The term “soft eyes” comes up in discussion of both Zen meditation and martial arts. Sometimes, practitioners describe this as “spreading out your vision,” and moving from focused foveal view and into a more relaxed view – literally, the ciliary muscles in your eyes relax, flattening the lens. This lets you take in more breadth. More distance too. But also more of everything that comes with letting go of your narrow focus. You open your gaze, you open your mind. That’s the practice, anyway.
In a darker way, the term “soft eyes” is also deeply memorable from a fourth-season episode of The Wire bearing the same title. Fans will recognize this one. First, the term surfaces as a vague piece of advice, and then later when a morbid search only bears fruit after a detective softens his gaze enough to see the big picture.
It’s telling that the metaphor for an open mind – one freed from rigidity – lives in the body. That’s because trying to think about presence is a paradox. You can think, or you can be present. But you can’t do both. I don’t think so, anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
From Aiki Comics
Minds are powerful. We can think about the past and the future with them, which is quite a trick, really. Even when doing so brings anxiety along for the ride. But right now is best experienced through sensation. Here, our bodies do the processing and our minds listen to those signals. About pressure. Or fatigue. Or springiness, stretch, temperature, relative motion, or untold other combinations of sensations. By following with the mind, instead of leading with it, we can feel the present. And through this practice, we can build a deeper vocabulary to describe what we feel when we do so.
Coming up
Tomorrow, we celebrate our new location and 18th birthday, from 11 AM to 3 PM. Come eat and/or move with us. Maybe not in that order. RSVP here.
This event has since taken place.
One of the free classes we’ll be hosting tomorrow is GIGSGO (Get in, Get Sweaty, Get Out!). We’ll also be piloting some free sessions over September. You can learn more here.
GG
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One essay a week, written by Geoff. No hype.