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As we move deeper
into meditation, the state of our mind expands, allowing us to create more
space within our body. Our minds and bodies are interconnected,
and the condition of one affects the condition of the other. This is why
meditation is such a powerful tool for healing the body — as powerful as
physical therapies. When our minds are cluttered with thoughts, information,
and plans, our bodies respond by trying to take action. When the body has a
clear directive from the mind, it knows what to do, but a cluttered,
unfocused mind creates a confused, tense body. Our muscles tighten, our
breath shortens, and we find ourselves feeling constricted without
necessarily knowing why. When we sit down to meditate, we let our
bodies know that it is okay to be still and rest. This is a clear directive
from the mind, and the body knows exactly how to respond. Thus, at the very
beginning, we have created a sense of clarity for the body and the mind. As
we move deeper into meditation, the state of our mind reveals itself, and we
have the opportunity to consciously decide to settle it. A meditation teacher
pointed out that if you put a cow in a small pen, she acts up and pushes
against the boundaries, whereas if you provide her with a large, open space,
she will peacefully graze in one spot. In the same way, our thoughts settle
down peacefully if we provide them with enough space — and our bodies follow
suit. When we settle down to examine and experience
our consciousness, we discover that there are no hard, definable edges. It is
a vast open space in which our thoughts can come and go without making waves,
as long as we let them by neither attaching to them nor repressing them. As
we see our thoughts come and go, we begin to breathe deeper and more easily,
finding that our body is more open to the breath as it relaxes along with the
mind. In this way, the space we recognize through meditation creates space in
our bodies, allowing for a feeling of lightness and rightness with the world. |
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