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There is an expression in the Eastern wisdom teachings that says, "We strengthen the body to free the mind and thus polish the spirit", which is the essence of the teachings around mindfully integrating body, mind and spirit. We often forget that our first step, strengthening the body, begins with organizing and being mindful of our everyday movement.
A teacher of mine used to say, "We fight the way we live." What he meant was that if you watch the way someone moves when practicing martial arts, it can tell you a great deal about their personality and character. Someone who tends to fight close -- the glue-and-emulsion that Myamoto Musashi spoke of in Go Rin No Sho, or Book of Five Rings -- displays a willingness to engage, which, psychologically, translates into being socially and emotionally available. Someone who tends to create distance (ma in Japanese and ju in Chinese -- different than the ‘proper distance' of ma-ai or ju li) is less willing to engage and somewhat self-protectionistic, which, again psychologically, translates into being less socially and emotionally available.
Anecdotal observation bears this notion out fairly consistently, pointing to the even deeper idea about how observing the way in which we comport ourselves in our daily lives can serve us in terms of living both mindfully and authentically. Within the container of martial arts, we very often do "fight the way we live." A broader perspective on this sentiment might be that we move the way we live and we live the way that we move; something that can tell us a great deal about how we're actually living.
We hear much about mindfulness these days. Very often that mindfulness refers to things outside of ourselves and not our "selves", meaning not our physical selves. Yes, we engage in mindful walking or mindful tooth brushing, but how often do we take it one step back and think about the how of the walking or the how of the tooth brushing? This sort of self-observation, or witness consciousness, is the very foundation of this strengthening of the body -- organizing our movement -- that ultimately leads to the integration of body, mind and spirit.
We go to our strengths. If we perceive ourselves as strong, we will first move to muscle things. If we perceive ourselves as graceful, we will first move to finesse things. This tendency doesn't just speak to our physical tendencies, but our social and emotional ones, as well. A sense of strength translates to a sense of personal power, which can be either constructive or destructive, although it is still just power. A sense of grace translates into graciousness and cooperation, which also holds the potential for deception, although it is still just graciousness.
What if, in the interest of finding balance and propelling ourselves toward a higher state of being, we were to deconstruct our strengths and look to their foundations? For instance, strength in the upper body comes from the legs, from the ground. If we observe this and organize ourselves to move from the legs first, everything else becomes effortless. Just so, personal power comes from our ability to get things done. If we observe this and organize ourselves to create forward motion, things tend to just fall into place. Being mindful of the movement that precedes our movement -- whether it is the how of walking or the source of personal power - is fundamental to creating this balance and supporting our personal evolution.
In drawing the connection between our physical movement and the state of mind it both represents in the moment and suggests for the future, we create for ourselves an integrated experience of body and mind that folds back on itself. Just as two stones rolling together in a barrel polish each other to reveal the gems beneath, the spirit is revealed and similarly polished through the observation and witnessing of the self.
© 2011 Michael J. Formica, All Rights Reserved
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