Focus Training

I have been given the assignment to take a barefoot walk around the neighborhood with my eyes gazing down my nose looking down at the ground about a foot in front of my step. I was instructed to let my mind do whatever it please but to not let my gaze raise up for any reason.

So, I step out in the warm sun and begin my practice once I get to the sidewalk in front of the house. I drop my eyes and begin walking at a slow pace. Initially, I have a lot of resistence. My eyes seem to have a mind of their own and want to look up so badly. Not being able to see where I am walking, even though I have the sidewlak to guide me, makes me feel vunerable. This is also probably why I dodn't cross any streets but choose to just wander around the block. I notice that once I am able to stop worrying if someone is going to be walking near me, driving by, or looking at me funny, I start to feel my body a whole more. The little aches and pains that I was ignoring are now no longer staying quite. I guess when you've got things like trees and vehicles and such, it makes it a lot easier to allow your mind to wander from really being present. This is about the time I start to realize that relaxing my eyes, allowing them to kinda glaze over, seems to be a ittle bit more comfortable for me and also makes it easier to keep looking down. At this point, I have no idea just how far I've wandered from the house, and this feeling of not knowing kinda makes me feel a little uneasy. But I accept the feeling and it is quick to disolve. It's amazing how much we rely on our sight to judge space (and time) when I'm sure we could do it just fine without sight at all. So then I hear... I notice how loud it is; all the bugs and birds. I'm sure that it is normally this loud on a hot Texas summer day, but I'm assuming that because I normally am relying so much on my sight, I probably am not as perceptive or catering to my other senses (just the same as noticing how my body is feeling). So I just listen, and really get in the moment of hearing all the little and big noises. They are quite beautiful. Then I turn around and head back in the direction that I just came. Ah, and it is a nice day. Now I'm really enjoying the experience of not having to look around and all the sensations that I am getting to experience. I get to the house, and I just know that I'm here, without having to look up or anything. And as I step foot onto our sidewalk out front I decide it's alright now to let my gaze meet the house. But wow!, I am really dizzy. All the sights feel like they're rushing at me and knocking me over! lol! I actually almost fall over. After I regain my balance I go on ahead into the house.