Mind and body united

I got thinking about the conditions which affected the development of our brains and body for several million years.  We had to multiply and survive – hunt, gather, run away, notice, care, tolerate, accept, repeat the success, and pass the experience. We do similar things today, but we move less and eat more. I talked already about the necessity of an active lifestyle and avoiding sugar (to avoid breaking the body). Now, let’s talk about cooperation between mind and body.

All these millions of years our mental activity was focused primarily on performing the physical task at hand. But for the last few thousand years (which is just a fraction of human species timeline) our physical survival became much easier. Now we think about survival much less. Our mental activity often is not related to the physical one. What kind of physical activity performs a programmer who sits at table eight and more hours a day? Even those who make their living by physical labor allow their mind to wander when they perform the routine tasks, leaving the body in an automatic mode. 

Meanwhile, our brain is part of the body too.  It receives the signals from the body and sends the commands all the time. Our lives depended on how good is mind-body cooperation. Just try to travel through the jungles without paying attention to your body.

Nowadays, our mind and body not working in concert on the same task, as they used to do, causes a disharmony, which, in turn, brings up a sense of dissatisfaction. 

To avoid it, we must acknowledge the presence of the body. We must involve the body in our thinking. We were built this way. The body must be our friend, not the burden.

To strive for the unity of the soul and the body, to live in the moment, Buddha taught this too. Any religion or cultural tradition has a similar recommendation.

Threatened, we get focused. Our mind and body work in sync. That’s why we like to watch a movie, to listen or read a good story, especially is the plot is tight and engaging. It consumes both mind and body. This is the moment when they work in harmony. 

Peak experience triggers the same unity.  “It is even conceivable that the early origins of man’s capacity to reflect come from the painful consequences of violent emotional clashes,” Carl Jung wrote in his work Man and his Symbols.

Imagine humans in savanna a million years ago. Everything is subject to survival, whether they hunt or listen to stories sitting by the fire. What are these story about? About hunting, of course. That’s why they draw animals and hunting scenes on the walls of their caves. It makes sense to them. It is engaging.

And what makes sense in our lives? Only in the moment of focus – when mind and body are aligned – we feel there is a sense in our lives. It happens more often in childhood. In other times, we let our instincts and reflexes manage our body. Our mind only keeps a wary eye on it in order to keep it away from the extremes (if possible). At the same time, our mind is engaged in some thinking far removed from the needs of the body.

We get tired from this disconnect, feel frustration, or even sink int the darkness of depression. When we tell or hear the story, we restore the mind-body harmony, even if for a moment. A captivating plot of a movie or book can be very effective.

By being aware of the body presence and by acknowledging its equal partnership, we do not let our mind fly away in the world of fantasy, detached from the reality (and the body). The wandering mind tends to produce sad images and feelings. By the way, have you noticed that good positive thoughts invoke positive emotions and overcome discord by bringing the mind-body unity up again?

I keep my mind and body connected all the time, stimulate their cooperation. I stay aware of my surroundings and the state of my inner elephant. By doing it, I also do not allow my mind to wander aimlessly. It helps me, I think, to stay calm and even-tempered at all times, without an emotional roller coaster. Nothing irritates or frustrates me. I think I understand other people better and do not expect from them anything they cannot provide. My life feels richer, more interesting and makes more sense than before.

Even if it is my illusion, I like the result it produces.