{"id":37286,"date":"2025-09-30T13:18:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T05:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/?p=37286"},"modified":"2025-10-30T10:32:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T02:32:44","slug":"leaving-the-door-ajar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/leaving-the-door-ajar\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaving the Door Ajar"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Or The Dynamics of Stillness<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

An exploration of the invisible thresholds between action and non-action, inspired by the philosophy of attention.<\/p>

Leaving the door ajar is refusing to close a line of inquiry before it has whispered all its answers. For stillness is not the absence of movement, but its most subtle dynamic.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Note: I use the term \u201cline of inquiry\u201d rather than \u201cquestion\u201d to evoke its processual nature, akin to the inner movement described by awareness.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Awareness: The Gateway to Possibility<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Change does not begin with action, but with awareness. Awareness\u2014this active process of waking up to oneself, to one\u2019s patterns, to one\u2019s limits\u2014is the first step in any transformation.<\/p>

This process is often summed up by the now-popular phrase: \u201cAwareness is the first step toward change.\u201d It has become a cornerstone of psychological and personal development approaches. Yet it often implicitly suggests that change is an end in itself\u2014which narrows our choices.<\/p>

As Moshe Feldenkrais, pioneer of somatic education, put it: \u201cWe can only change what we perceive.\u201d
Before altering a movement, a habit, or a belief, we must first become aware of it\u2014like switching on a light in a dark room. This phase is not passive: it demands fine attention, judgment-free curiosity, and often the courage to see what was previously invisible. That is why awareness is not a state, but a process\u2014an inner movement.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Yet awareness does not stop there. Once the light is on, a question arises: What do we do with this clarity?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Discernment<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Once consciousness is awakened, the question becomes: \u201cIs change necessary?\u201d or \u201cMust I change?\u201d<\/p>

This process of discernment is not cold analysis, but an inner dialogue where our emotions and value systems become compasses.
Let\u2019s take a simple example: in a heated discussion, choosing not to retort with a cutting remark\u2014even if it seems justified\u2014can be an act of respect. Respect for the other (a value), but also for our own integrity (a response to fear).<\/p>

This conscious restraint is not weakness, but an affirmation of what matters more to us than a fleeting victory: preserving a respectful relationship, or simply inner peace.<\/p>

Thus, deciding not to change\u2014choosing stillness\u2014refusing to yield to an impulse, a social expectation, or an old or new habit\u2014can be an act of coherence. It is not resignation, but an active decision to remain true to what, at that moment, defines us.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Stillness as Transformative Act<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

This step of discernment is often overlooked, yet it is essential. In a society that glorifies action and productivity, pausing to evaluate can seem counter intuitive.<\/p>

Yet as Krishnamurti reminded us, \u201cEffort is resistance\u201d: forcing change misaligned with our deepest needs can create more tension than solutions.
Discernment requires listening\u2014to our body, our emotions, our environment\u2014to distinguish between external constraints and inner necessities. Sometimes, the answer is not to change. And therein lies the power of that choice.<\/p>

Deciding not to change may seem paradoxical in a culture obsessed with constant transformation. Yet this choice is itself an act of change: it shatters the illusion that change is always synonymous with positive transformation.<\/p>

In Feldenkrais, for example, we learn that true mobility often arises from conscious pauses\u2014moments when we stop struggling to better sense what is already there. Apparent stillness then becomes a form of audacity: not resignation, but a space where revelations are possible.<\/p>

It reveals that what we call \u201cstability\u201d is often a fiction\u2014a precarious balance between invisible forces. As in quantum physics, observation itself alters the observed\u2014and choosing not to act is an action in itself.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

When Non-Choice Becomes Opening<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

I think here of a Somatic Counselling case with a participant, \u201cSandra,\u201d during one of my workshops. Sandra could easily express her anger toward her mother verbally, but not physically. During our exchange, this anger transformed into a physical expression of fear\u2014one she could not put into words. It was clear she did not allow herself to express fear to her mother, nor to show aggression toward her. New doors opened for Sandra, doors that can remain ajar as long as the process of discernment stays active.<\/p>

Contrary to appearances, deciding not to change is never an end. It is a threshold. By refusing to act under the pressure of urgency, habit, or the injunction to change, we create an empty space\u2014an open space where choice can be re-examined, reimagined.<\/p>

This apparent conscious stillness is not a wall, but an ajar door: it allows us to return to the question later, with fresh perspective. Deliberate non-choice then becomes a breath in the often unconscious flow of our decisions. It dissolves the illusion of immobility by revealing that all \u201cfixity\u201d is but a temporary choice\u2014and that freedom lies precisely in this ability to revisit our certainties.<\/p>

The body knows this well: even in apparent stillness, our cells renew, our muscles micro-adjust their tone, our nervous system recalibrates endlessly. Our very breath, for instance, is already an invisible movement that traverses and transforms our body, shifting our balance\u2014standing or seated\u2014without our awareness.<\/p>

Awareness will reveal, sooner or later, that change is not an imposed option, but a present experience of life.<\/p>

The question, then, is not \u201cMust we change?\u201d but \u201cHow do we choose\u2014or not\u2014to participate in this flow?\u201d<\/p>

In the end, the question is not so much \u201cWho are we?\u201d but \u201cWhat do we do with what has shaped us?\u201d\u2014and it is in this conscious participation, in this \u201cyes\u201d as much as in this \u201cno,\u201d that our true power lies.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201cTrue freedom is the ability to say \u2018no\u2019\u2014even to oneself.\u201d <\/em><\/p>

(Inspired by Albert Camus.)<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Or The Dynamics of Stillness An exploration of the invisible thresholds between action and non-action, inspired by the philosophy of attention. Leaving the door ajar is refusing to close a line of inquiry before it has whispered all its answers. For stillness is not the absence of movement, but its most subtle dynamic. Note: I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":38765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1231,1418,1233],"tags":[1458,1651],"class_list":["post-37286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feldenkrais","category-philosophy","category-psychology","tag-awareness","tag-stillness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaikibu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}