What about the Mind?
One of the most common problems today is the lack of desire to move. In fact, lack of exercise is the cause of many illnesses because we only adapt a very small portion of the movement we should be doing into our daily lives. Our bodies remain inactive, and as they do, the electrical activity in the mind increases, creating excessive fatigue. Yet, we mistakenly believe it’s our bodies that are tired.
Even when I reflect on myself, I see that I used to move and dance much more, especially when I was in university and had plenty of time to create and produce. Now, with many responsibilities to manage at the same time, the time I dedicate to mental work has increased, and my body, affected by the changing conditions of the world, has forgotten its own “normal.”
When my body doesn’t want to move, I remind myself that this is an illusion created by the mind,
because the mind is incredibly persuasive. It enjoys overanalyzing, repeating, and stretching things from every angle. The mind has also developed the idea that it can solve everything through thinking, but the places we can reach through thought alone are, in fact, limited.
When I express this in social settings, I’m often met with surprise. Comments like, “What do you mean we won’t think?” or “Of course we’ll figure things out and solve problems by thinking; we’ll understand through thought.” I’ve encountered these kinds of remarks so many times that now, if I sense the person in front of me isn’t going to listen, I don’t even bother to continue the conversation. I just say, “You’re right,” and let it go, because that’s what the mind wants to hear: “You’re right.” However, the most fulfilling moments of my life have come not when I was “right,” but when I overcame or stepped aside from the limitations of my mind.
From what I’ve written so far, it might seem like I view the mind as an enemy, but I’d like to clarify that this is not the case. I am in awe of the mind—its functioning, its speed, its capabilities, its design—and I enjoy pushing the boundaries of mental flexibility. I take great pleasure in challenging my mind and engaging in intellectual discussions, but as soon as it turns into self-gratification, I step back. Nowadays, most debates are conducted from this place, and they don’t lead us to new insights or openness.
When we operate without integrating our intuition and being into the process, we act like a machine that only thinks. The concept of “coherent wholeness,” which is currently being researched, is incredibly valuable in this regard. Intelligence is not simply about how quickly the mind can access information or how well it can memorize it. Rather, intelligence is about how the mind connects this information and applies it in life, making it unique. This synthesis includes not only thinking but also our past, our experiences, our perspective on life, our relationship with emotions, how we relate to the body through which we experience the world, and much more.
Here, I like to distinguish between the mind and consciousness. Although we still don’t fully know or measure where the mind is generated, we tend to reduce it to the brain. However, I believe—and feel—that the mind flows into the body and circulates within our being. If we expand and break down the definition a bit, we can place emphasis on certain areas: we can view the mind as a product of the brain and consciousness as the unity of instincts, emotions, and the mind. Of course, based on our belief systems, we could add elements like the soul or universal connection, but for now, I see value in staying grounded in the more tangible aspects.
As I often mention in my writing and conversations, we tend to think of the spiritual journey as either training the mind or practicing silence. Yes, these are part of it, but while we are here in this world, we must make the body a part of our journey because we experience the world through our bodies.
And if we want to experience more, we must deepen in our bodies courageously, but without force.
As we deepen in the body, we expand in consciousness...