#306 Physical, Mental, Emotional, Spiritual

     Armoring is most easily noticed physically - taking on a tough, aggressive posture when frightened and hoping to intimidate potential attackers. This involves assuming a tense, physically powerful stance, with tightening of muscles - a hard external "shell" protecting our vulnerable organs eg heart. Our thoughts & attitudes tend to go right along with the physical armoring. Our mind also becomes tough, inflexible, black-or-white, no nonsense when we think we're under threat, when afraid. Rigidity is multidimensional, involving all of our aspects, body, mind, emotions, spirit - however you define the latter. Ideally, we should intentionally practice to progressively IMPROVE our flexibility, counteracting the age-related tendency towards overall rigidity. 
     Yoga is one discipline for cultivating physical (& mental) flexibility, to prepare us to undertake sitting meditation, in order to cultivate overall flexibility - body, mind, emotions, spirit. It takes long dedicated practice to soften and release the hard armor we've built up over a lifetime of fearfully guarding our self image (ego). Ancient Chinese and East Indian healing systems emphasize the critical importance of loosening and letting go of such energy blockages in every dimension of our being.
     As we continue practicing mindfulness, we realize that there are fewer and fewer clean, sharp "lines in the sand" we're able to draw between various categories. We realize that we ourselves made up these divisions, to make reality more easily comprehensible, navigable. But reality is infinitely complex, everything intimately connected and dependent on everything else. Clear-cut categories are artifacts of maturing minds.

Point Pleasant Park, Halifax, NS    March 30, 2013