Nature of the Mind and Body
A short piece of writing from Sensei Ray Carbullido
To some, discussing the “Nature of the Mind and Body” may sound like a purely philosophical discussion. Yet trying to understand it and then actually work to align the mind and body is essential for well-being (good health) and essential for timely and effective rehabilitation – which is what Balance Performance is all about. Ray Carbullido is returning to London in June, including a workshop to be taught at Balance Performance to explore the alignment and integrity of mind and body in depth. The blog post below is from www.raycarbullido.com , it begins to answer the question “How do we calibrate things so that the mind and body work together?”
Nature of the Mind and Body by Ray Carbullido, April 17 2018.
“The body and the mind both have a deep capacity to process information. The nature of each, however, are polar opposites. The mind can process information quickly and craves/requires variety to be engaged whilst the body needs repetition for it to transfer information to muscle memory. These opposing natures lend itself to a chaotic internal environment/state.
When the mind grasps (a bit of) knowledge it wants to move on to the next thing. This can cause anxiety and frustration in the body as it (the body) does not have time to do the repetitions needed to understand the same bit of knowledge. On the flip side, when the body is in the process of doing the repetitions needed for understanding the mind tends to get bored and anxious. A feeling of frustration and resentment may also occur as the mind is constantly saying to the body, “hurry up” and the body to the mind, “wait for me”.
So how do you calibrate things so that the mind and body work together?
A good (and easy place) to start is to consciously include the body in the thinking process. For example, if you need to figure out a solution to a problem, do so whilst going for a walk or engaging some kind of physical activity. What helps tremendously is to be clear on what needs figuring out before engaging the physical activity. To be clear, this is not an escape technique. Though the mind can rest during the physical activity it needs to be open to the (likely) possibility that a solution will arise during the physical activity.
Once you get a feel of how to align nature of the mind and body, be creative in your cultivation. Seek out practices that understand and cultivate this alignment and relationship (there are many… both ancient and contemporary).
The goal is to have the mind and body work together and build a trusting and supportive relationship with each other. This lends itself to a peaceful and thriving internal environment/state. Remember, the body needs repetition so take your time and cultivate this alignment as frequently as possible.
Enjoy.”
To learn more and physically practice with Ray follow this link: Cultivating Integrity, Wellbeing and Spirituality June 15th 2018