The Six Basic Exercises

In Ancient Greece, Plato spoke of the soul as a chariot driven by the three horses of thinking, feeling, and willing. Becoming a true philosopher demanded the student learn to control these horses. Thereby, the individual, and not the horses, could drive the chariot where he or she wanted it to go. This need is as relevant today as it was then.

Have you ever been driven by your thoughts, feelings, or impulses in ways that didn’t turn out so well? If yes, this post is for you, and we will develop these themes in our Parent Webinar Series. Everyone raising human beings and/or becoming a free human being ought pay heed. 2000 years after Plato, Rudolf Steiner picked this thread of Plato’s work and elaborated the Six Basic Exercises to help the freedom seeker attain it. In short, the exercises are:

1. Control of thinking
2. Control of will
3. Control of feeling
4. Positivity/Non-criticism
5. Openness to new experiences
6. Inner harmony

This will be the first of several posts about this. First, however, let’s talk about why this matters. It’s not just so we can respond better when our children or students push our buttons, although that is important. It’s also because what teaches our children most is who we are, and that depends on how much of ourselves we have mastered. These exercises are easy to incorporate into the daily rhythm of busy people. Although not necessarily easy to master, they do provide benefits that will practically and systematically lead you into more effective teaching, parenting, and living. Let’s get started.

See our next post on this topic, Control of Thought.