Dr. Rajesh Bhola
India
Sep 14, 2013
India
Sep 14, 2013
Due
to my close interaction on a daily basis with Cerebral Palsy-afflicted
persons, I have realized that even for a physically normal human being
it is important to have an effective synchronization between the mind
and body. Traditionally we describe a person afflicted with Cerebral
Palsy as a person with ‘an intelligent mind caught in a disobedient
body’; the body does not obey the commands given by the mind. Contrarily,
in a normal human being, the body may work normally but the mind, which
is giving the commands, may work in a perverted manner. Synchronizing
the mind and body is helpful as a technique for self-improvement. The
body is like a camera, and the mind is like the film inside the camera.
The idea is how to best use them together. When the aperture and the
shutter speed of the camera are properly set, in relation to the speed
of the film, we can take good, accurate photographs - because we have
synchronized the camera and the film. Similarly, when the mind and body are properly synchronized, we can have a clear perception – and not have any doubt or anxiety.
The
mind is the central command post for each activity in the body; a
healthy mind denotes a better functioning body and overall positive
bodily responses. Our everyday experiences tell us that it is not easy
to keep both the mind and body in sync. We are in the habit of getting
distracted. Our mind, every now and then, departs from the here and now;
when we are talking to somebody, our mind is often somewhere else. It
generally requires effort and concentration to keep the mind and body
well synchronized. If we are not able to keep the mind and body
well-tuned, we are not able to focus well on the present moment, and
things start falling apart; as a result frustration, and even a feeling
of defeat, strikes us. When our attention has separated from our body
and/or our environment – by, say, being absorbed by fear, wild hope or
fantasy - we become vulnerable. We then fail to notice or respond to our
immediate situation with any accuracy or effectiveness, and so our
troubles begin to mount. This may also be attributed to an
intra-psychic conflict; the idea that it is ‘all in our heads’, leads to
confusion and a lack of clarity on what to do and how to respond. At
any given moment many of us are stuck in our heads, disconnected from
our bodies, living a step removed from our immediate situation. Often it
also involves some kind of revenge - or whiplash – from the unconscious
mind. Because unconscious material has not been integrated into our
personality, it wrecks havoc in the form of some negative symptoms. At
times this is due to a failure in our psychological development or a
lack of personal motivation and responsibility coming from our mind.
Many fantasies and emotions assail us every moment: some are violent,
some lustful, some terrifying and some tempting. We are all afflicted by
the same mental perversions whenever we stop censoring ourselves. Not
only do we experience all these emotions, thoughts and fantasies
flooding into our minds and bodies, we also realize how they arise and
experience how insubstantial and impermanent they are.
It
is illuminating to see how the mind works, how the body gets impelled
into behaviour by the mind, how a person thus builds an unauthentic
identity of himself and how the continuing defence of this identity
enslaves and hurts us. Basically the body is the source of all our
suffering, and so the body must be overcome. In the traditional
Indian and Eastern spiritual systems, overcoming the body is attempted
through asceticism or penance. This means going against what the body
seems to want; of asserting the mind over matter. One of my colleagues
married a boy from Rajasthan. Before her marriage she was hardly
‘religious’; after her marriage she seems to be on a fast every second
day. However, modern nutritionists tell us that happiness is not going
to be achieved by torturing the body - any more than by indulging it.
Meditation helps in the synchronization of the mind with the body;
it is a method for synchronizing the body and mind in the present
moment. When the body and mind are in sync, we are naturally relaxed,
alert, open and aware, and experience the world and ourselves in a
direct, unmediated way - without conceptual filters. Let us enjoy every
moment of our lives here and now, with the body falling in line with the
mind. We should be able to feel the tenderness of the new-born
leaves on a tree, savour the sweet smell of a Champa flower and
experience the quality moments of the very early hours of the day. In
metaphysical terms, such experiences never existed in the past and nor
may they exist in the future - they exist only in the here and now. It
is this direct experience of the fullness, vitality and splendour of
life that is the gift of meditation. When the soul is peaceful and the mind is clear, the body is healthy.
Dr. Rajesh Bhola
is President of Spastic Society of Gurgaon and is working for the cause
of children with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and
multiple disabilities for more than 20 years
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