Exile’s Triumph

...poor skull attic exile…

The exile in question is our poor skull attic exile, driven out of full-possession of his/her body at adolescence. (Lost? Check out “Revolt of the Skull Attic Exile” and “Exile’s Return.”)

Mind/body unity is the natural and most healthy relationship a person can have with their own flesh. It is essentially how you were as a child. We adults are not androids carrying around our brains in a box. Pretending that we can be so divorced from our body is a sure prelude to sickness-unto-death for the mind and body.

This is not a blogger’s opinion; it is an ancient axiom of both Western and Eastern medicine.

Having previously described the school-days genesis of this split, I then recommended floating your Triplex as an easy brain-game that begins the exile’s return. Today let me offer the second of three steps to take you home again: another easy psychosomatic exercise called Midway which was previously described in “How To Go Back To Sleep.”

Rolling along  your Midway

Stretch out on your back, arms comfortably disposed, breathe normally and relax. The idea will be to trace one continuous line around your entire body, back to front, top to bottom, using a single point of sensitivity no bigger than a dime.

So become aware of — feel as a point of sensitivity — the lip-notch under your nose, then slowly and steadily move this sensitive point downward over your lips, around the curve of your chin, across the Adam’s Apple, and so on straight along the center-line of your torso. No rush, but keep the point moving and truly feel the skin.

At about three inches below your navel, pass the point of sensitivity through your body, dividing it into two points, and move these twin points in parallel at the same time lower on your upper thighs, knees, calves — keep on feeling both areas of skin simultaneously — around the heels and up over the middle toes and mounting the front of both legs.

Arriving at the pelvis, the two sensitive points merge into one and cross through your body again, and travel now up your spine, between the shoulder blades, between the twin tendons of your neck, up and over the crown of your head, down the forehead, down your nose like a drop of water running right back again to where you started at the nose-notch.

Three runs-around is a good start. Learn to do it at will.

Monkey-Brain Warning Alert!

As with Triplex, the sole obstacle to playing Midway is, not your body, but your mind itself.

Your mind is a jealous god, and more than likely you live in thrall to it. The mind has been primary in your adult life for so long, it will resent your regaining self-control by a simple act of will. Monkey-brain likes living in exile. It will actively work against your best interests since this exercise of will power proves you are not altogether or merely your mind.

First, it will tell you you are bored by Triplex or Midway. And if you think you are only your mind, you will believe it and stop playing because, after all, aren’t you, like, bored? Chuckle So it acts like a spoiled child: “This is stupid. Do something else.”

Please, don’t stop playing but be alert, or else the mind will begin slyly substituting for the actual experience only the idea or image of floating your Triplex or of tracing a point of feeling around your body. No good! This playing at playing will short-fuse the beneficent mind/body games.

So gently insist, calm your dear chattering ugly little monkey-brain, and go right on playing. What monkey-brain fears is a demotion will actually benefit your entire mind/body. Sanity is the good health of the mind just as good health is the sanity of the body.

Tomorrow! Sinking Your Weight — The third and final of the trio of mind/body-building games — never get tired standing up… And why such a neat little skill makes a big mind/body difference!