Jan 08 2009
This Body, The Buddha
As I shared in a previous post, I’ve been enjoying the book ‘After the Ecstacy, the Laundry ‘. One of the things I love about it is its emphasis on integrating the breath and the body - what the author calls ‘This body, the Buddha’- into spiritual practice; the author’s point that these things are inseparable from a spiritual life well-lived.
Many religious traditions deny or subjugate the body through practices such as fasting and celibacy - which can, of course, be very positive for spiritual growth. But when the body is ignored, it is at our own peril. We can forget to take care of our physical needs and illness and exhaustion can result.
Reading this book has come at an opportune time. These days I often override the needs of my body for more rest - say, an early night - by putting the needs of my mind first: that is, what my mind has decided I need to do to make my day worthwhile. This sees me many nights trying to keep my eyes open over a book. Other times I neglect to pack snacks and am out too long without food, which sends me into a low blood sugar loop with all the resulting irritability, tiredness and tendency to not cope as well with the demands of motherhood.
Another favourite inspirational book of mine is ‘The Power of Now ‘ by Eckhart Tolle, which, like ‘After the Ecstacy, the Laundry’ reminds us to come back to the lived reality of our present moment - not looking for some other moment, some preferable situation that only exists in our imagination, but accepting fully what is. This can be challenging when my toddler is screaming - as he was today because his hands were cold yet he refused to wear gloves (and screamed even more if I put them on), and there is nothing I can do to change the situation - or when I have moments of yearning wistfully for a life of freedom and travel. Attachment parenting is an ideal to live up to, yet sometimes mothers can be too hard on themselves for not being perfect at it - awareness of what is, and not what ’should be’ is helpful here too.
As Tolle points out, the body is a gateway to the here and now. If we keep our attention focussed on our body and breath, and what arises within that awareness, we are less likely to get caught in the traps of the mind, and how it pulls us away from accepting and even enjoying whatever is happening. Here are some of the simple everyday ways I try to keep myself rooted in my body and in the here and now:
Spending time in nature: Particularly the sea and the forest, as well as the lovely Sussex Downs in my county. I am reminded of freedom, and can slow down enough to feel a sense of peace in the here and now.
Paying attention to my breath: When I am starting to feel stressed and rushed, I try to remember to stop and consciously regulate my breath. I usually immediately notice it has become short and shallow, and sometimes I’ve even stopped breathing. Once I start to breathe more deeply, it is a cue to my body to relax, a reminder that I am safe and can be where I am, right now.
Walking. One advantage of not having a car for the past year is that I have done even more walking than usual. Brighton, luckily, is a very walk-able city (if you don’t mind all the hills), and I find walking centres me. Breathwalk is a form of Kundalini Yoga practice that integrates breathing, walking and meditation in a way that creates vitality. I have tried it a few times and found it tremendously beneficial, but even just normal everyday walking is a key to sanity for me.
And, strangely enough, simple repetitive household tasks. This is something I still have a lot of resistance to, but washing the dishes and cleaning the house can often enter me into a state of serenity, if I give enough attention to what I am doing, and don’t spin off into a mind-trip. I remember when I lived in a Buddhist community, one of my community members had a guest one day, who I came across washing the household dishes with a look of absolute joy on his face. He told me and my astonished boyfriend that he just ‘loved washing dishes’, because it was such an opportunity to be present. I thought he was a bit crazy, but I’ve had to change my tune since being a full-time mother. So much of mothering consists of repetitive tasks, particularly in the early days when nappy-changing and breastfeeding is more frequent, and you can either be bored with it or fully enter into it and regard it as a practice of presence.
