If, under some bizarre circumstances, I was paid every time I heard [or said] the phrase “body & mind” or “mind/body” or “body-mind union/continuum/dichotomy” whatever, I would own these here Internets. Now, mind you I’m in the line of work where that kind of thing comes up a lot, and not for nothing: those are two huge aspects of our human experience, and both the M and the B tend to chatter on an awful lot, often at each other’s metaphorical throats. The body generally wants to sleep, with breaks for eating, and more sleep. As John Friend says, the body’s favourite pose is Savasana! The mind…well, the mind has a bad rep in yoga anyway, undeserved IMHO, but I think it’s generally acknowledged that the mind does tend to go on a little LONG.

Some people have their epic M/B battle in asana class, when the going gets a bit rough; my inner Vietnam actually takes place at home before class begins, where I debate the merits of practice.

B: I don’t feel too bad. I’m a little hungry, actually. Do we still have any of those Fiesta Lime rice chips?

M: Only 41, you lazy sack. Now let’s do the math. I had a good vigorous practice yesterday and a sort of mellow one the day before, which makes for really only like a practice and a half over a 2 day period which isn’t really ENOUGH…and what kind of teacher would I be if I couldn’t motivate myself to get on the mat…but aren’t I just guilting myself into practice? Is that a wholesome and honest reason to engage in this noble art?

B: Yes, you’re just guilting yourself. Everything’s fine. Can you ask me to get those chips? I can’t get up on my own.

M: I can totally feel the tightness in my psoas on the right side. I need more Inner Spiral on the right side. It’s the idiopathic scoliosis. It causes compression in the left kidney area. Those are all facts and they’re all true. I can’t fix that here from the futon. I can’t do that here eating chips.

B: Yeah, I can feel that too but it’s no big deal…

M: YES IT IS A BIG DEAL I AM UNBALANCED I AM OUT OF CONTROL I AM FULL OF THOUGHTS AND THINGS! THOUGHTS!! SO MANY!!!!!!11!!

B: Dude…dude.

I could pretty much do this all day. Seriously, it’s like driving the Great Kia Magentis of Being with two squabbling children in the back.  So what’s the solution to letting these two clown on and on? Only one way to break the stalemate, and that is to introduce the third and most important element:

Don't make me turn this car around....

We practice because of the heart, the part of ourselves that resolves these internal battles; that gets this mind-body debate blissfully in accord. This is one of Anusara Yoga’s most central teachings, to me, and we get so involved in the intoxicating diet of either one of the Wonder Twins above that it is worth remembering: the heart is the trump suit you can play that will settle this, once and for all.

And the really groovy thing is that there is no achievement of either mind OR body that doesn’t become even more glorious, even more spectacular, when it is undertaken in the service of the heart’s kind, open sweetness. They are in no way mutually exclusive; I suspect that you can be brilliant, incisive, accurate and wise…powerful, strong, honest and earthy…and still be kind, open and sweet at the same time. Wouldn’t that be something?

No Comments »

No comments yet.

Leave a comment