While not explicitly required in the Rule of the Lindisfarne Community, practicing awareness of our embodied reality falls under a form of mindfulness. Our Abbot, Andy Fitz-Gibbon, a philosopher and taiji instructor, has written and spoken at length about the need to embrace a love of the physical body in order to create peace both within the self and with others.
While I have experimented with taiji and qigong in the past, my two most enduring body practices are walking, and yoga. I have practiced yoga in various forms for more than 25 years, and if I am away from it for a while, the return is invariably accompanied by an immediate sense within my body that this, this, is what I need to do. I began learning Kripalu Hatha yoga, a carefully balanced series of individual poses that one approached slowly, modified as needed, and came out of carefully. Then came the "flow yoga" movement, which has the benefit of moving with the breath, but which doesn't seem to stay long enough in a pose to really "feel" it.
Now I am learning the fundamentals of Iyengar, a school of yoga which my Kripalu teacher warned me against years ago! I am appreciating the return to careful preparation for a pose, and the practice of staying with it long enough to appreciate its challenges and benefits. It is a meditative practice, so creates a connection between mindfulness and meditation practices. Iyengar has its own challenges, and I'm not comfortable enough yet to do these poses on my own at home, but I hope to eventually.
Meanwhile, I walk. Whenever possible. Wherever I am. I mostly love walking in my little corner of the New Hampshire woods. Hills are challenging to some of my joints some of the time, but there are rail trails and flat stretches of road near the lake or through the woods that I can navigate with pleasure. Many of my fellow walkers are clearly out for the "exercise," pumping their arms and striding confidently along. Pain and stiffness have become my companions of late, inviting me to go slowly and savor the crisp air, the golden trees, the stretch and creak of limbs.
Thich Nhat Hanh suggests walking as though one's feet are kissing the earth. This is the kind of body practice I aspire to -- physical, spiritual, gentle, respectful.
While I have experimented with taiji and qigong in the past, my two most enduring body practices are walking, and yoga. I have practiced yoga in various forms for more than 25 years, and if I am away from it for a while, the return is invariably accompanied by an immediate sense within my body that this, this, is what I need to do. I began learning Kripalu Hatha yoga, a carefully balanced series of individual poses that one approached slowly, modified as needed, and came out of carefully. Then came the "flow yoga" movement, which has the benefit of moving with the breath, but which doesn't seem to stay long enough in a pose to really "feel" it.
Now I am learning the fundamentals of Iyengar, a school of yoga which my Kripalu teacher warned me against years ago! I am appreciating the return to careful preparation for a pose, and the practice of staying with it long enough to appreciate its challenges and benefits. It is a meditative practice, so creates a connection between mindfulness and meditation practices. Iyengar has its own challenges, and I'm not comfortable enough yet to do these poses on my own at home, but I hope to eventually.
Meanwhile, I walk. Whenever possible. Wherever I am. I mostly love walking in my little corner of the New Hampshire woods. Hills are challenging to some of my joints some of the time, but there are rail trails and flat stretches of road near the lake or through the woods that I can navigate with pleasure. Many of my fellow walkers are clearly out for the "exercise," pumping their arms and striding confidently along. Pain and stiffness have become my companions of late, inviting me to go slowly and savor the crisp air, the golden trees, the stretch and creak of limbs.
Thich Nhat Hanh suggests walking as though one's feet are kissing the earth. This is the kind of body practice I aspire to -- physical, spiritual, gentle, respectful.
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