Embodied Experience

Mind, body, and spirit as an integrated whole

There are people who are more naturally drawn to a physical way of life, for whom movement, exertion, and being generally active are second nature.

Other people might lean more easily towards intellectual pursuits, academia, or knowledge work. Others might still be drawn to exploring the spiritual path, following rituals and practices in the hope of gaining enlightenment.

“Typically [professors] live in their heads… They look upon their body as a form of transport for their heads. It’s a way of getting their head to meetings.” - Sir Ken Robinson

The human ecosystem functions as a whole; we are an integrated being. Our nervous system extends beyond the brain and spinal cord. We have neurons in our guts and hearts. The intellectual who ignores their physicality risks missing out on those moments of insight that often arise through movement. Why else did Nietzsche walk every day in the mountains of Sils Maria?

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” - Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols

Many people on the spiritual path neglect their earthly human bodies, seeking an escape from the corporeal experience. In the most extreme cases of spiritual devotion, the ascetic forgoes the material world to fully indulge the spiritual. Some sadhus or fakirs have been known to raise their arm and hold it in place, for years, until it atrophies. However, from a spiritual perspective, is the human body not divine in itself? Is the purpose of our earthly existence not to be found in experiencing the full potential of the human form? Or is it merely a temporary vessel of the soul with nothing to add to the evolution of the soul?

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” - Socrates

A life is not lived in separate parts, by denying one aspect of existence for another, but as a whole. To live a good life, one might be best served by taking an integral approach to the mind, body, and spirit. To care for the body is both divine and rational.