Riding the horse body
In the past two months, I know of three people in their mid-life who literally just dropped dead. These were sportsmen, who lived healthy, active lives. One went to play squash and had a heart attack; another died while marathon swimming after a hectic flight; another one just expired after a workout, stressed out and fatigued from work, thinking that a session at the gym would help de-stress him. All who heard about their deaths were shocked at their untimely passing especially since all of them were active sportsmen and health-conscious people.
This made me start to reflect that we somehow have lost it... this connection to listening to our bodies. Since the Greeks defined the body beautiful and celebrated health, strength and fitness through their Olympic games, we, in these modern times have embraced this western concept of pushing the physical body often way beyond its endurance. Everyone who is into sports knows this. Sports, fitness, dance are the ultimate arenas where man pushes and pushes the body to achieve the extraordinary. It’s really marvelous to see the great lengths by which the physical body can be toned, honed, stretched, with speed, agility and focus. When done with care and focus, awareness of one’s level, consistency of growth through time — this process brings forth a deep connection that creates the Body-Mind intelligence. This is different from the Body pushed by the Mind (like a horse being whipped and pushed by its rider to just finish the race at all costs, despite the horse’s broken leg). The Body pushed by the Mind is a separate concept in that the Ego which rules the Mind, can often disregard the Body. Ego/Mind is about controlling the body. This isn’t all entirely bad when we need to get our bodies up and going from lethargy or when we are trying to reach a specific goal, which gives birth to the superficial will to achieve. It becomes bad when pushed to the extreme control of hurting one’s self.
Examples of this are when we are fatigued, tired and stressed and we step into as stressful a workout when the body is screaming for rest. This is tantamount to violence to one’s self. This is also the case when our bodies say we are full but the Mind is enjoying the sensual delight of food. And so we gorge until we feel sick. And so with the case where we attempt to redo our bodies’ shape through intense dieting even as we fight ulcers, headaches and migraines and dizzy spells.
I have a friend who drives himself hard at the gym to look good to attract the younger set. After every gym session, he pops pain killers galore just to get some relief from very sore and tired muscles. I often laugh at him and tell him to take it easy, breath more and stay in one’s level. Exercise is to tone the body and bring vitality in, not to just look great and svelte but to also feel healthy and energized. And its also not meant that we end up in pain pushing our bodies just because of that “perfect physical look” we aspire to have!
Body-Mind intelligence is that connection reached when the Mind and Body work together and are in union. When we move, the Body speaks to us in a thousand different ways: through sensations, impulses that arise, tight spots or rigidity that restricts us, blocks where something maybe suppressed, and opens areas that allow us to expand. Our responsibility is to bring our Mind to be conscious of these sensations, to connect once more to the body. As these arise, we can let our Mind connect to these and see what the Body is saying. But this is one of the hardest things to do since the Mind is always flying away or caught in some daydream or illusionary desire of the moment. We don’t feel our legs, thighs, shoulders, etc. we think about them. We think about our tummies, our tight shoulders. But it is a great challenge to truly be present for the Body to speak to us, and to feel it.
And so we need to begin a new relationship with the Body, coming down from riding the Body like one does a horse, but rather, become one with it. A good practice to strengthen the Body-Mind connection is to lie down and just feel the sensations that arise in the body. Listen to the breath. Stay with your natural personal rhythm of breathing to bring you deeper into the “connection experience.” Just watch whatever arises — be it a muscle twitch, a pain, a nerve’s stimulation. Keep the mind quiet by just focusing on the breath. Soon, perhaps, an emotion may arise, an understanding of situation, and for whatever else does arise, just watch and observe and connect to it. Understanding of emotional connections to physical blocks and tightness will bring about healing. Acceptance of certain physical aspects of where your body is in the present state will arise and you will be kinder to yourself. This daily practice will strengthen the connection so that when you do move into dynamic, physical sports and movement, this Body-Mind intelligence would already be active, awake, aware and can be utilized consciously to bring in more vitality, life and energy.
(I will be leading Meditation Circle classes at Chi Spa in Shangri-La Edsa Hotel Saturday afternoons of October. Log on to www.yogamanila.com for schedules and more information or call 0915-5229642.)
