driftfleet | (no subject)

[Following her lead, he takes a seat and looks at the candle curiously. Frankly, the last time he'd been around a candle was when he'd decided to perform a rap exorcism on his communicator to get rid of evil spirits per Davesprite's advice, which had really been more of something fun to do than an actual ceremony.

But he does take a meditation pose, since he's been practicing with Ahsoka. Most of the time he doesn't even fall asleep.]

Okay. So how should we start?

[ she hums a moment, not wanting to jump into something he can't follow, but also not wanting to question ahsoka's skills out loud. ]

How does meditation with Ahsoka usually go?

[Finn describes a very legit-sounding guided meditation intro, since Ahsoka actually does follow Jedi standards. Which I am totally not sure about, but he knows perfectly well.]

So like that?

That's a perfect start, yes. [ she offers a little shrug, part of her explanation. ] She's so fidgety when she meditates, I wasn't sure if she was encouraging you to cut corners or not.

[ there's a definite playfulness to her tone, though. just overly serious barriss teasing her friend. ]

Let's try clearing our minds together and see what direction comes to us. I have no set lesson plan here.

[Finn gets a bit of a smile.] I think trying to help other people is her way of trying to make herself do it right, too.

[And then his expression relaxes as he follows her instructions. It's not actually too hard for him to get into a meditative state most of the time - it's a milder version of that invaluable Stormtrooper skill, standing around in formation until something exciting happens or during a long speech or during transport. So clearing the mind isn't hard for him - it's whatever's supposed to happen afterward.]

[ finn probably has a point, about ahsoka, and that makes barriss smile a little as she closes her eyes and settles herself. slipping into meditation is easy for her, but she makes sure to stay aware enough of finn that she can sense him there, aware of how his own progress is doing. ]

Much like being aware of where your body is in relation to danger, being aware of the condition that your body is in is very important for a Force User. I'm sure Ahsoka's told you that one of my areas of specialty is healing and while it comes easily to me, anyone sensitive to the Living Force can learn it. [ in theory, at least. ] The basics are in being able to identify how the Force flows through every inch of yourself- and your patient. How aware of your body are you, Finn?

Aware of my body?

[His question is probably also his answer. Finn doesn't usually think of things that way, so he has to ponder it and when he answers he speaks slowly.]

Danger--when I'm fighting, I know exactly what condition I'm in. What I can do and what I can't. I get a little of it when I'm practicing, but in a real fight it's strong. I feel like I can sense every muscle I got. Is that what you mean?

That's exactly what I mean, yes. [ there's praise in her voice, just enough of it that she reminds herself of her own master. ]

What you need to be able to do is to have that awareness even when your life isn't threatened. It should be as natural to you as being able to identify your thoughts as you have them. And when you can do it to yourself, you can read another's body the same way you can read their emotions. Does that make some sense?

[Finn visibly thinks about it. You can feel like that all the time? And--in a way it makes sense that you can read another person that way, too, because he's never had a problem reading their emotions. He attributes it to learning how to tell what other Stormtroopers were feeling through their armor, but it's not entirely that. It's something he's always had, and hasn't always understood when other people didn't.

In any case, he nods slowly.]

I think so, yeah. But how?

Well, it's about as easy to describe as everything else in the Force is.

[ which is to say, not at all easy. ]

I always found it easy to start with my circulatory system. Everyone tends to be aware of their pulse, so it's simply a matter of following the path your blood takes through your body, noticing how it feels not just at the obvious places, but through to your fingertips and along your skin. [ she gestures with her hands as she says that, curling them into fists and then stretching out her fingers, palms up. ] Visualizing it can help, too.

So, not at all. [Yeah, he knows how this part goes.

But, obediently, he closes his eyes so he can visualize what she's saying. It isn't too far off from the feeling he gets sometimes when he meditates, though it's hard to capture. After a few long moments, though, he seems to relax. Finn takes a couple of deep breaths and opens his eyes, looking sharper.]

All right. I think I see what you mean. [And his eyes narrow, as if he's lost the stillness.] But it's hard to keep up. Is that something that comes with practice?

It is. Like everything else with the Force. And while it's good practice to be take time out of your meditation to focus on your body, it's admittedly easier to pay attention when there's something wrong with it. Next time you're training and you get a bruise or scrape, instead of simply ignoring, try to stop and focus on it. I know that it's tempting, even without the Force, to just walk off little injuries like that, but when you start understanding how to help those heal, you'll be much better equipped to handle bigger things.

[ something occurs to barriss as she's talking and she lets out a little laugh in spite of herself. ] Better yet, wait for the next time your master tries to walk off a turned ankle or something like that and tell her to sit down and let you look it over. Healer's orders. I don't think you'll have any trouble at all pinpointing where her injury is.

[Her recommendation surprises a laugh out of him.] I guess you really do know Ahsoka, huh? [Not that he'd ever doubted it, but the way she says "next time" implies there are some things about his teacher that just aren't going to change any time soon - and it gives him a little spark of confidence.]

But, uh, I'm not sure I get the link between visualizing something and making it heal. How does that work?

Ahsoka and I have gotten through a lot together. And she's pretty easy to learn. [ in some ways, at least. barriss has always appreciated how upfront ahsoka is, even if it's less her own way of approaching things. ]

As for healing, well... If any Healer could figure out exactly how to put it into words, I suspect all Jedi would be much better practiced at it. As it stands, there's a lot of just trying to see what feels right. [ she holds up a hand. ] Which isn't helpful, I know. The easiest things are the most logical ones- using the Force to apply pressure and stop bleeding, encouraging skin or bones to knit themselves back together quickly the same way you'd encourage a flower to blossom. Sometimes it's just a matter of thinking encouraging thoughts towards damaged tissue or trying to imagine what it feels like and how it functions when there's nothing wrong with it.

[Finn smiles.]

She's not afraid to speak her mind, anyway. And I like that.

[Trying to see what feels right. Hm. Well, he doesn't think he'd be any good at applying pressure, but thinking encouraging thoughts might be doable? Maybe.] So, what's you're saying is, say you got a torn blood vessel. You can picture how it's supposed to look when it's working, and the Force will help it remember the way it's supposed to be?