Exercises for the Body, Mind and Spirit, article by Aaron Hoopes, founder of Zen Yoga

The rigors of everyday living fracture our attention and disrupt our awareness. Our body becomes tired and our breathing, shallow. Our mind is scattered and concentration is poor. Our spiritual nature is blocked and remains unable to develop because body and mind are not coordinated. It is important to bring the body and mind into coordination or harmony. When the body and mind are coordinated our spiritual nature is able to expand and as it does we begin to realize that our potential is unlimited. In order to accomplish this it is important for us to practice some exercises that enable us to fix the attention of the mind to the senses and feelings of the body.

Learning to sense and feel both outer and inner sensations loosens the grip your thoughts have on you. Basically, we want to raise our consciousness from the chaos and noise of everyday life in which it is mired and anchor it in a freer and more peaceful, all-encompassing state of happiness and calm. When the mind has become calm and the body has relaxed we have created fertile ground to sow the seeds of awareness and fully realize our spirit. Letting the mind experience the feelings of the body will give us a sense of touching the essence of life in the world that is all around us and within us as well.

In essence, we want to expand the mind to fill the body, becoming aware of it as a whole. There are two ways to experience this connection. One lies in focusing the mind on the feelings of the body when reacting to a stimulus from the outside. The other is turning inwards to link the mind to our own life force.

The sensations we experience in the natural world can provide us with an excellent vehicle for expanding the mind to fill the body. What we want to do is release the mind and allow it to become completely immersed in the sensation that the body is experiencing. By putting our awareness directly into the feelings of the body, we can become part of the experience. This can be a little difficult to understand at first, but as you connect with nature in the following exercises, it should become clear and easily grasped.

Sun: On a warm, sunny day, go outside and stand in the sun.[1] Wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing. Start out for a short period of time, relaxing and soaking up the sun’s warmth and energy. Breathe slowly and deeply. Gradually bring the mind’s awareness to the body and notice the feeling of the sun on it. Feel the heat soaking into the body. Release any mental constraints impinging on your awareness and relax. Continue to breathe as you merge your mind with the sensation of the sun on various parts of your body. Feel it sink in to your forehead or the nape of your neck. Notice your skin reacting to the sensation. Try to sense the energy of the sun filling the body. Concentrate on that feeling.

Wind: Find an exposed place where a strong wind blows, such as the roof of a building, the top of a hill, or an open field. Wear comfortable clothes, warm enough so you won’t be chilled. Stand tall with your arms outstretched and let the wind wash over you. Relax and breathe deeply as the wind envelops your whole body. Bring the mind’s concentration to the feeling of the wind. Continue to breathe as you merge your mind with the sensation of the wind on your body. Feel it blow through your hair and brush across you skin. Try to sense the energy of the wind enveloping the body. Concentrate on that feeling.

Rain: On a warm rainy day, go outside. Make sure you are wearing comfortable old clothes or a swimsuit that you don’t mind getting wet. Usually, when it rains we run for cover as if the rain were some sort of corrosive substance we don’t want to touch us. Instead, this time, take a moment to let the rain fall on you. Breathe deeply and slowly as your turn your face upward and expose it to the rain as it falls. Let all other concerns go. Bring your mind’s concentration to the sensation of the rain washing over you. Continue to breathe, as you merge your mind with the sensation of the rain on your body. Feel the rivulets running off your hair onto your shoulders. Focus on each individual raindrop that falls on your outstretched hands. Try to sense the energy of the rain cleansing you. Concentrate on that feeling.

There are many other outer sensations by which we can experience the expanding of the mind. Not only rain, but any sort of immersion in water is an excellent way to practice this approach to mind expansion. At the ocean, pool, or even the bath or shower you can concentrate the mind’s awareness on the sensations you feel. Remember to breathe deeply and relax as you focus the mind’s attention on what the body is experiencing. Saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs are also ideal venues to practice Outer Sensation exercises since they take the sensations beyond the normal realm of your everyday bodily or sensory experience.[2]

While Outer Sensation is about letting the mind become immersed in the feeling of a stimulus on the body from the outside, Inner Sensation seeks to bring the mind’s attention into focus much deeper within the body. Ultimately, the idea is to try to connect the mind to the life force within. This is achieved by calming yourself enough so that you become aware of your heartbeat. Bringing the mind’s attention to one’s own heartbeat is quite difficult. Yet it is one of the most calming and profound experiences you can have. However, to achieve it, you must be able to reach a deep, calm state of relaxation.

Heartbeat: Lie down in a normal lying-down posture in a dark, silent room. There should be absolutely no chance for outside disturbance. Begin deep, abdominal breathing and relax all the tension within the body. Next, calm your thoughts by concentrating exclusively on the sound of your breathing. When you have reached a state of deep calm, slowly begin to draw your attention further into your body. Pull your awareness deeper inside until you find a point of perfect stillness. Once you have attained this stillness, gently reach out with your consciousness and feel for your heartbeat. Of course, it is easy to feel the pulse in your neck or wrist, but sensing your own heartbeat can be a little more difficult. Don’t get discouraged if you cannot sense it immediately. This exercise takes a great deal of practice. Breathe and relax. Concentrate on achieving as perfect a state of peace as possible. Gradually you should become aware of it - a steady beat that was always there in the background, yet drowned out by everything else going on in your life. Let yourself merge with the sensation of your heartbeat. Don’t try to control the pace of the beats, in fact don’t try to do anything. Instead, just let your consciousness enter into the sensation and feel yourself become your heartbeat. This can be one of the deepest spiritual experiences we are able to have, when all thoughts and stimulus have been quieted enough so you can hear and feel your own life force

These exercises focus on expanding the mind to fill the body. They give you a sense of cultivating an awareness of your existence in the world and the feeling of truly being alive. When you can reach this state you will realize that you have broken down the barriers between body and mind and allowed them to unite to manifest your spiritual nature.

[1] Prolonged exposure to the sun can have a detrimental effect on human skin. Always wear sun protection and limit exposure.

[2] Always take care to limit your time in saunas, steam rooms or spas since prolonged exposure can be dangerous.