Conquering body, mind and spirit

Most philosophers wax eloquent on the mind. Only a few of them say anything about the body. Some have even condemned the body in no uncertain terms. Is your body something to be despised? Can there be a mind without the body? On the other hand, can there be a body without a mind? All these are somewhat baffling questions to most of us.

There seems to be some misunderstanding about the human body. As a result, most of us have an incomplete sense of our bodies. Even if we are aware of our upper bodies, we hardly talk about them. Most of us try to embellish our faces, hair and hands. We apply all kinds of cosmetics to have a better complexion. Quite unknowingly we neglect some parts of the body.

If you meditate on your own body, you will realise that some parts of your body are lifeless or cut off. You will pay attention to the heart, lungs and the liver. If you are aware of every part of your body, you are sure to reawaken your senses. But how many of us care to do so?

Meditation

Those who regularly meditate on matters mundane will soon realise that at the end of each session of meditation, their mind and body will begin to act in harmony. The more you think of your body, the more you will come to know who you are and what you feel. This is the reward you get when you think of your own body.

Knowing your own body well is like knowing the functioning of your car. When you pay attention to all the parts, exposed or unexposed, you begin a new journey. For instance,a paralytic who finds it difficult to use one of his hands or legs effectively should not despair. He should try to use the partly paralysed limb to do something useful. There is this story of a man who was partially paralysed learning to play the violin. At first he could not move his fingers in the right way. But he made a concerted attempt. Gradually he began to play the instrument well using his partly paralysed fingers.

Your body speaks silently. If you understand its language, you can stay relaxed. Unfortunately, we think of our body only when something goes wrong. For instance, you never think of your leg until it begins to hurt. When your attention on your body fades away, you begin to suffer from many illnesses. It is like neglecting your spouse or child. When you neglect them they begin to give you trouble.

Body signals

Those who have a constant dialogue with their own bodies will eventually feel that nothing goes wrong. If you respond to the signals your body sends out, you will enjoy unlimited happiness. Doctors and psychologists have stressed the importance of stress management and nutrition. So, we go to the gym to revitalise our body. But that alone is insufficient. We must speak to our body and understand it. Most of the exercises we do have little impact on our body awareness.

To lead a well-balanced life we need to integrate the mind, body and spirit. Each of them can help us to make a deeper contact with ourselves. When this happens our stress and tension would ease without the aid of any medication.

The stiffness of the body is something we acquire as we grow old. As children our bodies were supple. We ran along roads, jumped over fences and danced to our heart's content. However, education and modern civilisation have made us stiff and devoid of emotion. We do not have the capacity to laugh when somebody cracks a joke. We refuse to cry when somebody dies. As adults we suppress all our feelings and fall sick bodily and mentally.

Alienation

As we grow up we begin to alienate ourselves from our body. Then we begin to compare ourselves with others, mostly those younger to us. We feel unhappy with our own body. Grey hair, wrinkles and loss of teeth make us feel awkward. We begin to neglect the body and sometimes hate it leading to inner hollowness. When we do not think well of our body it begins to tense up and stiffen. Our natural graces and movements disappear quickly. And we end up as nervous wrecks.

It is high time that we paid less attention to the duality of mind and body. Biologically there is no division between the two entities. Although certain religions pay more attention to the mind, yoga has encompassed the body, mind and spirit. It teaches us to live in harmony with nature. In reality, these three elements cannot be separated.

As Lucy Lidell says, "The more in touch we become with ourselves, the more we can come in touch with the reality and experience of the world around us. Once we begin to inhabit our bodies, then we can begin truly to inhabit this planet in which we live." When we are not united in body, mind and spirit, we begin to behave like robots. The divisions and fragmentations of the human community in the world show how we are alienated from our own selves.