Make Your Hands Magical Part III
Using the tools discussed previously HERE and HERE, constrast is where the magic happens.
By using all of the hand manipulation tools available to you, you can create a wide variety of contrasting sensations.
This allow you to feel a LOT more sensations than you normally would, as well as learn how to differentiate what you’re feeling. It helps you tune in.
As a start, the nature of the contrast doesn’t really matter.
All that matters is that you’re swimming with one type of surface area on one hand and a different type on the other hand.
Keep it simple to start, and you can get fancier as you get more experienced.
Step 1. Simply pay attention to what you’re feeling. Imagine you’re swimming with a paddle on one hand and no paddle in the other.
They’re going to FEEL different, right?
There’s going to be different amounts of pressure and there’s going to be different distributions of pressure.
It’s definitely not going to be symmetrical.
While we used the example of swimming with one paddle, you could use any of the configurations above provided that each hand is doing something different.
It is the simultaneous contrasting sensations that really help you learn to feel differently. Because they’re happening at the same time, the contrast is immediate and significant.
The key is to really explore what you’re feeling.
NOTICE what feels different and what feels better.
Pay attention without necessarily trying to intervene or change anything.
Just observe.
Using different types of contrast can help to accelerate the process of learning to pay attention, particularly because you are creating contrast amongst the contrasts!
Novelty will always get your attention.
Take advantage of the phenomenon.
Step 2. Change what you’re feeling. After you’ve spent some time paying attention, it’s time to intervene.
Let’s use the single paddle example again.
Now, rather than just observing what you’re feeling, you’re going to try to change what you’re feeling.
You want to swim in a way that makes the pressure on your arms and hands feel as similar as possible. </