're over-stimulated, over-stressed. ?We don't have time or space to think for ourselves. ?

For me an Conscious Control gives me the chance to get out of my 'busy head', become aware of everything around me and take a breath. It's like having a 'Pause' button for life - No mountain tops required.

So, how does this relate to swimming?

In any moment of Conscious Control, there's a moment.?

A chance to change a habit...or a limiting belief....a swimming habit or a swimming limiting belief.?

You then notice what is grabbing ALL your attention - a deadline, a chore, a swimming target, an annoying swim lane hogger or a nagging ache.?

You can then adjust how much attention you want to give and see what else might need your attention.

Managing my attention whilst maintaining an expanded awareness is a skill that I learnt to develop as part of my unconventional Alexander Technique training at the Southbank Alexander Centre ?

It's something that I incorporated into my swimming and so I included it in the Intuitive Swimming Method course.

Think of it as Expanding Your Awareness.

Experiment:

What if you could expand your awareness whilst reading this blog?

Can you include the sounds around you (maybe music in the background) and the seat that you're sitting on? What about the contact of your feet on the floor?

Does anything change for you?! ?

Experiment:

What if you could adjust how much attention this text requires?

Do you need to focus on the text as hard as usual??

Can you soften your eyes?

Does anything change for you?! ?

Experiment:

Can you notice the edge of the laptop screen whilst still reading this text?

Can you include the space behind the laptop?

Does anything change for you?! ?

If so, it might have only changed for a moment but that's a start...

If not, then maybe you could experiment with these ideas?

Experiment:

Maybe you could experiment in the water? ?

Ask yourself: ?

What are you aware of when you swim?

Can you expand your awareness of the water around you? ?

• The contact points of different parts of your body and the water
• The noise of the arm entry ?
• The splash
• The smell of chlorine

What is grabbing all your attention?

• Your inner monologue?

I write about these Awareness and Attention skills in every experiment within the Intuitive Swimming Method programme.?

Instead of concentrating, focusing,trying hard or daydreaming, I encourage you to notice where your awareness is and what you are paying attention to.

From there, you will be able to use your awareness and tailor your level of attention to bring about learning and change -? A change to your thinking process, moment to moment, in and out of the water.

#expandingawareness #eyesopenmindfulness #beginnersmind

Simon Holliday Matthew Davies