Learning from the Wisdom of the Body
Good for the body is the work
of the body, good for the soul the work of the soul, and good for either the
work of the other. -- Henry David
Thoreau
Learning
from the Wisdom of the Body
Every time I watch it, I get goosebumps. The
one-minute "Power of One" video combines evocative visuals of people
who've impacted the world by working toward the greater good, inspiring us by
their example. Gandhi. Mother Teresa. Ruby Bridges (the first black child to
attend an all-white elementary school in 1960).
It's amazing that our interpretation of experiences
can generate such a visceral response. The fact that we get goosebumps when we
are inspired or afraid is one of many everyday indicators of just how deeply
and intricately connected our minds and bodies are. In fact, the mind and body
are an intertwined whole -- and there is great wisdom in the totality of our
mind-body experience.
There are sparks of this recognition even in the
world of technology. An increasing number of tools leverage something called
"feedback loops”. Some of these are bio-feedback devices that
work by helping us become more aware of the body, giving us real-time feedback
about physiological functions so that we can learn to consciously change them.
They've been effective in improving many conditions, including stress,
depression and even pain.
But there are even more powerful feedback loops at
work within ourselves. We are actually sub-consciously picking up on certain
internal signals that orient us toward balance and optimal well-being. It's
what, for instance, makes pregnant mothers naturally hungry for foods rich in
the specific vitamins that they need. And it's this ability that allows us to,
say, walk into a troubled meeting, and immediately sense that "the tension
in the air is so thick you can cut it with a knife."
There's a reason why we describe that tension as
being palpable enough to cut. We can physically feel it. Most of the time, we
think of the body as a mechanical system on auto-pilot, and we don't pay much
attention to it. But if we sensitize ourselves enough, we can become aware of
the body's aliveness. With every breath, the heart pumps fresh oxygen and
blood, continually rejuvenating every part of the body. We know that every cell
of our being is in flux, and a massively interdependent set of systems are at
work constantly.
But these aren't all strictly physical processes.
We perceive and interpret through our minds, which in turn affect our bodies.
The brain assembles neurohormones based on our emotional states, which get
pumped into our bloodstream. And all of our cells have receptors for these
chemicals, so we end up experiencing our mental states throughout our bodies.
Though this process is constantly at play, we can go beyond being passive
spectators to the whole phenomenon -- we can be active participants.
Think about how anger works. Let's say that my
friend is supposed to meet me somewhere, and she is late. Initially, there's a
mild feeling of annoyance. "She's always running late." That mild
annoyance triggers a subtle, unpleasant, bodily feeling. But let's say I'm not
aware of it. Beneath the surface, then, my habituated mental response kicks in,
which only increases the intensity of that bodily feeling. The mild annoyance
soon becomes full-fledged anger. So mind affects matter, which in-turn affects
the mind, forming an unconscious cycle.
The body actually reflects the mind right away and
can help lead us back to balance. Of course, it's not as simple as turning on a
switch, but with practice, this "feedback loop" can start serving us.
We can inject more choice into any situation. In every experience, we can learn
to tune back into the ongoing stream of our inner experience, remain centered
and choose our response. Even in simple things, like managing our emotional
state when a friend is late.
This feedback loop goes well beyond just improving
our physical health -- it points us to greater truths. At its core, it allows
us to tap into our inherent drive, to keep improving and learning from our
experiences, to continue evolving. The term "homo sapiens" comes from
the Latin verb sapere, which means "to taste, to be wise, to
know." Wisdom itself is defined by psychologists as
the coordination of "knowledge and experience" and "its
deliberate use to improve well being."
In fact, we are hardwired to grow in wisdom.
Actively learning from our experiences is what makes us quintessentially human,
and when this experiential learning is rooted in an integration of mind and
body, we are leveraging a natural feedback loop. By using this built-in
technology, we become better students of cause and effect, finding more and
more windows of opportunity to be aware and to make better decisions. Best of
all, this technology is a gift -- it requires no purchase, and can be activated
at any time, waking us up to our own innate wisdom.
Source: http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=273
Source: http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=273
No comments:
Post a Comment