Phat

In his book 'Jewish Wisdom', Rabbi Telushkin quotes a medieval Jewish thinker called Maimonides: "No one should, by vows or oaths forbid to himself the use of things otherwise permitted". In other words if it's allowed, you shouldn't say no. Excellent, three fingers of Talisker and one of your finest cigars please. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to preach against Maimonedes, I'm fond of my vices. I like the occasional smoke and, having been raised in a Sefardi family where a meal from my grandma consisted of ful, chicken sofrito, mountains of rice and pasta, followed by a (very thorough) selection of pastries, I enjoy the occasional button-popper of a feast.

And yet as a health worker involved in the Jewish community I am unsure of my cultures' relationship with the body. I am not talking about a 'weight issue', although if I were I would for once be guaranteeing a torrent of comments! I'm not talking about trying to fit in with the Hellenistic ideals shown in every media stream in the world. I am talking about an awareness of the body as a means to achieve its full scope for spiritual and sensual awareness in the material world. But before we work out what that awareness might look, sound and feel like perhaps it is worth spending a little more time asking what it is we actually mean by 'our body'? It may seem a ridiculous question but it's one that philosophers have discussed for centuries.

This rather weighty sounding but massively interesting document explains how most Western medicine is based on one philopsophical view of the body whilst most forms of Holistic medicine take a different philosophical view. To summarize for those without the time or inclination towards words like teleological, phenomenon and depersonalization I shall  offer my own (probably biased) summary: Your body has it's own mind and is also your mind. Your emotions, experiences, identity, feelings, thoughts and preferences - from which cake to eat (first), to who to sleep with - are all literally embodied.

Another description of what bodies are comes from the Taoist roots of Chinese Medicine: humans are a microcosm of the cosmos. Because of this, the rotation of the seasons  - a movement called the 'five changes' (wu xing) - are observable through the functioning and interaction of the organs of every human being. Unsurprisingly in Taoism the ideal way of living is to be in harmony with the way, or Tao, of nature. As all good ideas are, this concept is echoed in many other traditions. A story from the Talmud (the Rabbinic commentary on the Old Testament) is told of Rabbi Hillel who leaves a House of Study to attend a bathhouse "to fulfill a religious obligation". When his students question him why attending a bathhouse is a religious obligation he responds "I, who am created in the image and likeness of God… [should] take care of my body". From this I understand that a Jewish person is obligated to care for their body because they were created in the image of G-d. So, if our body is either G-d, the entire universe, or at least our entire self, it becomes a little clearer why our relationship with it might benefit from a little more thought or at least attention. So what does it mean to take care of one's body?  

The first way of tending to the body is by using it in a socially connected and caring way. Studies have shown that giving to charity and having a harmonious social structure prolong life and increase the chance of healing from even severe injury. The foundation of inter-personal ethics in Judaism is that humans are created 'tzelem elokim', in the image of God. As such, caring towards other human beings is as welcome to the creator as prayer and study. Likewise in Taoism individual and communal health (through effective governing) find their foundation in virtue.

However, morals in Taoism are seen as a departure from virtue. The Taoist seminal text, the Tao Te Ching, says, "Manners mean loyalty and trust are thin" (Ch34). This is because in Taoism humans are created 'perfect' and unlearn that perfection when they accrete 'un-natural' ways of behaving. To me this resonates with the body's physical accretions. 'Knots' in the shoulders, or anywhere in the body, are an accretion of the muscles' waste products created by doing work; these accretions limit the movement of muscle fibres and cause pain and lack of range of movement. Likewise manners or social mores when elevated above a virtue such as compassion can stop a person's range of movement towards other people, or groups of people e.g. in London many people would not stop for someone injured on the street as 'keeping your head down' is a higher social value, historically heterosexual people must keep a distance from homosexual people, etc. This relationship between body and soul is captured in Judaism in the saying 'im ain kemach, ain torah; im ain torah, ain kemach', which means that without physical sustenance there can be no spiritual growth, and without spiritual understanding there can be no appreciation of our physical existence. 

The Islamic mystic Rumi says, “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself”. I was talking recently with a client of mine, a highly intelligent professional woman who is conversant in at least 5 spoken languages. However, if she isn't concentrating she will rock slightly on her feet when standing. She has been known to fall down stairs, smash her head getting out of cars, and has inflicted a host of other painful wounds on her self primarily from a lack of body awareness. She may simply be poorly coordinated, or even have a minor neurological problem, but what is also apparent is that she spends a lot more time communicating with the cerebral and emotional aspects of herself than she does with her physical senses. So when we take Rumi's advice and "ask all from ourself" must not the answer depend on the language we ask in? To put it another way, how do we speak body?

Speaking body means: a way of communicating with the needs of our bodies. The body is the ground upon which we experience all psychic and emotional phenomena. Elation, sadness, awe, compassion, depression, hatred, lust and love are all experienced within our bodies' nervous system. Over time habitual patterns of emotion become embedded in physical habits - the angry red face, the hunched and defensive anxious posture. These messages are manifested in the body and when attended to and integrated they can help us develop physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  Fans of Schrödinger's cat, Heisenberg and the observer effect will tell you that all the cleverest scientists these days are pretty sure that when we simply observe a thing it changes its nature. In other words there is no need to make change happen. It is unstoppable. When all you do is observe, change will happen. Simples.

To this end turn off your phone, put your tablet in stand by, unplug your pc and sit comfortably with your back in a rested position somewhere quiet and calm. Notice your breath… coming… and going. You may wonder when your breathing will deepen even further.

You can easily notice how your shoulder blades can relax and, as you become aware of your breathing becoming more natural and calm you can gently place your attention on your body.

Allow the bodies messages of cold and warmth, discomfort and comfort, tightness and looseness to enter your awareness, welcoming each like a old friend into your house. "Wassup shoulder blades, how you been?", "hi there lower back, it's been too long since we talked", "hey knees, come see my new loft extension, how's the love life?"

As each sensation enters your consciousness, you may become aware of how easy it is to simply notice and accept each in turn. Don't feel that you can't allow each one time and space to relax gently in the warm glow of your attention.

When you have spent as much time as you like spending time with each sensation you may gently return to your in breath… and to your out breath... to the awareness of your sitting position and the possibility of a nice cup of tea, or a coffee, or three fingers of Talisker.