Coming Home to the Body,
An essay by Maggie Stevens.
Have you ever driven to and arrived at a destination with no recollection of the trip?
Watched the weather report only to realize you don't remember what tomorrow's forecast is?
Eaten an entire bag of chips,
Cookies,
Or whatever,
Only to be surprised that you reached the bottom of the bag?
If you are in human form,
No doubt you can answer yes to at least one of those.
If you are feline or canine form,
You would not be reading this,
And so you would take the sensible alternative of napping.
Actually,
We can learn a lot from our animal companions.
When they get up,
They stretch.
When they're thirsty,
They drink.
When they're tired,
They rest.
We humans,
On the other hand,
Jump out of bed and then wonder why we're dizzy or our back is sore.
We feel tired or drawn,
And then remember we haven't had any water to drink and it's two in the afternoon.
We push ourselves to complete all our tasks on the to-do list,
But then we feel tired and grouchy.
Our big brains don't always seem like they're that much of a benefit,
Do they?
I must respectfully disagree with America's preeminent inventor,
Thomas Edison,
Who stated the chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.
While the brain and the mind,
And we'll save a discussion of that dichotomy for another day,
While they are valuable in helping us pay our bills,
Remember our partner's birthday,
And plan the next vacation,
They can also be exceptionally unhelpful.
The mind loves to live in the future,
Planning for every possibility,
Including the reasonable and the far-fetched.
It can imagine every possible disaster is right around the corner.
The mind also loves to dwell in the past.
Sometimes it likes to remember pleasant things,
Like our toddler's belly laugh,
Or yesterday's exquisite sunset.
However,
It is more likely to perseverate on the unskillful remark we made at dinner,
Or all the ways it deems that we fall short.
The author Robin Sharma wrote,
The mind is a wonderful servant,
But a terrible master.
The body,
The quiet presence,
Also has something to offer.
It has its own form of wisdom that it is continually trying to share,
If we just listen.
Our stomachs growl when they're empty.
Our mouths get dry when we need a drink.
We yawn when we're tired.
Most of our animal cousins listen to their bodies and their needs.
Our intuition is most often felt through our bodies.
Ever made a gut decision?
Our bodies signals the brain when it is uncomfortable with a situation.
Our breath gets shallow.
Our stomach may twist,
And our hands may become sweaty.
Our bodies are trying to get our brain's attention.
Hey,
Pay attention.
This doesn't feel safe.
The body also tries to care for the brain.
Our body wants us to go for a walk on a path under the trees.
The Japanese call this shinrin-yoku,
Translated as forest bathing.
Dr.
Shawn Armand says that forest bathing is part of the Japanese preventative care system because it has shown benefits to physical,
Social,
And emotional health.
Research shows that walking and looking at nature isn't just good for our cardiovascular system.
It can also improve our working memory and attention span.
Our bodies live only in the present while our brains buzz off to the future or the past.
So we might train our brain to practice what we so often command our canine friends to do,
Sit,
Stay.
And if you can't do that,
Try taking it for a walk.
Thank you for listening to this talk.
I wish you well as you walk your path.
May you be surrounded by Metta.
May you be safe and protected.
May you be peaceful and content.
May you be healthy and resilient.
May you live with ease.
