Mind body interventions have been explored and practiced for thousands of years. There is good reason to believe, irrespective of scientific rationalization that such methods are a sound and effective way to achieve psychophysical harmony and equilibrium.
This article does not explore the scientific interest or evidence that mind body techniques and methods have generated over the years. Instead, we look at the common-sense, and very pragmatic reasons that have been cited in support of these practices by adherents over the millenia.
It is safe to say that most, if not all moments in our lives are spent in the search for lasting security. Whether this sense of security is achieved through feelings of say happiness or achievement or through money, relationships, food, career, acquisitions and such is not so important. What is important is to clearly see that all our lives, our primary concern is this sense of security.
What we often fail to see is that this search for lasting security is itself the source of confusion and disillusionment. The disconnect between ‘me’ and what is ‘not me’ is bound to emerge whenever we visualize something desirable, outside of ourselves. Mind body interventions practiced long ago therefore advocated that we engage in practices that help create harmony and connection not just between mind and body but between our inner universe and the cosmos outside. If we can see that there is nothing outside that is not within us, peace can come about.
Mind body interventions such as meditation, breathwork and other such practices are significantly more efficacious in reducing the discrepancy between what we are and what we want to be than say relentlessly chasing after one thing or the other. The Buddha said that this search for security in what lies in the world is the beginning of misery and that lasting happiness just simply cannot come from anything that itself is impermanent.
Take the practice of visualizing that the source of our energy lies in the lower Dantian. Dantians were zones in the body understood in traditional chinese medicine to be centers of energy. These zones were thought to be connected with energy in the wider universe and a source of health and vitality. Despite what science might say, resting your awareness in the lower dantian which is about 3 finger breadths below the navel can be remarkably rejuvenating. Why? The answer lies in the cultivation of a dynamic that doesn’t depend on circumstances. On the mind-body focus or awareness of a readily available locus within ourselves that is not just a source of energy but that elusive security that we so yearn for.
What would you rather do? Spend all your life chasing after perishable and unsatisfactory objects? Or would you choose to access, cultivate and grow with the notion that there lies within you, universal energy and complete wellbeing. Such a notion is not a matter of belief to be vetted by science, it is more a matter of cultivation and exercise. Practicing such mind body interventions obviously doesn’t do away with adversity or ill health but they can completely change your relationship with the circumstances that cause your distress. And that is true wellbeing.
With cultivation and regular practice, mind body interventions such as meditation, breathwork, Qigong, Taichi etc reinforce a sense of stability and strength that doesn’t depend on external circumstances. With a shift to a position of strength and groundedness, comes wisdom, rather than the usual frenzy of supposed deprivation. Contrary to what many believe, this position of strength and stability is not a matter of effort. The motivation to initiate and sustain any mind body practice is a function of adopting the proper perspective. A perspective that puts into focus the reality and universality of suffering. And the realization that impermanent things are invariably unreliable. With such a perspective, we stop looking for external sources of comfort. Instead we learn to and enjoy generating a sense of completeness and wholeness despite what might be going on in our lives.
Also, with such a mindset, our emphases are bound to shift and engaging in mind body interventions becomes an activity that is not just thought to be freeing but actually becomes liberating. Whether it is breathwork, meditation, movement or visualization, these exercises bring a metamorphosis in how we view ourselves. Instead of fragmentation and confusion, we can willingly and easily cultivate health, wholeness and wisdom. The real change is usually in the realm of the intangible. Our practice becomes effortless and joyful, traumatic memories dissolve, priorities shift and our readiness to embrace discomfort and even pain increases.
Mind body interventions have been practiced for thousands of years. If cultivated with the right perspective and with sincerity, they can actually be life altering, irrespective of what light science sheds on their basis. Here at breathvision, we practice a gentle and elegant form of breathwork you might want to consider trying. For more discussion on the proper cultivation of practices such as breathwork, feel free to get in touch with us.