Your Guru The Body – Part One

Shakespeare has Hamlet say, ‘What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god—the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!’

From before conception onwards the processes of life in us are miraculous. Through all the ages, and throughout the world today, nobody has fully understood how the body does what it does. It is still largely a mystery. And life is such that should we arrive at understanding of one level of how the body grows and lives, then a huge expanse of new territory would open, virgin and unknown.

Your body and consciousness are the mystery of life. If you approach yourself in the right way, doors open within you revealing depths of experience and understanding that lead you to become more than you were. Your being is the guru who can teach you the way to realise who you are, and guide you through the inner conflicts and shadows to greater wholeness.

To meet your guru the Body, you need to start at the very beginning. You need to find the thread that will lead you out of the labyrinth of your own mind and experience.

Here, in simple stages, a way is outlined to contact your inner guru.

Step One

The steps that are going to be described are based on two basic principles or assumptions. The first is that the way our body functions when we do not interfere with it is an expression of the basic realities or Reality of life. If you can also agree that our planet and all the life on it do not exist separated from the processes of the greater cosmos, then what happens in our body is an expression of cosmic processes, the great Creative Process – the Big Bang. See Big Bang

The second principle or assumption is that, ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Mathew 18:20).

This is suggested as it has been found again and again that when two or more people work with the principles to be outlined in a sympathetic way, dimensions of experience open that are usually denied to individuals or to groups with closed minds and hearts.

In this first step we are looking for a ‘thread’. This can be likened to the thread that Ariadne gave to Theseus to guide him out of the Labyrinth. If we can grasp this thread it will prevent any stumbling about blindly trying to find ones way in this labyrinth of methods and theories. Just as the thread was given to Theseus out of Ariadne’s love. So this thread is the guide to your feelings, your intuition, and your rational thinking.

There are things you can do to help you take hold of the thread. Remember that the first principle is that the functions of your body are expressions of Reality, of the great Creative Principle. Therefore things that you sense in regard to your body, even illness, are sources of information about that Reality, and how you are relating to it.

A large percentage of your bodily functions are, however, unconscious. So in this first step the aim is to become more aware of things that lie near the surface of your awareness, but that you may not have given much attention to previously.

One of the easiest ways of doing this is to use what is called The Yawning Technique.

To do this you need an environment in which you feel at ease and can express yourself in any way without being judged, either by others or yourself. It is helpful if you can have enough space around you to easily move your arms without bumping against anything. Some people find quiet non-obtrusive music enables them to flow into what arises. Also, set aside ten or more minutes during which you can explore the technique in an unhurried way. When you are ready follow the suggestions below.

1 – Stand in your space and drop unnecessary tensions. Remind yourself that for the next few minutes you are going explore something you may not have done before. So let your body play. Drop the usual social controls we all keep our body restrained by. Let it off the lead.

2 – Open your mouth wide with head slightly dropped back and simulate yawns. I mean by this to act out the movement of yawning. As you do so notice whether a natural yawn starts to make itself felt. If it does, allow it to take over and have a really luxurious yawn. If a yawn doesn’t arise, keep making the movements until it does. Any following impulse to yawn again should be allowed.

3 – Let the yawns come one after the other if they want to. Without acting it out, let the impulse to yawn take over your body, not just your mouth and face. So if the urge to move includes the arms or elsewhere, let it happen.

4 – Give yourself over to the enjoyment of having time to really indulge your own natural feelings and body pleasure. If the yawning develops into other movements and stretches, let it. In the same way you would normally allow your body to express itself in a yawn, let it express itself in whatever other form of movement, postures or stretches arise. Maybe it will be noisy yawns, so allow whatever noises you want to make, however ‘silly’. If this flows into movements following the music, don’t hold yourself back. Or your movements might not follow the music, but have a direction of their own. This is play-time with your body, so enjoy it. You can do whatever your body wants to do.

5 – Until you feel ready to stop, simply enjoy or explore the movements and feelings that arise – even if what arises for you after the initial yawns is a desire to lie on the floor and rest. That also is you expressing your needs.

With two or three days between each session, practise this several times until you feel at ease with it.

It is very useful to keep a journal of what you experience, and any changes or new developments in what happens during these steps.

Link with Part Two