ost if not all people know where they live, an address, a street a number and zip or post code. It’s automatic, engrained and imprinted. Rarely do people state they don’t know, as it is one of the commonest reponses when conducting daily business. It gives legitimacy, proprierty and authority. But at MMP we say that forall people, they have two addresses, an external space or location and an internal space or location. And we seem wedded to the external.
I am reminded of a dear colleague who recounted a story to me of having run a group in one of the Community Health Centers in Melbourne, Australia where I work. As it was the first of a series of groups on stress reduction he introduced himself, explained the nature of the group, and received input from each member and at the end asked one important question. He simply asked each member to say where they lived. When this was concluded two of the group members noticed he had not said anything and they asked him where he lived. He simply stated “I live in my body.” This is a vastly underestimated and unappreciated acknowledgement of where our true home actually is. And because the body is all about feelings we can tend to reject feelings and by default therefore reject the body.
Embracing our real home can slow us down promoting a different relationship with our bodies and then our minds. It’s really that simple. And as the body is really a temple, you take it with you wherever you go, it’s always there servicing you, absolutely, totally and completely moment to moment. So look after it and it may continue to serve you well, ignore it and you may quickly become homeless and eventually destitute. Slowing down can show you where you live.
Although we actually live in our bodies, we tend to mostly live in our heads. That’s why we go so fast. Remember even though thoughts are not electrical currents, ‘electrochemical nerve impulses travel thousands of times slower than light (or electronic signals through wires). So the brain is under significant time pressure’. (Dennett, 1991, p144). It therefore tries to go as fast as possible.
KEEP ASKING THE QUESTION: WHERE DO YOU REALLY LIVE?
I am reminded of a dear colleague who recounted a story to me of having run a group in one of the Community Health Centers in Melbourne, Australia where I work. As it was the first of a series of groups on stress reduction he introduced himself, explained the nature of the group, and received input from each member and at the end asked one important question. He simply asked each member to say where they lived. When this was concluded two of the group members noticed he had not said anything and they asked him where he lived. He simply stated “I live in my body.” This is a vastly underestimated and unappreciated acknowledgement of where our true home actually is. And because the body is all about feelings we can tend to reject feelings and by default therefore reject the body.
Embracing our real home can slow us down promoting a different relationship with our bodies and then our minds. It’s really that simple. And as the body is really a temple, you take it with you wherever you go, it’s always there servicing you, absolutely, totally and completely moment to moment. So look after it and it may continue to serve you well, ignore it and you may quickly become homeless and eventually destitute. Slowing down can show you where you live.
Although we actually live in our bodies, we tend to mostly live in our heads. That’s why we go so fast. Remember even though thoughts are not electrical currents, ‘electrochemical nerve impulses travel thousands of times slower than light (or electronic signals through wires). So the brain is under significant time pressure’. (Dennett, 1991, p144). It therefore tries to go as fast as possible.
KEEP ASKING THE QUESTION: WHERE DO YOU REALLY LIVE?
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