It took me quite a while to change the way I related to my body, mainly because I really didn't know any better for one thing and because it was often speaking the language of pain which wasn't necessarily what I wanted to hear at any given time. Even when I did start paying attention, the very concept of being compassionately curious was completely foreign to me. The process was more about what I needed to do to get rid of pain or discomfort, not how do I embrace it, hear it and love it fully.
Over the years my relationship with this body, and indeed with everything else, has changed quite drastically. I see it as a trusted friend who will not lie to me about what is going on in the inner world. Whatever thought patterns and their associated feelings are operating in the background, they are reflected in the body, be they joyful or mournful or fearful or expansive, it's all there.
The body has a language of its own however and it is one that I am still learning to decipher on a day to day basis. Some of the messages tend to get pretty loud before I fully receive them but with persistence, patience and lots of curiosity that is not filled with presupposition, the messages do indeed manage to get through. The language is becoming more and more familiar and comfortable.
The body is an incredible tool with many uses yet we generally come to know only its grossest aspects (I don't mean yucky here). The more subtle and nuanced aspects of the body's communications are largely dismissed or unacknowledged so if there's a message it needs to get through it sometimes has to take pretty drastic measures. Noticing what is going on and making peace within before all out war breaks out is a very useful skill to learn, even if it isn't easy.
If you're wondering how to do that, might I suggest you simply start by spending a few minutes in a quiet place at least a couple of times a day to just scan the body with your awareness. When you notice any kind of sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, take a moment or two to be present to it and breathe with it and be curious about it. Keeping your awareness on the sensations you might ask if there is anything they would like you to know. If you pay very close attention instead of dismissing things, you may start noticing particular thoughts or images showing up. Be curious about that too. Are these thoughts working for you now or are they more like unresolved memories that are continually being projected onto your current life causing you to misunderstand what is happening? Is there something you need to change in your thinking or doing? Is there another way of seeing things if they are not working for you? By the way, the answer is always yes on that last one, there are myriad ways of seeing things that we have not been aware of and will only begin to see when we are willing to to go beyond what we have traditionally thought.
I've noticed this practice is very difficult for some people. There is often such a disconnect with the body that this kind of communication is inconceivable. If you sense there's something here for you though I suggest that persistence pays, you may be surprised what you start noticing and how that will change your life.Namaste
Thanks for this great essay on the body.
ReplyDeleteHere is a little blab about an exercise session.
On Wendsday my legs quietly asked me for some exercise. So I got started, and early into the exercise session my legs felt weak and shaky, they started screaming with pain. I allowed that pain to be there, and responded with increased vigour by doubling the already painfull pace. On the surface this seems like a suicide mission, but the small quiet voice can be trusted.
The pain faded away within seconds, and my body reponded by maintaing the pace of these squat exercise for another 20 min. in the zone... without effort...without pain ….I was sort of just standing back watching these legs pump iron with its own self generated enthusiasm..while I watched in wonder, and then forgot I was even doing this, and disappeared into peace. The legs kept on pumping.
After the squats I got onto an an exercise bike, I close my eyes and refused to watch a cloak. I started slowly and ramped up the burn, then ramped it down for a really good cool down period of low intensity. 30 minutes on the bike, 10 min on cool down.
This cool down period is important to prevent discomfort , most people think it is natural to be sore after exercise, attributing the soreness to “over doing it” This soreness is unnecessary. Treat the body with a long cool down session. My legs feel wonderful.