What are we? Consciousness, mind, human, mystery? Whatever we are, most of us will benefit from cultivating a resilient sensitivity in what we call ‘the body’.

This article will show why that may be the case and provide some tools for the journey into greater intimacy between mind and body.

From the ancient Greeks we inherit the maxim ‘know thyself’. It is perhaps the most succinct and holy directive to reach us in the form of language. However, for many of us the word ‘know’ is largely restricted to the thinking mind, as in ‘Do you know what time the bus comes?’ or ‘I know how to peel a banana’.  

Yet there is another knowing – knowing what is occurring in the body. Why is this important? Firstly, because many of life’s greatest treasures bloom in the physical – sports, love-making, forest-walking, swimming, dancing, singing and so on. A strong relationship with the body will likely deepen the pleasure and profundity of these activities. The great american mystic Joseph Campbell talks of how every ‘peak experience’ he had came through athletics. 

Expanding the conscious territory of your nervous system may allow you to move with increased harmony, grace and power.  Equally, a gorgeous forest can be unseen by the walker lost in thought. How many times I was so lost in the application of ‘spiritual’ techniques that I missed the scenery! Now, with a more attuned body and receptive intention I sometimes feel waves of nourishment from the light and form of meadow flowers. As for singing and dancing – keep these tools nearby!

Gabrielle Roth reports four questions a shaman would ask someone presenting with depression:

When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?

All of these relate to the body. Dancing,  aside from its myriad other benefits, can perhaps more easily become a channel for divine expression in a body which has been self-integrated and harmonized.  Singing, at least in my experience, feels more true when it arises from the whole body, the whole system. And who is most enchanted by stories?  Children. Why?  Because they do not labour in analysis or judgement. With their attuned, relaxed physiologies, they are open to the magic and power of myth.

From the Tao Te Ching:   

Long and short define each other.  High and low depend on each other. 

To this, I add: movement and stillness create each other. To find stillness – particularly when the mind is racing and emotions are disturbed – try moving the body first, that its aliveness and intelligence may lead you into this sweet territory of silence. 

In terms of daily life, greater communication between body and mind is of tremendous benefit. There are always sensations arising within our personal ecology; whether we are communicating with other humans, experiencing events or trying to choose how to live, the body provides a rich stream of feedback. This, like many forgotten subtleties, is encoded in our language. We speak of a broken heart and gut instinct etc. What I propose is consciously developing our relationship to this inner guidance system.

As Lao Tse has said: 

Can you let your body become supple as a newborn child’s?  

We may approach this from the physical, anatomical viewpoint – feeling for and developing the communicative capacity of our autonomic nervous systems, organs and bones – indeed, of every living cell. If this way is resonant for you, I suggest trying to strengthen the lines of communication between the three centres – sacral, heart and brain – to the rest of the body. You could also explore this through a holographic lens, in which each part of the body (however large or minuscule) contains, affects and is affected by the whole.  

I say, we cannot know ourselves without opening to the vast intelligence woven through our physiology. This is also important in terms of cultivating maximum health: when I can feel my body, its digestive organs and salivary glands; when I can accurately perceive the effects certain foods have on my experience; when I listen to the subtle, yet persistent guidance available to me by simply looking within – I can then make better choices around what and how to eat.

A sensitive, resilient nervous system may also improve empathic  listening.  A friend in need will likely derive more benefit from meeting your attuned, steady physiology and warm presence than from any advice or altruism. The development of our bodies as instruments of perception is already occurring. These words, and our attention, are a part of that. Yet, if we want to support or direct the process, perhaps we could do so with a strong intention, supported by love.

It may be of benefit to explore some relevant disciplines like qi gong, expressive dance,  martial arts, yoga – there are many others – remembering that no teacher can feel for you.  Set your own priorities and determine the personal practices which best support your unique gift to our world.