2008.09.07 01:00 – Beginning PaB exercises

Gaya stepped in for Moon at this session. Please add comments if willing.

Gaya Ethaniel: Hi Artemisia.
Artemisia Svoboda: Hi, Gaya
Artemisia Svoboda: nice to meet you
Gaya Ethaniel: Same here. Have you been here before?
Artemisia Svoboda: yes, I have been here twice
Gaya Ethaniel smiles. Ah, lovely

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Artemisia Svoboda: on Friday, several people told me about their experiences with the 9/second exercise
Gaya Ethaniel listens
Artemisia Svoboda: and I started experimenting with it too
Gaya Ethaniel nods
Gaya Ethaniel: Could you say a bit about how you have found it so far?
Artemisia Svoboda: sure
Artemisia Svoboda: I found the tip really helpful to set a timer that sounds a bell
Gaya Ethaniel smiles
Artemisia Svoboda: without it, I am not able to remember
Gaya Ethaniel: Yes I use it too

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Artemisia Svoboda: I had various emotional responses to the exercise
Artemisia Svoboda: I did it for about two hours
Artemisia Svoboda: at the beginning I was excited
Artemisia Svoboda: and I was relieved every time the timer told me to take a short break
Gaya Ethaniel: So about 8 pauses then?
Artemisia Svoboda: approximately
Gaya Ethaniel smiles
Artemisia Svoboda: But toward the end I got annoyed
Gaya Ethaniel: Ah
Artemisia Svoboda: every time the timer interrupted me
Gaya Ethaniel: Well... that's when it's time to do something else or stop
Artemisia Svoboda: maybe
Gaya Ethaniel: Forcing is not a good idea...
Artemisia Svoboda: sure
Artemisia Svoboda: but a tiny bit of force, or let's say discipline, is probably necessary to even get started
Gaya Ethaniel nods. Yes
Artemisia Svoboda: it won't do to just do the exercise at times when I feel like it would be a lovely thing to do
Gaya Ethaniel: Like one feels resistance to bow... needs to be flexible
Artemisia Svoboda: yes

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Artemisia Svoboda: so have you been practicing for a long time?
Gaya Ethaniel: Well it took a while before I started practising PaB exercises sincerely. I'd say from around middle of July.
Artemisia Svoboda: so that's about six or seven weeks
Gaya Ethaniel: Yes
Artemisia Svoboda: how was the beginning for you, and has it changed since?
Gaya Ethaniel: Like you I enjoyed having breaks and it has been changing. My overall pattern seems to be going forward and backward but less steps going backwards as I do more.
Artemisia Svoboda: ok
Artemisia Svoboda: and do you do it every day?
Gaya Ethaniel: Yes as much as possible when I'm around my computer.
Gaya Ethaniel: Also when I'm not, I ring my internal bell to do a break whenever necessary.
Gaya Ethaniel: When talking to people in some situations, I also do a kind of 9 sec before replying/speaking
Artemisia Svoboda: yeah, somebody else talked about that too
Gaya Ethaniel nods
Artemisia Svoboda: does it change the way the conversation goes noticeably, for you?
Gaya Ethaniel: Yes. Often it enables me to step aside and ponder in order to make more meaningful contribution
Artemisia Svoboda: That sounds like it's really worth trying
Artemisia Svoboda: and put aside my fear that people could be annoyed
Artemisia Svoboda: if I slow down the rhythm
Gaya Ethaniel ponders first
Gaya Ethaniel: Yes it has been useful to me. I'm not so caught up in myself with emotions running in the background. Also as you mentioned, it does slow the interaction down, giving all parties useful pauses

Then we stayed on a little, discussing generalities about SL, including interesting places visit.