[HealthDharma] Turning Suffering Inside Out, chapter eight, part three

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  • Kokuu
    Treeleaf Priest
    • Nov 2012
    • 6841

    [HealthDharma] Turning Suffering Inside Out, chapter eight, part three

    This week’s reading is pages 141-146 (from ‘Using Everyday Movements to Feel Your Body’ to chapter end)

    This section follows on from the body exercises that Darlene set out in this chapter, and she begins this part by saying that, despite those exercises, the most important focus is the movements we do in everyday life.

    In the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta
    (Sutta on the Four Establishments of Mindfulness) the Buddha similarly says:

    When walking, the monk discerns, ‘I am walking.’ When standing, he discerns, ‘I am standing.’ When sitting, he discerns, ‘I am sitting.’ When lying down, he discerns, ‘I am lying down.’ Or however his body is disposed, that is how he discerns it.”

    Darlene talks about how her body felt invigorated when she brought awareness and attention to a job she had at Big Sur which required a period of cleaning cabins ready for new guests (although she also reports that a friend noted her mindfulness did slow down how effectively she performed her tasks!).

    She goes on to talk about how we can use pain as a guide to working with our body, doing less of movements that hurt us, finding alternative movements that hurt less, and tending to painful areas.

    Darlene also speaks of creating a wide ‘inner landscape’ in which we integrate all that we have learned about our body from being mindful, and generating a mindset in which we undertake movement in a mindful way, including how we use our breath, in order to allow movement to happen in the best way possible for our body. She views this as something to be worked on over time.

    The focus of all of this is a ‘body first’ approach in which we do not push through pain but instead take it seriously and allow it to be a guide for how we use our body. Darlene notes that this needs to be done consistently in order to receive benefits but anytime we can use this kind of awareness is a good thing.

    For this section I would like you to pick one everyday task, such as cleaning or washing the dishes, and bring awareness to how you do it. How does it change the way you use your body and how you feel during the task and afterwards? Does it change how quickly you do things and, if so, does this matter?

    Wishing you all a healthful week.

    Gassho
    Kokuu
    ​-sattoday/lah-
  • Tairin
    Member
    • Feb 2016
    • 2818

    #2
    Thank you Kokuu

    For my everyday task I picked folding the laundry. This is usually a task I rush through so this time I took it slow and was purposeful in the way I folded and put everything away. For me it didn’t change much physically but it was interesting to focus on movements that are normally automatic.

    And as a bonus my wife appreciated me folding the laundry.


    Tairin
    Sat today and lah
    泰林 - Tai Rin - Peaceful Woods

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    • Alina
      Member
      • Jul 2023
      • 181

      #3
      I picked washing the dishes. I enjoyed it, it was relaxing, even heartwarming, to be mindful of every movement, the temperature of the water, the flow of water and soap... I feel good afterwards. I do it this way every now and then, but I am not fast at all when I do chores mindfully, I guess I just relax too much while doing it. Most days I have to do chores one after the other, in a hurry sometimes. I'd love to be able to slow down more often, but if I do, everyone goes to bed late and then the next day we are all tired...

      Darlene talks about not pushing through pain in this section, and that is something I am trying to do more often, by simply sitting or lying down even for a few minutes when I am tired. When my kids were younger I had to push through my exhaustion a lot, but now that they are a bit older and more independent I can take a little break here and there so I am not so tired every day. I feel like adding "Insta-zazen" to the day really aligns with this part of the book too.


      Gassho
      Alina
      stlah

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      • Kaitan
        Member
        • Mar 2023
        • 542

        #4
        It took me a while to get into this because I've been distracted so much this week. Finally I went back to do yoga and felt incredible, I look forward to do it more often. Partly the reason why I left it was the goal oriented intention to do yoga instead of doing it for its own sake.



        stlah, Kaitan
        Kaitan - 界探 - Realm searcher
        Formerly known as "Bernal"

        Comment

        • Kokuu
          Treeleaf Priest
          • Nov 2012
          • 6841

          #5
          For my everyday task I picked folding the laundry. This is usually a task I rush through so this time I took it slow and was purposeful in the way I folded and put everything away. For me it didn’t change much physically but it was interesting to focus on movements that are normally automatic.

          And as a bonus my wife appreciated me folding the laundry.
          Ha! That is definitely a good outcome, Tairin! And, yes, it might not change anything physical but is good to be in touch with our body when we do these everday tasks.

          Gassho
          Kokuu
          -sattoday/lah-

          Comment

          • Kokuu
            Treeleaf Priest
            • Nov 2012
            • 6841

            #6
            I picked washing the dishes. I enjoyed it, it was relaxing, even heartwarming, to be mindful of every movement, the temperature of the water, the flow of water and soap... I feel good afterwards. I do it this way every now and then, but I am not fast at all when I do chores mindfully, I guess I just relax too much while doing it. Most days I have to do chores one after the other, in a hurry sometimes. I'd love to be able to slow down more often, but if I do, everyone goes to bed late and then the next day we are all tired...

            Darlene talks about not pushing through pain in this section, and that is something I am trying to do more often, by simply sitting or lying down even for a few minutes when I am tired. When my kids were younger I had to push through my exhaustion a lot, but now that they are a bit older and more independent I can take a little break here and there so I am not so tired every day. I feel like adding "Insta-zazen" to the day really aligns with this part of the book too.
            Yes, there is a definitely a balance to be had there, between slowing down and mindfully completing tasks, and getting everything done that needs to be done. When my kids were young I found I had developed a habit of eating really fast and you will know that as a parent you are usually the one who sits down to eat last and has to be first up to gather the plates and start sorting out the kitchen. So, mindfulness and deliberately doing tasks can be a luxury at times but nice if we can find one task that we can work with like this.

            I am glad that things are a bit easier for you with your childreen getting more independent. That definitely makes a difference.

            Gassho
            Kokuu
            -sattoday/lah-

            Comment

            • Kokuu
              Treeleaf Priest
              • Nov 2012
              • 6841

              #7
              It took me a while to get into this because I've been distracted so much this week. Finally I went back to do yoga and felt incredible, I look forward to do it more often. Partly the reason why I left it was the goal oriented intention to do yoga instead of doing it for its own sake.
              Yes, that is a tricky mindset to get out of, but maybe we can approach yoga like sitting in that we just do it for its own sake, in order to get in touch with our body and mind in the here and now, even if we do find benefits.

              I am glad it felt so good!

              Gassho
              Kokuu
              -sattoday/lah-

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