Safety

“Stability increases the feeling of safety. Instability means risk but easy mobility. Both are biologically important. Becoming addicted to one of them makes one unsafe for lack of choice.” Moshe Feldenkrais

How do find a good working balance? By examining our preferences for activity and rest, considering our comfort with state change- going from still to moving, or vice-versa. By noticing our habits and our resistances, and then using self-compassion to nurture our growth. Abrupt changes rarely work, neither does rigid refusal to participate in change.

“Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.” Zhuangzi

Bandaloop on the wall of the Salt Lake City library. See this video for more of their vertical dance exploits.

An interesting bit about safety here- they are obviously hanging a long way up. But the thing they need to pay attention to while they are out there is how they hit the wall when they swing back.

I got to take a workshop with Bandaloop, just on a climbing wall. I was in a harness, about 10 feet up and when I jumped away from the wall, the impact on return was intense. They warned me, very carefully describing the need to land mindfully. But I think my fear of falling distracted me from the more likely danger of hitting the wall too hard.

Safety is a lot of things. Our physical safety can conflict with out emotional safety. Resolving this is hard, but worthwhile. Comfort and safety are not the same, but they can overlap. If we get compulsive in pursuing or avoiding comfort, we lose some of our power to create safety.

Here’s a final thought from Bodhi Sanders, about the possible meanings of safety:

“Protecting yourself is self-defense. Protecting others is warriorship.”