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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 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, as long as we
let them — by neither attaching to them nor repressing them. As we see
our thoughts drift in and out, 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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