Most of the time we go through the day, through our activities, ourwork, our relationships, our conversations, and very rarely do we groundourselves in an awareness of our bodies. We are lost in ourthoughts, our feelings, our emotions, our stories, our plans.
A very simple guide or check on this state of being lost is to payattention to those times when you feel like you are rushing. Rushingdoes not have to do with speed. You can rush moving slowly, and you canrush moving quickly. We are rushing when we feel as if we are topplingforward. Our minds run ahead of ourselves; they are out there where wewant to get to, instead of being settled back in our bodies.The feeling of rushing is good feedback. Whenever we are not present,right then, in that situation, we should stop and take a few deepbreaths. Settle into the body again. Feel yourself sitting. Feel thestep ofa walk. Be in your body.
The Buddha made a very powerful statement about this: Mindfulness of thebody leads to nirvana. Such awareness is not a superficial practice.Mindfulness of the body keeps us present.
-Joseph Goldstein, Transforming the Mind, Healing the World
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Transforming the Mind, Healing the World
