Today I am reflecting on our awareness and attitude toward the body. The Heart of February is no longer just about Valentines Day; it is the month that public health programs and the American Heart Association spotlight physical heart health, offering abundant guidance on healthy lifestyles, and reminding us that heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. We have learned a great deal about the human physical heart (including the mutual interactions of emotions and cardiac functions) in the 60 years since the first proclamation of Heart Health month in1964. Public awareness is certainly higher now, yet many, many people still struggle to care for their physical body. In view of that, I invite you to consider your awareness and attitude about spirituality and your physical body.
One of the great gifts of my years of medical education was the detailed study and hands-on examination of human bodies. I felt awe in the physical intricacies of form and exchange, of mechanics and circuitry, of differences and sameness; the impact of time, injury, microorganisms, interventions, birth and death processes, and above all healing brought new depth to my sense of Cosmic Order in the magnificence and mystery of Life. Over my years of psychiatry and spiritual counseling, I have moved and supported people through physical incapacity destructive impulses, and self-punishing rejection of their bodies. I have also been amazed by people who live with significant physical limitations, yet find peace, purpose and meaning in their lives, caring for themselves and others. I have listened to a vast array of attitudes and beliefs surrounding physicality and spirituality. These experiences helped shape my personal sense that my body is me and yet not me.
Once while spending a summer in Switzerland with my friend and teacher, U.G., I took a mountain walk with another friend, Moorty. We hiked a trail above Gstaad, along phenomenal snow capped peaks with the most clear, pure air, as we discussed the summer's dialogues. We stopped briefly at a little bistro tucked along the pines. As we walked back out into the sun, Moorty continued talking, but I no longer heard his words. My body dissolved. All that was left was the sensation of a narrow band of energy at the level of my vision. I saw the mountains, was vaguely aware of sound, but the body was absent--I was just vibrating energy and awareness. Impossible really, to describe further. I don't know how long it lasted, I imagine a few minutes. Then my physical awareness gently returned. Moorty, continuing his comments, seemed not to have noticed. I said nothing; had absolutely nothing to say. We walked the return path in silence.
It now seems to me that the body is an incredible instrument of this Life, with its own intelligence beyond our direction, although obviously, we can and do direct it in part. It is our vehicle on this Earth life, not separate and apart from a transcendent life of consciousness, which I cannot define. As such, it deserves respect, and yes, love. The renowned yoga teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar said that the body is our child, and as such it is our job to take care of it, love it, as we would care for a child and it will take care of us. He wrote: “The physical body is not only a temple for our soul, but the means by which we embark on the inward journey toward the core.” Let this last week in February bring you new understanding, love, and care for yourself as this body that has grown you and led into the world and inward. (Susan Nettleton)
for poetry: https://virginiasvoice.blogspot.com/.../05/place-to-sit.html