Fourth Form of Madness

I used to think that the mind was everything. I was a real big fan of soul too. But lately I have really come to feel the wisdom of the body and its innate phenomenal wisdom. I believe in its way the body guides the mind with the willing assistance of the soul, if you let it. I used to think it was the relaxing of the mind that led to the relaxing of the body but I guess I have been converted through experience to feeling that it is the relaxing of the body that allows the mind to unwind and rest. Focussing on the breath is a good way to see this connection. By slowing and calming the breath, the mind will (eventually) follow. You can tell everything about the state of your wellbeing and mind, through your breath, a bodily function. A bodily function, that without the involvement of the mind, will still occur.

The body’s greatest guide, feelings and emotions, will tell you everything else you need to know with regards to the soul, provided you leave them at the body level. Here I am going out on a limb (hee hee) as I understand that there are many that do not believe that feelings and emotions are of the body. But try this experiment. Next time you are angry or upset, try to pay attention to what is the first thing that registers that emotion. Usually I find the first place I feel anger is in my throat when it constricts to try to stop me from saying what I really want to say or as a burning in my stomach. Later my mind comes to the party and says “Hey I’ve got a burning stomach and a tight throat I must be angry!” And with that judgement of the mind, it spins out of control into justifying and creating reasons why I have a right to feel angry etc etc until I truly believe I am angry. But you aren’t angry (so to speak), you have just thought your way there, in a way you judge yourself and justify your way there. Your body provides you with the bodily clues that something is not sitting quite right with your soul when it comes to balancing the internal world with the external reality. You could leave it at that and observe it and register the feeling/emotion on that level. It is your mind that creates the illusion around the raw feeling/emotion.

But the mind is not without her virtues. The mind is an excellent tool for solving maths problems, for preventing you from putting your hand on a hot stove or wearing a pair of jeans that are clearly to small for you but ask your mind to feel and its like asking a blind person to see. Now I know it’s popular to bag the ego but I consider the ego to be one of the greatest gifts of mind. The ego is kind of like that annoying friend that always tells you the truth and pushes you to grow even when you don’t won’t to. Even when it is spinning off the rails it is telling you the truth, showing you the areas you need to work on and with, to befriend so to speak. Embrace it, love it and learnt from it, it will guide you home. The ego will be the first to take hold of your vision for yourself and help facilitate its creation into being, and in this way it truly earns its best friend title.

Returning to the body, all one has to do to hear her wisdom is to be quiet and still by relaxing, first the body itself and then the mind. I believe yoga is one of the pinnacle practices for teaching this skill. With practice you hear through every part of the body, you feel through all nerve endings the space that is there to be filled. You feel your limits and then you feel these melt away with each breath. The mind can’t help but follow such a beautiful and wise teacher.