Separating the “I” from the anxiety

As we drum, steady at about 40 beats a minute, hit the middle downbeat lowtone every beat, then get a high edge note on the upbeat in between the downbeats. You will notice the difficulty in staying steady. If you are listening to a metronome while you do this it might be very challenging. The critical mind is very active and distracts us from the steady beat. This creates anxiety which is the end result of an ancient survival imperative hardwired into our DNA; We have to be in synch with the environment in order to survive. Now slow the beat down just a tad. Turn off your metronome if you are using one. As you let the beat slow down just a little, you will feel the groove happen. This is a physical sensation but it has universal repercussions. As we settle into this laid back groove, we notice that the anxiety has dissipated somewhat. Actually, we witness that “I” is not the anxiety. Our focus is on hitting the nice downbeat groove but we witness the critical mind going through its habitual changes. We are not our critical mind.