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60. MANAGING OUR BODY 9/16/04
“Like the human heart, the world points beyond itself to something greater and
more beautiful than its present condition. That something attracts us all, in
different ways, and leads many of us to seek transformation. Does it secretly
inform the entire evolutionary adventure? Could it be that the human heart and
the world’s heart are one in their self-surpassing? We believe that they are. As
we grow in love and strength, we become vehicles for the world’s growth. We
bring new sustenance to our families, new joy to our friends, new light to our
places of work. We enhance the physical things around us and the earth itself.”
From the preface of THE LIFE WE ARE GIVEN. By Michael Murphy and George Leonard
In terms of managing our body, as part of feeling better about ourselves our life and the world, we could look at the body not as the mundane aspect of our three in one nature but a prime barometer for how we are doing on the spiritual and mental levels.
Working with the body to keep it healthy and feeling comfortable is becoming a more efficient task as transformative information about breathing and body-work evolve. I experience this with the life affirming flow of inner and outer wisdom that flows daily from our contemporary remarkable people and past masters.
An overall theme of this blog is that we can understand and work with our bodies. We can understand more about our body by working with the expansion and contraction of our breathing and appreciating where all the joints are and how they move. We can also do a variety of classes on body to update what we understand about our body. Basically, learning to work with what ever arises in the body and trusting that some full breathing and our intuition can handle most problems we run into. Like any problem, the more we examine the problems the faster the solution comes to light. For example; if you experience some stomach or intestinal cramps touching and massage the spots that hurt while also breathing full usually releases the pain.
This counters the attitude that any somatic, or pain is a danger signal, something that is promoted over the media by the medical and pharmaceutical industries. This article on the history of the AMA from the Ludwick Von Mises website, although long, is rich in its scholarship on the subject of doctors and health.
I would like to illustrate this with a personal story that has occurred within the last week. It is about that so ‘mundane’ subject of lower back pain.
If you happen in to a chiropractor’s office and read the flier on Low Back Pain pain you will understand how pervasive and costly this is with people from age 30 and up. Lets get to a story and read about my 68 year old body and how it coped with just such an event.
Just before Labor day while putting in the wood, literally, I felt a sharp pain in my back and knew, from past experience, that this was going to take me down. I went to bed with a caster oil heat pack, a favorite of Edger Casey’s, to help the muscles of the lower back to release and reduce any spasm. After an hour I started to move around and apply the elements of alignment and breathing as I have come to understand. Walking around and working to elongate the spine with deep breathing.
Day two I awoke to severe muscle spasms when I moved and needed assistance to get on my feet. I realized I could use some help with pain pills to get me through the day, fortunately a friend had some that were strong because, the next day I was schedule to help my daughter in law move from a second floor apartment into a house 40 miles away.
The pills did a great job and though there was some pain, I had no problem moving about. I did stay in bed and rested for the next days activity. In the morning I felt the spasms, but it was time to go to work, one pain pill and I was on my way.
Day three we did the move with no problems and I actually felt strong, which was nice. I lifted, packed, pushed, placed and arranged furniture and boxes with out falling into the Peter Sellers Syndrome, which I do on occasion even when I am well. All the while feeling my body and aware of its movement. The challenge of seeing how soon I can get over this back problem started to enter. After all, winters wood needs to get in, and I am talking about 7 full cord of wood, since that is one of our primary heat sources. I also view “getting the wood in” as part of my integral transformative practices provided by mother natures kind seasonal changes.
Day four, of course the price of all the activity was to stay in bed and let the muscles of the body have a good rest. I determined to continue working with the body but I felt being dormant may be part of the program of being cat like. So resting was the particular practice, no more pills to mask what I was feeling.
Day five was Labor Day and when I got up my back felt sensitive but good and I decided that I would continue the chore of getting in the wood. About 1/2 a chord was my limit for the day with out taxing the back any more. Then the ordinary tasks of getting e-mail, downloading an interview by Ken Wilber with Deepak Chopra, preparing food and doing body work were the remainder of the day’s activity.
Day six I felt 95 percent better and got another half a chord of wood in. That is the end of what for most people can become a severe problem with many side issues and attempts to make the pain go away. I feel so fortunate to be able to manage my own body and enjoy how well it responds to the ABC’s of alignment.
The single most important
point of all of this is that I have confirmed again, for myself, how remarkable
our body really is. The need for us to honor the body and give it the attention
it is asking for when it is uncomfortable is not that complicated. Perhaps, as
simple as being in the now is, and paying attention to the messages of our body.
“As human beings, we have a
working basis within us that allows us
to uplift our state of existence and cheer up fully. Because we have a mind
and body, we can comprehend this world. Existence is wonderful and
precious. We don't know how long we will live. While we have our life, why
not make use of it? Before we even make use of it, why don't we appreciate it?”
Peace.
Posted by Harmon at September 16, 2004
Comments
Thanks
for yet another inspiring account of body management and for evoking the image
of your getting winter’s wood in!
I nod energetically to your point that pain is usually released when touching
and massaging painful spots whilst also breathing fully. A dense pain can often
become delicious when prompted to dissolve into breath at the “mere” touch of a
finger… I’d like to contribute another “point”, a master one, when “things” get
almost too much. If a pain anywhere becomes oppressive whilst there is a
compulsion to propel onwards rather than rest, I press into a point somewhere
between my 1st and 2nd lumber vertebrae, pressing and holding it for a few
seconds at a time. It’s about 3 finger widths up from the base of the spine and
is usually quite sensitive when needed. I believe it releases natural cortisone;
it seems to release something that is needed anyway. The pain often diminishes.
Whilst I can say I have not used painkillers of any sort for the past 3 years,
not all pains have dissolved quickly enough to allow a ‘getting on with it’. My
body has either signaled its willingness to open to more demands or demanded
itself, that the willful head closes its ears, eyes and mouth and comes to bed!
Good health to you all!
Dora
Posted by: Dora on September 22, 2004
Dora, thank you for commenting on this subject. Interesting point about pressing the lumbar region, I will check it out. Yes, sometimes the body does ask for complete bed rest and often will 'turn on' some problem, just to accomplish this. Again listening to the body is a wonderful grounding tool.
Posted by: Harmon on September 23, 2004
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