Learning to Love & Be Mindful With Your Body
What do most of us want? We want good health. There is little we can do if our bodies are in pain. Secondly, we want success in what we do. The third thing we want is a good relationship or love. If our relationships with others are not beautiful, there’s no way we can be happy. So, we pray that the daily contact between ourselves and others will be harmonious. Young and old, from any country in the world, most of us want these three things.
We all want to be completely healthy, but perfect health is just an idea. It’s not something that can be realized in life. The reason we are still alive is that we have been in ill health in the past and our bodies have developed immunities and resistance to certain diseases. We have all been through minor illnesses; we are constantly falling sick. Viruses and bacteria are always threatening living beings. Microscopic organisms are always present in the air, in the water, and in our food. And because we have always been surrounded and assailed by microscopic organisms, we are able to produce antibodies to defend us. Because we have been sick, we are able to protect ourselves and continue to live.
Without sickness, there is no health.
We will begin with an awareness of your body and eventually, we will move on to your feelings, your relationships, and your spirit. Without a doubt, as you begin to focus on these different aspects of your life, you will learn a great deal more about yourself than you ever dreamed. Your ability to love yourself will be different. Your ability to love others will be different. Your priorities will be different. Your spirit will be different. Please remember that all healing is based on our decision to stop, to calm, and to rest.
Please don’t confuse the word healing with the word “cure”. No matter what the outcome of treatment, there can be healing in your heart, in your mind, and in your spirit...no matter what happens in your body.
The capacity to practice stopping, calming, and resting are the precursors to healing. It is impossible for us to heal if we keep the typical frantic pace that most of us live. It is possible to have internal peace, regardless of life’s circumstances, depending on our ability to slow down. Once we’re able to get out of the race-for-time, by allowing ourselves the opportunity to rest, we are more able to...heal and transform
All pain and suffering give us the opportunity to take a different view of life and reassess... what is the most important thing. So often, we say we think love and peace of mind are the most important things. So often, the way we live our lives reflects something very different.
Getting to know your body is one of the most important things you can do to promote a sense of calming and resting. Having the capacity to know where you’re holding tension, where you’re tight...where you hold sadness or anger...is a tool you can use to relax and let go as you go through your treatment... and long after.
The way to create peace and stability is to be exquisitely in tune with the body in the midst of your present circumstances. We need to learn how to slow down, to return to our bodies, to start being mindful by being aware of our body...and the simple experience of being in our bodies to truly appreciate our bodies because everything ..every joy, as well as every pain... but anything we can experience in this life is through the body and the body’s senses. That deep appreciation can only occur by being mindful of the body.
Our bodies have become objects to us. We look and we like... or we don’t like it. We use them to create an effect....a self-image...to get a response from somebody else. We look at our bodies with judgment and manipulation. We abuse our bodies to gain things...by the way we consume. We use our bodies to get happiness. We deprive our bodies of sleep, rest, the proper nutrition. We abuse a great gift that has been given to us.
Being aware of the body helps bring us to the present moment. Your eyes only see what is happening in the here and now. Your ears only hear what is going on right now. Learning how to pay attention to your body is learning how to offer your body love. Loving the body can bring you peace in the midst of the upheaval that occurs during cancer treatment.