To think that breathing is the only bodily function we need to pay attention to for good practice is a grave mistake. One of the reasons that even advanced practitioners keep on slipping into negative mental states is disregard for the body.
By Angel Roberto Puente
I follow a simple rule, “stick to what you know!”
There is a lot of good meditation information in books, videos, sanghas and with individual teachers. But I’ve never been able to fully accept any of it.
The Buddha, in the Kalama Sutta, gave the criteria for study:
“When you know for yourselves that, these qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness’ — then you should enter and remain in them.
For me the critical words in this advice are happiness and welfare. Judging by the reports I see, from even long term practitioners, and many teachers, there isn’t very much of this. What I have found lacking in most practices is the attitude towards the body. Even the generic term, Mindfulness, points away from the body.
At the other end of the spectrum, we can think of modern Hatha Yoga that makes everything about the body.
In both outlooks, all the knowledge we have about the body and its influence on mental processes and general health is tossed aside. To think that breathing is the only bodily function we need to pay attention to for good practice is a grave mistake. One of the reasons that even advanced practitioners keep on slipping into negative mental states is disregard for the body.
There is definite proof that thinking in terms of having a body and a mind is completely wrong. We are an organism, a totality. When we sit in meditation we are training all of what we are. Our attention has to reach down to the depth, to a cellular level. Instructions that say to keep attention on the tip of the nose or “to the fore” (whatever that means) alarm me.
Physical and mental health are intimately connected. We have proof that the brain, heart and stomach communicate by means of the same neurons.
That stress can affect body function causing a range of sicknesses is also a fact. “Chronic stress causes the muscles in the body to be in a more or less constant state of guardedness. When muscles are taut and tense for long periods of time, this may trigger other reactions of the body and even promote stress-related disorders.”
In the great majority of meditation systems, this reality is not part of practice. They will in passing say
“relax the body” as if this were a natural ability. Anybody that goes deep into the knowledge of relaxation techniques will be shocked by how subtle held tension can be.
Chronic stress is the norm.
Without directed training in relaxation techniques, there is no chance of detecting the held tensions in the body that, because of muscle memory, become a repository for all kinds of mental states.
For those practitioners that have their sights set on the higher insights of meditation practice, this may be bad news. The efforts at “letting go” may be impeded by the unattended grasping in the body. This is essentially what chronic stress is. It’s like bracing for the next blow to land.
There is a little known book written by Carl Albrecht (1902-1965), a German medical doctor, psychotherapist and mystic, that was recently translated. In this book, Psychology of Mystical Consciousness, there is a phrase that struck me, “Mysticism is the incoming of an ” All Encompassing” in a state of relaxed alertness.”
The relaxation technique Dr. Albrecht used to induce the” relaxed alertness” was Autogenic Training developed by I. H. Schultz in the 1920’s. By deeply relaxing the body, the mind was quieted and the subjects could report about their experiences.
There are many relaxation techniques available.
I have used combinations of them that have been highly effective in bringing awareness of held patterns of tension. Given the stressful environment in which we live, this is an ongoing battle. Many times we wake from sleep with more tension than before sleeping.
The first step I take when meditating is to deeply relax the body within the posture. Many times a 25 minute session doesn’t go beyond this initial phase, but it’s never in vain.
Awareness is always awareness, it stands on its own, not on the object it is aware of. Prioritizing the body is always the best choice for me.
The mind will naturally follow along.
Photo: Pixabay
Editor: Dana Gornall
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El amor de Ángel Roberto Puente por la investigación comenzó desde su infancia cuando desarmaba los juguetes que recibía en Navidad. Lo único que consiguió después fueron juegos de montaje. Una experiencia temprana de lo no conceptual lo llevó a un viaje para reconciliar una educación cristiana con la práctica de Zazen y los estudios de Psicología. Habiendo logrado una solución cómoda, ahora se sienta con Morning Star Zendo. Un grupo zen dirigido por un sacerdote jesuita/Roshi. Como introvertido maduro, todavía separa las cosas, y ahora los conceptos y las creencias. Check out his site here.
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