Only quite recently have I become aware that I used my mind to protect myself from letting people into my life.
I’ve been a master at saying things that I thought sounded great and really sophisticated, but they were not coming from a heartful place, rather they were designed to keep people away. In other words, I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside. It was quite ‘effective’ and very few, if any, dared to question me; which sounds quite horrible when I say it like that, but that’s how it was. It feels quite ‘yuk’ and it also leaves you in a state where you are quite lonely.
However, this is slowly changing and it feels as if I’m shifting something big here. It feels as if I’m on the cusp of a new era for me in how I relate to others.
I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.
So you could say that I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart, and the (not so funny thing actually) is that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.
It’s as if you leave for holidays and you forget that your flowers need watering and you come home and they are all not looking so great. Sorry for the dramatic picture, but that’s how it is in a way. The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself. Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff. No real joy and harmony happening there, is it?
So the heart, the precious heart, incorporates in all its humility, the whole body, which we could say is a whole body intelligence, whilst the mind brings with it a mind that is full of itself, or it could be translated to being mind-full. So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is. It could be likened to having presents on your birthday – one gives you everything you’ve ever dreamed of and beyond, and the other brings you an empty box, or at best, presents from your last birthday.
Said with a newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, which as a result, brings true intelligence. For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?
By Matts Josefsson, Student of Behavioural Science, Stockholm, Sweden
Further Reading:
Vulnerability: opening the way for healthier relationships
Learning to Find Me and Live My Life
The Body’s Intelligence
Feeling the flow of love in and out from our body is the In-breath and Out-breath of God.
I am coming to the understanding that we are vessels and that there are only two energies to align to. God and the universe – co creation or Astral – creation.
If this is true and I have been on a long journey of discovering this myself to be true then what energy are we aligning to? From the state of humanity I would say Astral – creation as we have collectively made a society that is abusive, hard, selfish, brutal, the list is long and all very unpleasant. But where has aligning to this energy got us as a collective? Add to the list we are now extremely sick so much so if it wasn’t for the amazing healthcare system we have put in place a huge majority of the population would be dead. To me our healthcare system is propping our society up.
What if we were instead taught how to align to God and the universe not by going to church and being submissive but by reconnecting to what we innately knew as children, by staying in touch with our sensitivity and gentleness. When we reconnect back to this energy it is then impossible to harm another. Isn’t this what we are all deep down craving?
Inner-heart-full-ness, Essence / Soul takes our lived wisdom to a deep level of understanding and brings a purpose to all we do in the most Loving way possible, and thus we feel the innate nature of who we are.
As with anything when the mind is in control we miss out on the magic and wonder of life.
Anonymous I agree with you and as Matts writes in his blog
” that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.”
Is this why we look to others to love us in the emotional sense rather than filling ourselves up with the love that is naturally within us and doesn’t have an ounce of emotional love in it? Is it possible that we have been educated to believe that emotional love is the answer when in fact it is the complete opposite of who we truly are which is why we are empty and vacated.
This is again the support that is there with Universal Medicine which is another way to look and live in life
‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.’
When we let go of the protection that we build as armour plating magical things occur such as feeling the delicacy of how we truly are when we allow ourselves to feel the beauty in each other.
Indeed Mary and letting the love we have in our hearts out is the greatest form of “protection” if we can use that word for it.
“Letting people” in is simple when we understand that by being open in this way we are being Truly intimate (not sexual) with them and we can not have intimacy without true appreciation, and being appreciative is the most Loving way comes with confirmation of ours and everyone/things divinity in essence.
There are so many analogies here about compartmentalising without considering the impact on the whole and it is clear that if we do not consider ourselves part of a greater whole and that what we contribute to that whole matters, we will not consider any of these analogies as odd – just normal and better than what we had before.
Thank you Matts, when we understand how we can appreciate our body we have let it go and are finding our foundation in reconnecting to our impulses from our heart.
What a powerful realisation Matt’s in this I can see how it is really so simple to be love, show love and express love – it is our natural way. Anything that takes us away from this is totally unneeded complication.
And also comes with the comparison that so complicates our lives.
Beautiful Matts; ‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have.’
What a lovely choice and commitment to make for yourself, I have likewise made the choice to be present and in my body, ‘shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart’.
“Let it go, let it be” lyrics from one of my Michael Benhayon songs – words with much wisdom.
When we let go and not control with our head, life becomes magical in every single way.
Being mind-driven is something, I think, (pun intended) we can all relate too. Knowing that we can source life from a different place (the heart and being impulsed from there) is like switching on a different source inside us. From the outside it might look similar, but feels a whole different ball game inside.
The Deep-Humble-Appreciative-Ness that can only come from a reconnected body is a part of our whole body intelligence. And with appreciation being such a gracious part of who we are in our most divine aspect as we feel the upmost for all of those whom we come in connection with.
Thanks for sharing Matts, being mind driven feels complicated and leaves our body tense and exhausted. From my experience when I live from my body and am not stuck in my head then life feels simple and joyful.
The mind is cold and heartless I know from experience it doesn’t care for the body at all, the lies, deceit and sheer willfulness all come from the mind. I know this to be true because the inner heart only knows how to be love and how to express in a way that is non harming.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” I love this. So simple, but so true. But staying in connection with our hearts we allow ourselves to feel what the body needs to support it to be vital and vibrant. Living from the mind simply keeps the body going and pushes it often beyond its natural rhythms, which in turn can lead to all sorts of unnecessary and avoidable health problems.
Matts, I am really realising the importance of having a relationship with my body – taking care of my body and staying present in my body, this feels key.
One day we will shift from being lost in the fog of our minds to residing in the clarity of the body. The more that I choose to connect to my body the simpler life becomes. Not in a mundane way but in a rich and rewarding way. I am getting to truly understand that by handing life over to my body, I am actually handing things over to the intelligence of the universe. I am experiencing very practical examples of how when I am seemingly bound by the small and limited confines of my mind that if I surrender to my body then it seems that it will often lead me straight to what’s needed.
I feel you are spot on here Alexis Stewart
‘we think we are bound by the small and limited confines of our minds’
When actually if we can let go of all that we have been taught and instead as you say surrender to our hearts, we are given the access to the entire universe which has always been our birth right.
Isn’t it amazing how much promoting there is for the mind to be the ruler of our hearts, when the mind can be a dark and desolate place, whereas the heart never ceases to love.
Yes, very interesting and yet the mind is rarely open to the possibility that it might have got it wrong because then it would have to admit it is not it. Sadly it often takes a blunt reminder of our intransigence to bring it to an awareness that the body is what we need to nurture and that it never lies to us.
Mmmm this is a big one isn’t it. I am sure a lot of people can relate to this … I certainly can! ‘I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside.’ I am starting to do this more and more (let people see the true me and let people in) but can still feel I need to let go even more of the energetic barriers I have put up to keep people out fall away. What I am feeling as well is am I prepared to be truly deeply loved as there has been part of me within where I have not fully accepted this.
Appreciation of our own divine connection and the ensuing ever-expanding realisations with everything/one is in essence from God, develops a Truly-intimate relationship (letting people in) that opens our acceptance channels in the most Loving ways.
I can relate to all that you have shared Vicky, I can still feel that there is a part of me that I have not fully accepted, can I be this grand and can I be this powerful. There is a part of me resisting this because it knows once I fully embrace all that I am, it no longer has control over me and this energy is all about control and it want to be in full control of me. We battle ourselves and our divineness, how crazy is that?
We can be extremely good at coming up with all the ‘right’ words to make it sound like we’re being open, friendly, nice and polite, when in fact we’re hiding behind these words and using them as a wall of protection. Understanding who we truly are and having the courage to just be ourselves can only come with a lived consistent connection to our body and what we can feel. To be ourselves means to know and love ourselves.
And being ourselves means to know and love ourselves, this is the foundation to then love all others equally so because we know the evil that comes though us and is not us but we have allowed an energy to come through our bodies which acts out the evil. It is our responsibility to close the door where evil dwells.
Our bodies are always asking us to be more, our cells deep down know we are all one, it is the brain run by the sprit that keeps us in behaviours that are always separate to the whole.
And the beautiful thing about letting people into our life is that we open ourselves up to meeting new people perhaps people we wouldn’t have normally socialised with and we learn to develop relationships that once were uncomfortable and thought impossible. In letting go of the protection we begin to make life about people first.
‘So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is.’ I don’t know mindfulness very well, the only thing I observe is that it seems to be a hype and the answer on all our woes but we have to care for our entire body and let our inner heart lead the way as there is where our true intelligence is based.
Yes you can be a mindful drug addict but it doesn’t help the body to be the temple of love we need to feel the harmony we all are looking for.
Recently I realised that even though I thought I was more in my body and heart than in my mind the opposite was true. The mind is very good at getting the attention on everything and anything other than our body and heart even if the thoughts ‘sound good’ and loving it can still be coming from and ideal or belief of what is good and what is not good. The other this I found is that it is a constant deepening in being more and more present with our heart and body. There is no end in this.
I agree, what was once a pretty decent level of being aware and connected with our body becomes yesterdays news when we deepen even more. Like you say, there is no end to it, only a forever deepening.
This is a great sharing Matts because it feels to me that what you are sharing is that just like there is no end to the universe there is no end to us that we can deepen into the universe as it holds us all in immeasurable love.
I too had an example recently where I thought I was more in my body, only to be shown I had abandoned my body and escaped into my head, ‘I realised that even though I thought I was more in my body and heart than in my mind the opposite was true.’
True intelligence and a love filled way of living and being in and from our body and with others from there is beautiful and a real offering of the different choices we can make and the choosing of love innately that we all are.
This sounds all to familiar – using the mind and being fooled by thoughts that when we stop to read them truly from the body are not ours.
Its so funny how we can calculate with our minds what we should say and sum up how we can get someone on side when in reality when this happens, everyone loses out.
Yes and the beautiful thing is that even before we open our mouth everyone has already felt how we are and what intent we come with so we cannot really lie, only get confused when someone says something that doesn’t correspond with what we feel they are really saying.
Matts what you are sharing is so true when we listen with our bodies we cannot be lied to because our bodies can feel the change in vibration that a lie produces. When we tune into our bodies life because so much clearer and very simple.
There is nothing more real and true than when we share from our hearts, from the truth of our bodies and our lived wisdom. And when we are ourselves in this way I find the joy supersedes anything that changing who I am to fit in or to be accepted offers.
Totally agree with you Carola.
Yes and others don’t hear it or feel it in the same way. There is an ease and a settlement that knows a truth has been spoken, it may be your truth rather than my truth at that time, but there is a knowing that it is the truth from your body and your lived experience.
Carola Woods I love what you have shared because I went swimming recently and discovered as I swam that there was a joy within me that I hadn’t felt before and as you say this feeling of joy supersedes anything that changing who I am to fit in or to be accepted offers. The feeling is so exquisite but it’s not mine to hold on to but to be shared with whomever I meet or have a conversation with so that everyone gets to feel what it is like to live with joy in our hearts.
Its so crazy the amount of stories we tell ourselves that give us the perfect excuse not to connect, unfortunately the whole world is suffering because there is too much story telling and not enough feeling.
Great to re-visit this blog Matts – letting go of protecting the heart in order to let love out and share who we are with the world and then allowing others in is key in our return to the truth of who we are – LOVE .
“So you could say that I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart, and the (not so funny thing actually) is that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated”.
Beautiful to come back to this blog, thank you Matts. There is a real call here to come back to a heart centred way of living where we listen to the body, love and appreciate ourselves and let go the dictates of the mind.
Matts your sharing is like a loving invitation to feel my body again. It brings me to understand that the first step to open up my heart to others is doing it to myself first. The best gift that I can ever receive now. Thank you
I love this Matts how when we surrender to our imperfections and accept them we can then allow others in to Love and Appreciate all of who we are too. As opposed to trying put on the best part of who we are.
We can be pretty good at fooling ourselves and others that ‘we’re connecting’ when actually we’re connecting with another’s emotions, and feeding that, instead of connecting on a much deeper level, from who we really are. Connecting with others means connecting with ourselves, first, and it doesn’t have to include an exchange of words.
When we are open and true with ourselves connected to our inner-heart then this is from where we meet another.
Observing people in meetings it is interesting to see when someone speaks from their mind (usually needing recognition) and when someone speaks from their heart. Speaking from our hearts helps to melt all defences and we are reminded that in truth we are all the same.
“is that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.” I think this is why we choose to live in the mind so much as we dont want to feel how empty and vacated the body feels. Oh the irony.
There is no true intelligence in the mind if it leaves the body out, but the mind in connection with the inner heart is what is called whole body intelligence, the whole being operating as one unit, instead of parts.
The power of the mind with the heart is the true support that we can offer one another. Using our skills and qualities to the fullest when we are impulsed with love.
So many of us are guilty of using our minds to keep people out, we think it is helping but its quite the opposite – as soon as we go into our mind we are never not getting the true picture of whats going on.
I too have used my mind to keep others at bay and never really getting to know the true me but now enjoying embracing living in a heart-full way and sharing this with others.
I can feel this in myself and have seen it in other people too. Sounding like you know what you are talking about and you are on top of everything is a great way to keep people at bay. It says, ‘I am fine and I don’t want to let you any deeper into my heart’.
The mind will always be cold and calculating if not first impulsed by the inner heart.
The mind will always be cold and calculating if it is not first impulsed by the inner heart.
Letting the mind and past hurtful experiences run our body keeps us closed off to the innate offerings of evolution. We all have a potential that is simply waiting to be accessed, lived and constantly expanded. Only through our heart can our potential become our guide in life.
People use all sorts of things to protect themselves… Their eyes, the words, the energy… And actually it does take so much energy to protect ourselves in all of these ways
Yes it tenses the body, closes ones awareness and sets one on a course of a multitude of health issues, let alone the reality of harming another by offering a wary body instead of an open welcoming understanding presence.
Its crazy all the millions of ways we can protect ourselves from real love, who would have thought the very thing we say we all want is the very thing we often push away.
‘…having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.’ I have felt the same, Matts. Having used my mind to escape the intensity of life I realise its only created an intensity in my body, that has left it feeling depleted, stressed with an activated, buzzed nervous system. Staying connected to the body is a whole other ball game to living life.
Being present and in our body is far more intelligent and so much better for our health and wellbeing. I have heard this so much in working with people who have experienced trauma. When you leave your body in a trauma and are not encouraged to feel safe in your body afterwards there is a much greater propensity to PTSD.
Fear of showing imperfections and making mistakes is often the thing that is holding us back from opening up to people and letting ourselves be truly seen. Yet it is so lovely to let this go and there is a beauty in just being transparent and being with others all the time when you do great things or make mistakes. it is really about the quality of how we live all the time that will determine how we feel each day.
There can be no intelligence at all if the body is left in a mess. Care and love bring back to the body order and harmony and soon greater awareness and appreciation follows.
Funny isn’t it that we can “leave” the body so to speak, which we can. I think we’re the only species that does this. Maybe for the reason that if we were to not do that we would have to be responsible for all the choices we make as in what we do to ourselves, the stuff we eat and so forth. So basically what we’ve done with our so called intelligence is to run away from being responsible…
Developing a loving relationship with ourselves that emanates from our heart we open up our connection to others.
The mind always seeks, the hearts simply knows.
Beautifully encapsulating how the mind looks outward for confirmation but the heart is settled in its inner knowing.
I would even say, the present you get at a birthday party that is beautifully wrapped in paper, looks amazing, keeps you excited and busy to find out what is in there to then realise when you open it, that there is nothing in it.
The mind always seeks self-gratification and with every effort and lie will drive the body to get it, yet the heart simply pulses to reflect the truth of all that is already there to live. When we are in connection to our inner-heart, we are in connection to love, and life from this point is lived with greater ease and honouring.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does”. This has been such a huge understanding for me and one that has changed my life in many ways. I have come to see so clearly that my mind is a trickster and what it was continuing to tell me was definitely never in my best interests. In stark contrast my heart and my body work together in the most loving way and every message is I receive from them is honouring the beautiful being that I am.
I can see how much I’ve used my own mind as a protection, an escape and a buffer. This understanding makes it easier for me to understand others who use their knowledge based intellect to shut out the rest of the world.
You nailed it in the last line Matts. It completely explodes the belief that the mind is more intelligent then the body.
‘So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is.’ Say no more, it is all in your words here Matts. A beautiful blog that allows the reader to really feel your journey and lightness with what you have come to.
” Said with a newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, ”
This is so beautiful and of course this is the whole body which includes the mind .
The mind is not just occasionally wrong, but left to its own devices it’s always off track. It uses its well worn rhetoric like a veteran politician to justify and explain life away – but it’s all a big cover up. As you show Matts when we connect to our whole body we’re finally free to truly be.
Yes, I can feel the relationship between being able to observe from the body and not justify, yet the mind would make it a political exercise and negotiate, or debate its way through a situation.
This is awesome to hear Matts, ‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am’. Letting go of our protection is an essential part of our returning to who we truly are.
There are many systems around today that do not have a loving care for the human body as a part their make up and their flow. Instead many of the systems for living that we have, seem to place an expectation on the human frame to adapt, even to the most unnatural or harsh conditions. Surely this is a sign of the mind ruling without seeking guidance from the body first?
Beautifully said Shami. Mankind has created unloving and nonsensical systems and environments where pollution, corruption and hostility are the order of the day. If we begin to make connection and living from the heart our first priority then we will have a much more supportive and equitable world.
“in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.” Not making them the focus is the key isn’t it….not living in denial that they are not there, or living up to some false layers of perfection, but yep they are there, part of me, but not a big part me of me. My awesomeness is bigger than them x
I feel this is a very honest statement
“I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside. It was quite ‘effective’ and very few, if any, dared to question me; which sounds quite horrible when I say it like that, but that’s how it was. It feels quite ‘yuk’ and it also leaves you in a state where you are quite lonely.”
I feel there are many people in this world who are very lonely but cannot admit this either to themselves or others. For example I know couples who have lived together for years but they feel extremely lonely within their relationship. I now have the understanding that if we do not have a relationship with ourselves we are coming from emptiness and therefore in that emptiness we cannot in truth have a relationship with another.
The moment you deny yourself, you put yourself in a self created prison. How can anyone ever reach you, when you closed the door to yourself first?!
You got a point there Stefanie, the love we have for ourselves is what we then can share with others.
Isn’t it interesting that we can think we are connected with others from our heads and yet that would be empty vessels trying to connect. Without the heart and the whole body there is no full connection possible. Not with ourselves and not with another.
Feeling a connection from the body is quite a different experience and of course comes from the level of connection we have with ourselves and in my experience the more committed we are in life, doing the everyday things that need to be done, is key in how much connected we are with ourselves and our bodies.
So true: For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?
You spotted on every single life, and this for example seems to apply equally for our healthcare system and nursing practice. We need a different approach a true intelligence that does not leave the body short – oh wait we have it, but we need to listen to heart-full intelligence as you so well said.
I have found this to be so common, and can relate with it, ‘I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside’, and yes it means you can feel lonely.
I know knowledge to be a great shield and protection from letting people in. I used to gather as much of it as I could so I would always be able to join in, contribute and feel like I had some value to bring. Now knowing true intelligence to be a whole body experience my value comes from the quality in which I hold myself.
It’s actually truly beautiful to feel how much commitment the heart has to the overall health of our bodies. Consider the awesome job it has to pump blood throughout our organs and bring life to all of our limbs so we can move, express and live today. Our hearts are amazing and we connect to it’s wisdom we have everything we need.
When we make decisions from the heart the body relaxes and there is not a tension there, however when we make decisions from the mind, no matter how justified they are, there will always be a tension in the body.
One of the ways I have used to keep people out is to always seem like I am busy, but it’s more than that, it’s how I am in my busyness. I shut myself down to others, so that I am not disturbed, bothered, interrupted. But really it’s all protection and not allowing myself to be truly seen.
Isn’t it funny (not) how we all long for a deep connection with others and yet have developed all these mechanisms to keep each other away!
There are no walls around our inner heart, yet if we have not dealt with our hurts we will seek refuge in the fortress of the mind until such a time as we question the very fortifications we have put in place to keep us ‘safe,’ as being the very same structures that imprison us and stop us deeply connecting with others.
Matts, this is very gorgeous; ‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.’ This inspires me; I love how you are sharing all of you and not trying to present a picture of being perfect but simply being real and true.
When we begin to drop our control and protection we start to feel how sensitive we are and always have been, which can feel a little scary and unfamiliar at times.
Thank you Matts for sharing your understanding of how the mind protects itself. When I share from my mind I go into trying to get it right, when I share with my heart my whole body is there, I am present with so much joy in sharing me with others.
This is a great sharing Matts. I agree that we use our mind to protect ourselves and this causes separation .
When you actually try it out and experience the difference between making choices from your head and therefore running with using just your thoughts, and making choices from your whole being and therefore using your whole body intelligence, you will notice the difference is huge. The narrowness of view and consideration from the former, compared to the openness and all inclusiveness of the latter is worlds apart.
If we truly understood how much we keep others away through our so called intellect we would never want to use our brain in that way again.
Our hearts know we are one – our minds see us as separate.
Fabbo blog Matts and a timely read for me about how much wiser it is to express from the connection of our heart and not the reactions of our brain.
The fact is that when we disconnect from our body and our heart, we disconnect from the energy or vibration of love. What then is moving us, and what then is source of our thoughts? Our mind will always convey the activity or the quality of energy it is aligned to, be it love or lovelessness. As such our relationship with our bodies is what offers us the only access to a true intelligence which is implused by love, incorporating the union of the mind, body and Soul
Love how you have begun to expose that sophisticated language can actually keep away intimacy and genuine connection with other people.
I am starting to identify the many ways I keep people out, one of them is like the example you’ve shared here Matts and there are a whole list of others, for example, bringing in complications and issues, comparison and jealousy, tendency to put others down, playing small and feeling less, reacting to situations and the list goes on. Also the ways in which we keep people out can be very subtle and it can even come disguised as being a nice gesture that comes loaded with expectations and needs. Basically anything that is not based on the foundation of love drives people away and works well at keeping people at a distance where we build a false sense of being safe but completely void of love.
Beautiful there is no intelligence true intelligence when we dismiss the very vehicle we live in – our body. We can be honest and admit – that we have corrupted the true meaning of intelligence, we have made it something it actually is not – so that we can continue living that, seemingly going well and looking intelligent well actually true intelligence is at that time dismissed.
The mind, in disconnection to the body, is heartless and disregarding of the body that it is a part of. And function is everything to the mind, no matter the cost.
It is super interesting if we observe ourselves, how we speak and what terms we use, what sound is in our voice , when we speak. Even the mimic is interesting, because it reflects and communicates openness or protection/ hiding.
It is the mind that has conflict with another and can take us to war, in our hearts we know we are all the same.
It always surprises me how willingly people are to get involved in mindfulness but are less so when it comes to the heart and all it can offer. Maybe too much truth to be found there for some.
Yes, it seems like with mindfulness there’s no need to question or feel anything, just focus and foster the use of the mind to make it more useful. This approach is very limited in itself as it doesn’t consider our whole self and reduces people to their mind. What about our body, our feelings, what about love, and our divine condition?
This is a great sharing Matts, Thank you! indeed nothing in this world compares when we meet life through our bodies first – sensing what is needed at any time always in consideration of the all, instead of using the mind with it’s driven focus that always gets you somewhere but at the expense of the true nature of who we are.
And if we let go of our control, the most magical things can happen, because we moved in a way, that let things just happen, without expecting or calculating them. Exactly what is needed for the all.
We are born open and aware then as we get older we develop mechanisms – forms of protection to keep others out and ourselves free from harm, this form of protection only ever harms ourselves and keeps others from knowing our true beauty.
Ironic isn’t it that what we do with the aim of protecting ourselves is what harms us the most.
I can say that I use my mind to protect myself from myself which is crazy because my true self is always there waiting in the wings to be connected to…. opening up my life to being all of me and the joy there is in that.
Protection often stems from thinking we need to stay safe, but what we are actually doing is saying we don’t want to be seen, to be open, to let the world know who we are.
Very true Heather, at times I find that state of being open quite scary but I know when I’m honest and say it like it is I’m inviting others to see who I truly am. For me it feels strongly in my cheeks that gets all warm and red, or at least I think they do. Probably a sign of vitality saying hello, here I am again.
“is that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.”
So true Matts, when I was/am mind driven, it is like I was so disconnected from my body, like it was a separate institution. And only when I got sick, that would pay it more attention.
One could say that that is ok having myself in my best of interest but even that is not true because the mind does not want what is best for the whole of me but what is best for it so it doesn’t get exposed as not being loving at all.
Our body and how we move it definitely creates an intelligence that is felt within, and our whole body is continuously sharing with us, so it is our simple choice to be open enough to listening to what is being shared.
It is so exposing that the mind can deem someone and something as successful when it leaves the body in a sorry state, as how could this be success when it is not an all-rounded state of success without leaving the body out of the equation? And if we take note, the body is almost always left out of the equation, so there must be something so important and powerful that being caring to the body would reveal. And that is our body is the vehicle to truly express divinity on earth, and it is never too late to connect to this truth.
I would guess that is why there are so many practices “out there” to push our bodies to be even more hard. In that way we make it impossible for us to recognize what our body is actually communicating with us.
I love your examples of how the mind treats the body, forget that flowers needs watering and a boss in a staff meeting without inviting staff. This is exactly how the mind does not pay loving attention to the body but disregards or even abuses it not so intelligent as all. So like you say Matts, “For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?”
The body always incorporates the ‘whole’ experience and understanding of everything in life and the mind is so busy hopping between wims it takes no responsibility for the ripple effects it leaves behind.
Make you think what is it that actually goes on inside our head. Who is that little boss up there and where does he gets his command? And yes I used a he as an example, could have been a she as well.
The thoughts we allow can create a huge separation between ourselves and others. If we indulge in thoughts of separation and issues with others we aren’t able to be open and loving, which is what our whole entire body is designed to be.
Thanks for the reminder Vicky, I often get caught up in conversations in my head, old ones and I can also make up non existing ones which I find does not serve me at all. I just wallow in imagined scenarios which haven’t even happened in real life, yet I would guess that the possibility for them TO happen is much bigger when I have sort of seeded them in my head. Makes you think about if what is happening in our lives is a true version of what life could be or just a result of our worries and preconceived ideas…
Our heart is so much more intelligent than the mind, and when we feel this we have come to an understanding what it is like to live in a temple of God.
Yes and our body sure is a temple which deserves the finest of treatments.
Letting go of protection around people is something I have never regretted doing, and yet I will default to being protected. It shows to me how much it must be willingly applied to be open to other people in conversations.
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” One cannot describe more simply and directly the falseness of what is generally accepted as intelligence.
I agree, it’s funny yet not funny that all the intelligence and awareness that we can muster for now about what is truly good for us still leaves the body and it’s sensitivities out of the equation. Sometimes we think we do good to the body when we exercise and work out but we do it in a way where we do not truly listen to what the body would prefer, instead we push the body as if it was a machine that is only there to produce and perform for us. The body is there for us to express who we are in essence. That essence needs a body that follow-some. A word that I guess does not exist but the body needs to be in a flow and order for that essence to be expressed, and in a very delicate quality, not weak or anything like that but energetically it needs to respond to the vibration of our essence. Hope you follow.
It’s quite simple if we let go of our protection and instead let people in, our life becomes more joyous and more harmonious. Our purpose is to connect deeply with one another, if we don’t do this we are hindering our own evolution and fighting love.
Very honest Matts, when we can detach ourselves from the doing being us, great wisdom can be shared, and this is one such occasion.
A great blog Matts bringing a clarity on true body intelligence – beginning with the mind being in conscious presence with the body and thus the re-development of a deeper relationship with oneself and then with others as the barriers of protection are let go of.
Matts, I love this; ‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have’, this feels very humbling and very beautiful to simply be you – with no protection, this then allows others to do the same. I have noticed how I have also been opening up to people and letting go of my coldness and defensiveness and allowing people in, this feels very natural and very lovely and I have a real love and appreciation of people now that I did not have before.
What comes to mind when you share this is that I also have considered myself quite protective and I guess I have let go of a lot of that but I must also say that I now might not fully appreciate how much I have changed. Maybe that is the next learning for me to stop doubting how awesome and loveable I actually am
I often feel this temptation in my studies – that the more I know, the more well-read and intelligent I can make myself, the safer I am in conversation because i have this repository of knowledge at my disposal, or in an interview where i feel the need to prove my worth and intelligence. But if I sell out to this, i lose all sense of who I am, of my worth unrelated to what I can remember and it makes me always slightly on my guard and in my head in conversations, defaulting to defence when I am unsure or uncomfortable rather than just being open with people
I would say it’s great to feel an unease when we are not ourselves. A lot of people actually enjoy being how you described yourself at the beginning, or I have to correct myself, I don’t think they really enjoy it but it has become sort of a safe house in fear of letting others seeing who we really are. A great way of letting go of the guard is to say that I feel insecure right now, in other words being honest. Isn’t that what everyone wants when it comes down to it.
We can use all kinds of excuses to keep ourselves shut down and separate from others. We think it is comfortable but ultimately we are causing ourselves a great deal of pain to live in this separation. When we finally let the walls down it feels so amazing. It’s crazy how we choose to keep them up.
Funny that we can use our mind to protect ourselves from letting people in as letting people in is the greatest protection.
Intellectual intelligence with no heart is pretty much the state of play in our current education system – based on security and protection.
Agreed Matts, this is great what you have shared. “So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself.” Could it be possible that when listening to the body we can connect to whole body intelligence, which includes the Inner-Heart which can start to bring about our own healing?
I used my mind to protect myself from letting people into my life. I think we can all relate to this statement as we are so programmed to go to our minds and communicate with others in this way, which in truth, is an avoidance of responsibility and choosing to not bring all of ourselves to the interaction, so yes basically a protection. When the body is chosen first and you move in that presence with your body, it is absolutely divine and you confirm yourself as Godly in that moment.
Yes it feels not nice to come back to your body after a little venture in the mind and it can be even more inviting to go back to the mind than to feel how it has left the body and deal with that by reconnecting. Yet it is worth it because living in a body that is well cared for and with you is the most lovely feeling there is. I also found the body adjust pretty quickly when I choose to come back to it and the ‘yuck’ vacant feeling disappears quickly.
When we put mindfulness against heartfulness and I had to choose one of these to go through life with I definitely do know which one to choose. heartfulness will be my choice as that to me is what we naturally are. Mindfulness us just a distraction of who we truly are that does not allow the heart to speak as it likes to have power over the body and with that is dismissive to what our natural origins are.
The difference with the intelligence of the mind, is that it wants to ‘own’ its intelligence. ‘It is mine’, ‘I am super clever’- and therefore more clever than you.
Whereas the body’s intelligence does not belong to us – and when we try to own it we disconnect from it. This is the intelligence of the entire universe, distilled into our particles, in physical form. That is what we have at our fingertips, in our every movement to express and rest in, a knowing that comes from beyond the stars.
The mind can never reach our celestial ancestry, but our bodies are made of the very same magnificence.
In being truly open to people and to love, everything we fear drops away.
This is so beautiful to read, the depth of honesty that allows one to be free of the patterns that we allowed to govern us. I am realising how much I have been in my head as a means of protecting myself from being in the world. What’s crazy is that it serves no protection at all – only a lack of awareness of the abuses I endure which I could address and resolve were I being aware. The willingness to be aware allows me connection with the true intelligence that knowingly responds to life so that I move in a way which doesn’t allow the abuse to enter so look after myself in a truer way and don’t blindly walk through the nettles unaware I’m getting stung!
Just reading the first paragraph shows how easy it is for us to use words to keep people out and in effect bully people. We can become clever with words to the point where people will not challenge us because they know that a browbeating will be the result, and it brings out their own lack of confidence with conflict and dealing with things.
It has been shown that the heart responds quicker to the mind – so there must be a level of intelligence there that is really key. It is awesome to trust in this and sense what is needed from the whole body.
Making the ‘u turn’ from being ruled by the mind to re-connect within the body and thus the innermost heart (essence) is the beginning of more honesty with ourselves = a commitment to deeper self-respect, nurturing and care to support the body in full. This paves the way back to transparency.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does”.
Matts you can feel how you have written your new found way of being is absolutely a game changer. It is very inspiring and I can say that everybody wins when we let go of our protection and open up to who we naturally are and designed to connect with each other on this much deeper level.
I recently have had the interesting experience of seeing myself expressing to someone but via video – what I started to see was how different I become when the camera came on, because I would go like a talking head – hardly moving, just reeling off what I wanted to say rather than just being myself and from there expressing – what I could visibly see is how this retreat into the mind is a form of protection for me in unknown situations and yet it shuts everyone out from seeing the true me.
We can create so many things in our mind that keep us away from the simplicity of the connection with ourselves and therefore others. If we drop the mind stuff we are left with the reality of the body and the natural ease we can feel and the love that is naturally there. There is no need to complicate things.
We champion the mind as being super intelligent yet I wonder where the intelligence is when we choose to use our mind to protect from letting love in or out.
The crazy thing about the protection is how this came about because of maybe a handful of incidences/situations in life, yet it is then applied to most interactions thereafter. I am seeing and feeling more how this behaviour just keeps everything out and there is then an inability to fully embrace the amazing stuff in life and even in the ugly, there is always, always something to learn..
In the past I used my mind and what I knew to distance myself from others and stop myself from having a truly meaningful and loving relationship, because in doing that there is never any equality between you because your always feeling like you need to know something that the other doesn’t to feel like you are worthy or someone interesting. All because I didn’t have enough self value or love to support me. It’s so lovely now to have built a stronger appreciation of myself and so then not needing to go into knowledge like I did before and instead enjoy more moments of just being with myself and feeling my own support.
“It’s as if you leave for holidays and you forget that your flowers need watering and you come home and they are all not looking so great.” This is such a great description of what happens when we check out in our minds, it’s exactly like that and when we check back in there is definitely a feeling of having abdicated our responsibility and that immediate attention is needed. I know I have to constantly watch my thoughts, because it’s so easy to get caught up in them and not listen to my body and what it needs.
The question feels to me to be just how much have I used my mind to protect myself from being exposed by my own knowing.
The more I am willing to let go of the protection and allow myself to enjoy and appreciate who I am then others get to feel this very easily and can feel that the connections that they have with me are different to what they have with others. This is what we all desperately crave- deep connections of truth not the layers we have put in the way.
So great to read, about how there can be another focus to life besides everything that is wrong. Indeed we can instead focus on all that is amazing about ourselves and each other, and whilst there will always be mistakes made and imbalances to address, the pure brilliance of who we each are on the inside never changes and so this can be our forever guiding light through every ounce of darkness that this world delivers.
I never really understood clearly how my intelligence was blocking me out from people, but the other week I had a few experiences where I tried communicating with people from this place of intellect rather than my body and it almost felt like talking to them from behind a Perspex glass screen – it wasn’t until I dropped into my body and spoke from my truth and not from regurgitation that I was able to feel like I was there, present with those around me.
” I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside.” the same for me, I felt and have always felt tender and vulnerable in the true sense of the words, but seen this as a weakness, I never wanted people to see that side of me even though it was very self evident. Today the more I connect the less I need to protect.
This is so true Jane, more and more I find that I am going to the body for the answers instead of trying to figure everything out in my head – after many years of working things out in my head all I ever ended up with was illness and discontent. Like you say it is about learning the communications from the body and listening to what it has to say.
Thank you, Matts. I can very much relate to this – “I’ve been a master at saying things that I thought sounded great and really sophisticated, but they were not coming from a heartful place, rather they were designed to keep people away. In other words, I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside.” Thanks to Universal Medicine I too have let go of layers of protection, and as a result I am more open to others and to sharing the truth from my whole body intelligence.
Well said, intelligence that negates the body and even abuses it is far from the intelligence we are surrounded by in nature. The precision and wonder of animals and plants is true intelligence, we are pulses by the same intelligence but more often than not override that for intellectual pursuits.
The image with this blog says it all for me. We think that we have got it all figured out, neatly boxed and categorised with a pretty bow when we rely only on the intelligence of the mind. When in fact we miss out on the limitless wisdom of our whole body intelligence.
‘So you could say that I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart. The shift away from the head to the heart is definitely a worthy and beneficial choice to make, and though sometimes it can take a bit to hold it, it is most definitely worth constantly choosing, and moving from. And your loving choice to do so Matts, benefits us all.
‘So you could say that I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart,…’ – A realisation Matts that changes what the world will receive in every moment of your interactions with life – we are truly blessed.
Thank you Matts, I love what you say here “The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does” as that was exactly my experience particularly when I became a mother. Most of my skills were based on my ideals and beliefs coming from my mind, which meant I was very fixed and blinkered in my ways as well as exhausted. But that didn’t matter to me, at the time, as everything looked good. Sadly though no nurturing towards me as a woman and definitely no true nurturing for the baby.
Yes, we have a choice of following our mind or following our body first. The latter works infinitely better as there is far more intelligence and insight available.
Our mind is incredibly versatile but, apart form logic it is not able to discern truth and it cannot generate love.
‘For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ Absolutely Matts . If the heart is involved and love is in the equation, not emotional or sentimental love but true love, then everything changes and a loving intelligence comes to the fore and allows for an expansion and a holistic way of being that brings harmony in it’s wake.
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The mind wants to come up with the best, wants to be the best, wants to compete and be on top. The heart just is and just loves. If as a friend, who would we choose?
If we spend our lives in our heads we can allow so many thoughts that create so many scenarios and falsities. Drop the thoughts and come back to our bodies and everything is so completely simple. There is a natural pull to be with people, and the body naturally wants to be open and loving. Thoughts destroy these natural ways and can build false walls of protection.
Our heads can be like fortress’s, they attempt to protect us and guard off attacks, they are in fact often the opposite a self made prison. I say time to allow the heart to make its rescue and surrender to the love that is viable for all to enjoy. We can live from the wisdom of Love.
I never really thought about how difficult it could be to express something, when I was younger I used to just blurt out whatever came to me. This was very heavily criticised by adults, constantly reminding me that I should “think before I speak” – it is still so, so difficult to let go of that, but with time and commitment I know that one day I and everybody else will be feeling before speaking!
We can use the mind to protect ourselves in so many different ways – by using our minds without a connection to the body “protect” ourselves from feeling what is going on around us, but in truth thats’ so counterproductive because the body still feels everything, only when we’re disconnected we do not give it the support it requires to deal with what is going on.
I agree with you Matts, I have found it quite difficult shifting from my mind to my heart , and have been quite checked out. Now I’m more aware of when I check out its actually quite scary to clock just how much I actually do still check out and this must be having an adverse effect on my body as you say.
The mind I find, works with the body. We have set up our bodies to have our minds as a separate when really we don’t look at it as the mind being part of the body, where the body speaks loud and clear about what is going on for us.
I love the way you presented heart vs mind and also expressed how mind cannot nurture the body. It makes a lot of sense and going back to heart and expressing from there is the way to find love within. Beautifully expressed! thanks for sharing!
‘The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.’ I found this also to be true, Matts. The mind feels calculating and cold, but the heart feels all encompassing, rich and warm.
On the surface the mind can seem to fill the body but in reality we are made one whole being and we need the wisdom and communication of our bodies to remind us of the natural rhythms and order we belong to.
I’m doing the same as you Matts, slowly moving from being mind driven to living from moment to moment impulses of the body and my innate wisdom; the difference is palpable.
These days I feel more me when I am open with people. When I am protected I don’t feel like myself anymore. This in itself is huge and something well worth appreciating as the me I am now learning is the true me absolutely loves people and being with people. And it does hurt to have things, issues, pictures, expectations, comparison, jealousy etc. between us.
And the more of yourself you become, the more people love to be around you – I for one adore being around you when you are you!
I am aware of just how empty it is to use words from my mind, from the things I know, that are not said with true love, care, knowing and understanding of such a truth myself and connection with my body. It feels just as harmful as firing bullets at someone or keeping up an armour because if it is not coming from a lived truth within my body, then how can another relate to it from their body too? They can only relate from understanding what I have said from their mind and in this we are not truly connecting with each other from our heart.
Thank you Matts, you have inspired me to look at how I use protection to cap my relationships, I am ready to expose all my protectiveness and be open to more love and connection.
To add to how the mind keeps other people out, I have been finding that the mind can also be used to keep yourself out! That might sound crazy but if you focus on your mind, you never get to feel from your body your true qualities. This is a great way to squash, deny and avoid living who you really are. It is so effective most of us actually forget what this feels and looks like.
Wow – yes, thank you Fiona.
Ah yes, thank you Fiona, this is another angle to see, the games we play with our minds just to avoid, from any way posiible, feeling and appreciating everything we already are.
Listening and following the mind there is no doubt whatsoever in me that it leads towards illness and disease. The drive, push, selfish way, even conscious presence when it comes from the mind with not one ounce of love for the body is abuse. Connecting to my inner heart where there is only love for myself and others is what I call true intelligence and not what we have allowed ourselves to believe and that is intelligence is the ability to recall information.
The mind, my mind likes playing games to keep what we are feeling as far away from our body as possible it likes to numb us to not feeling what is truly going on. So then,when we do start to feel the mind starts to tell a different story line, anything to keep the truth at bay. Then once there is a start to understanding the inner-heartland the truth about the Love that resides within, all the mind wants to do is create distractions through the myriad of ideals and believes we have logged up over many life times. What a blessing Serge Benhayon and the Masters of Wisdom who bring everything that is required for the Student to return to being Soul-full or to ‘whole body intelligence’.
Great blog to read and to ponder on Matts, thank you. It is a fact that true intelligence comes from our body not our mind, thus it is our responsibility to live life from our bodies not our minds;
“So the heart, the precious heart, incorporates in all its humility, the whole body, which we could say is a whole body intelligence, whilst the mind brings with it a mind that is full of itself”
Beautiful wise words in this article right from a loved and cared for body…beautiful to read and be inspired by, we neglect our body, we neglect our mental health also, the quality of our thoughts stems from how are in our bodies. This is something that I have experience of and know to be true. Learning to love this body I was born with is happening and so the thoughts are so much more healthy and wise than they once were.
We can push the brain and our intelligence a hundred miles an hour and still become dazed and confused by our actions – stopping to question time and time again. It is when we speak from the whole body and it resonates from every cell we know that we are not only speaking truth but living in from within.
This is so common, it is fed to us from the moment we step foot in school that we should treasure the mind, the mind is the king of it all, and of course we grow up thinking that the mind is more important than the body – but once we begin to flip this understanding around, we can have access to a wisdom far beyond what we could ever imagine using the mind.
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?”. This is gold!
“Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff. No real joy and harmony happening there, is it?” No. Particularly for the boss.
The way we protect ourselves from our minds is very horrible and can be felt by everyone and yet is an acclaimed and well accepted way of being in our society and imprisons us all. A great sharing of true intelligence from our body and all we feel and know and the freedom of this is very beautiful
Not only does the mind not nurture the body the mind can actively work against the body. An example being: the mind can say yes, lets go and party and drink, then the body wears the consequence of being poisoned and having a hang over the next day. If in this example we had listened to the body the body would say no to partying because it knows the effect this will have on it. Hence our true intelligence comes from our body not our mind.
Matts that is amazing. So true. What true present can receive ? A love filled life by once own choice from our will, that states that we are nothing less than pure love and that we can only give that our full selves.
The question you then raise here correctly is:
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?”
The mind is full of itself but empty of love. Love is what nourishes and connects us to ourselves and others. Love encompasses all including the mind so is the best investment we can make!
The mind does not have the ability to connect with people. It is a tool that can be used mechanically but cannot be relied on to feel others and to feel life. Our bodies are so sensitive to energy but we numb it with the enormous array of poisons this world offers and champion the intelligence of the mind instead. It’s all very backwards, really.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.”…so true Matts, so true.
Being stuck the mind and not with the heart hurts us all, and we do not maintain a relationship with the body when we choose only the mind. Yes we have a mind, but whole body intelligence emanating from the heart is the way forward concerning our true intelligence and wellness.
There are many ways I know I’ve caught myself ‘protecting’. But the more I recognise, feel and appreciate my qualities, the more I enjoy being with others.
I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it. Just beautiful Matts, you bring through so simply and very clearly your truth that can support others to move through their own form of protection with love and ease.
It is amazing how the human mind can be used to keep a person isolated and separate, which is so contra to what the inner-heart wants to be, so immediately there is an internal struggle already set up before we have even walked out the door in the morning.
I agree Shami – the mind not only separates us from each other but also from ourselves.
We can use our mind like a weapon if we are not connected to our inner-heart.
“I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart” now that is a message for society overall, how amazing will life be when everything about our systems, processes and people is centered from the heart and to deliver evolution first?
Humbled and re inspired Matts. The ability to allow a whole new way of communicating in our life is a massive change which brings so much joy. Underneath our outer shell so to speak is a whole range of different conditions in our body like nervous tension, hardness, sadness and surprise etc – and through acknowledging these impressions in our body our communication begins to change.
‘…the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself.’ That’s it in a nutshell Matts. No wonder our bodies suffer as a consequence of our mind-driven lives.
Developing a respectful and listening relationship with my body has brought me more intelligence than I have ever felt from years of intellectual study.
It’s actually crazy how we protect ourselves from each other. At the end of the day we are all the same inside. We are all human beings on this planet in the middle of the universe going round and round. We’re not going anywhere, and we all have to live together, so why is it that we keep each other out and choose to isolate ourselves? Totally crazy.
I’ve never classified myself as an ‘intellectual’ person, in fact quite the opposite. Just recently I experienced what felt like an ambush by another who I would consider to be very intellectual. In this, I allowed myself to be less than that person and so I found myself searching my mind frantically for something ‘intelligent’ to say back, in some attempt to armour/protect myself. It didn’t feel right at all in my body, because I knew I wasn’t able to back it with a lived experience, and that it was just words being regurgitated. This interaction left me feeling quite shaken by the end of it, because I had given my power away to something other than myself, and it simply wasn’t necessary.
Beautiful Matts our whole body says it all and through loving our body and honouring it we have access to the Universe and all its wisdom . The mind is our prison we hide in to not feel all we are and our oneness with everyone and everything which is amazing really and silly when we realise this
Just like the photo here of a box all pretty and wrapped up, we can often appear to have it all together and be open to others, when in reality we are heavily protected by the intellect and the mind.
Indeed you are awesome Matts. I love what you have so succinctly, simply and truthfully expressed here, very inspirational, thank you;
“I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it”.
I used my mind to protect myself by always wanting to be right and also spouting knowledge to others that at the time I thought they needed to hear, which was very imposing and actually disrespectful. When we understand the power and beauty of words and how we can heal ourselves and each other by the quality, love, and absolute wisdom that we can bring through, there is much more respectful care and feeling into what is shared with another.
I am currently in the middle of my studies and I can see and feel the temptation to absorb as much knowledge as possible to shield be and protect me, to be able to recall it in any situation so that I can feel safe in conversation – and yet what is it that people are getting when I am like this? Do they get to feel me, my warmth and ability to love deeply? These qualities are who I really am and actually holding them and expressing them is the only way I won’t be hurt by life.
The saying that ‘the mind plays tricks on us’ although often treated lightly, is actually spot on and could not be more accurate as to rely on it only leaves us questioning the decisions that we have made based on what we think, rather than what we felt.
To grow and expand we have to become aware of that which is not true to us and sometimes this may feel uncomfortable. Being exposed is a natural part of our evolution to support us in our growth and this is to be accepted and appreciated and not an opportunity to be hard on ourselves… we are all learning.
“One gives you everything you’ve ever dreamed of and beyond, and the other brings you an empty box, or at best, presents from your last birthday.” This line stood out for me today and feels so true. Relying on my mind does never satisfy and always leaves me in a feeling of vacancy, but when I connect to my body and let it show me the way I am fulfilled and not only in appreciation of myself but too in appreciation of all people in the world as from this space of connectedness I can feel we are all the same, wherever we are and how conduct our life.
Mind-full-ness as a protection is not working and it is only proving an obstacle that shields our heart from truly feeling. Although the inner-heart never stops feeling we only shut down the connection so we can deny we can actually feel everything. True intelligence, which is whole body intelligence or from the ancient teaching the cardio-centric approach to life brings a full awareness to the body. As we never stops feeling because divinity is always there for us to connect to, so it is our movements starting with our breath that is important. Breathing our own breath as is presented in the Gentle Breath Meditation by Serge Benhayon is the start of our return to being with true intelligence.
Protection is such a game when we really look at it. We react from something or someone on the outside of us which we feel hurt about so to stop that happening again we usually bury what happened, put a wall up and not let people in. Some we do but really if we are not the whole time then how can we be if it is for some. What I have been learning is not to rely on the outside and whats around me to effect me and have a steady connection within and observe what is going on. Sometimes hard as it is so ingrained to react that its like a very old habit to break. But one worth investing the time and commitment in.
The protection of the mind is in itself a prison.
The mind can play some very sophisticated games when we allow what is not truly felt from the body to come through. I have noticed over time that the more I stop to check in the body when things are playing out the answers seem to come through more easily and the protection layers don’t appear as quickly. Giving the body permission to speak rather than ignoring its simple yet powerful support.
“Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff. No real joy and harmony happening there, is it?” I laughed out loud at this, so true, such is the arrogance of the mind which does its thing so much at the expense of the body.
Well said, Doug! It is good medicine and makes so much sense not to shut down in protection and harden the body, but stay open and in the flow.
Sometimes I still resort to using the mind to think through a situation, and quite quickly I feel empty inside. There is nothing more supportive than living day to day with an ever-deepening relationship to my body and its wisdom.
Many of us have sought refuge from the world in the fortress of the mind alone, and are yet to allow the warmth of our heart to penetrate these prison walls so we can once more breathe the love that we are and allow this love to impulse the way we think.
Every time we do not express in truth from our bodies we separate from the person we are with.
Great Matts, it’s amazing to see that you are breaking out of your head! Being another person who spends quite a bit of time there, I can really relate to how draining and saddening it is! Keep it up <3
Being caught up in our mind can be quite debilitating and disempowering if we don’t get on top of it quickly, especially when a situation arises and our bullying mind wants to constantly take us back to that moment over and over. Great to take your power back and call out that insidious energy and come back to love.
I’m really starting to appreciate the beauty in transparency: being in my body and not going up into my mind as I have done all my life to work out how I should act. I’ve avoided being present in body because I thought it would protect me from feeling hurts.
So I tried to ‘read’ what another was feeling to avoid being criticized and rejected. But when I am present with myself then it doesn’t matter how another is; I can observe more fully and actually ‘read’ what is going on, and not reduce my awareness to just relating to my self interests.
Gorgeous to highlight how isolating it is to be caught up in your mind, this is something I reckon we all know but do not often have the support to truly break this pattern.
The mind can harm us in many ways, unless we are first imposed by the inner heart the mind will always find ways to lead us astray.
Well said Elizabeth, I know what you mean and find the same thing. Life is all about me when I am in my head whereas when I am coming from my body it is about everyone.
I have worked with people who are very invested in being smart as their way to be valued and appreciated by their colleagues. It can be felt as a wall of protection to hide the real person behind and no one gets past the gate! I find if any smartness or detail is challenged, you are met by a wall of arrogance and defence. Observing this it feels like a very insecure way to live, as at any moment you could be exposed as being wrong or not having all the answers. It also never allows anyone to get to know the real and vulnerable person inside.
I too used to be very mind driven and felt a constant longing to fill the emptiness I felt inside. It was only when I came across Universal Medicine that I re-connected to the joy of residing in my body more, to feel everything and be playful as I did as a child.
Interesting how we can drive people away with the intelligence of our minds. It makes me wonder why a majority of people would feel put off by this when our society highly celebrates the intelligence of our minds? This alone reveals a lot to me. We all naturally seek true connection and we can feel the intelligence of our minds blocks this, but often we tend to go along with things so we don’t expose the superficial form of connection, perhaps in case we get rejected or hurt. But I realise what hurts us more is our lack of transparency, truth, love and connection in our relationships and daily expression.
Now that is a great statement… the mind does not nurture the body but the heart does, and so much of the way we are brought up is to foster the mind… so its is essential that we write about this paradigm shift of awareness …. For ALL our sakes!
Yes Chris, very true. I was brought up with the mantra “knowledge is power” – during my early teenage years I actually forced myself to read as much as I could because I didn’t want to become dumb and have spiderwebs in my brain. However the more I connect to myself, the more I realise the importance of the body above it all!
The mind can be in total disregard for the body whilst all along the heart lovingly considers every particle of our being.
So it makes sense in order to nurture the heart we need to nurture and cherish our bodies in which it is housed.
“how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, which as a result, brings true intelligence.” It is so important to have a love filled relationship with our body, this is our temple this is where God resides. With this connection brings true wisdom.
This is a beautiful realisation Matts, as we are often in much more protection against others than we like to think we are – ‘ Only quite recently have I become aware that I used my mind to protect myself from letting people into my life. I’ve been a master at saying things that I thought sounded great and really sophisticated, but they were not coming from a heartful place, rather they were designed to keep people away.’
The mind in separation to the body creates a distorted filter through which everything is seen and heard.
Whole body intelligence simply makes so much sense and the mind and all its distractions thoughts and complications dilemmas and ill distractions that torment us is to escape all we feel and know. Connection with our heart opens us up to people the world and the Universe.
We can choose to drop protection at any moment. If we open to connection with another we can find ourselves shining through all the protection and it can melt away.
I can relate to your description of the mind Matts, too me it is cold and calculating and does not consider the body at all in anything it does. And I wonder if this is why it abuses and trashes the body because it knows all about reincarnation and knows it will get a new body after death to do it all over again. But then who or what is running our minds?
I used to be proud of knowing something about everything and being able to join any conversation. It kept me safe from feeling left out. But in that process I completely disconnected from what was in my heart which was far wiser than my mind could ever be.
Well said, Carolien. All the effort and energy we put into being a ‘know it all’ stops us from feeling the deep and natural wisdom within our bodies.
The more I get to feel the effects on my body of the mind driven ways, the more it becomes clear that the mind will never have our best interests at heart, only the heart can do that.
Having a protection from people, in whatever form that may be, will always leave us with less because ultimately this protection only serves to keep love from being expressed an accepted.
Matts it occured to me when reading your blog that when I don’t want to feel something or connect with someone I often turn to my mind instead, and justify in my head or come up with something, anything that keeps me from connecting.
Great observation DN – I do that probably like you but also when I choose to not express something I’ve felt. I go up in my mind and question whether I should say it or not. And for me this is shifting when I choose to love myself more than the need to please others.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” The most nourishing movements we can enjoy at anytime comes from heart’s connection. I wholeheartedly agree Matts this a very honest and beautiful blog thank you.
Thanks Kelly, definitely a work in progress but you got to start somewhere.
The mind feeds the body nonsense while the inner heart feeds the body love.
Our true intelligence does come from the body; it is a direct reflection for us of how we have used the mind. The body doesn’t lie, and when we respect and listen to its messages the mind can be used in an intelligent and unified way that considers all of us.
How great to make the connection that using the mind as a tool of manipulation was a way to protect yourself. Thank you for your honesty Matts.
I even know to use my mind to protect myself from myself, ie. feeling and realizing what is really going on, raising awareness and honouring truth by responding to it.
When we are totally ourselves most people do love us the way we are and if they don’t they are jealous, so keep up being just you Matts, you are most definitely a beautiful man and don’t let those that are jealous dim that light in any way.
Thanks Kev and I love that statement.
Yes, why settle for a less that is at odds with the true health and wellbeing of our body and ability to live our soul on earth when we can nourish and nurture our whole being by living our hearts natural intelligence and wisdom?
We are only ‘lonely’ when we lose connection with our beautiful glorious selves.
How true this is Jenny. WE can be alone and in that aloneness appreciate the spaciousness it offers but if we are lonely we ignore this and think only of what we are missing.
Absolutely Jenny. There can’t be loneliness when we are connected as we feel our inter-connectedness and the constant communion that takes place.
“It’s as if you leave for holidays and you forget that your flowers need watering and you come home and they are all not looking so great.” This is such a great analogy Matts. If we neglect our bodies, despite what they are asking for there will inevitably be consequences. And by ignoring it for too long, it will indeed eventually not be able to correct itself.
Protection is a catch twenty two, you think you are looking after yourself but in fact you are doing more damage. By shutting down and putting up a wall you block the flow of Love so even if you are open with some but not all this protection that we seek is actually lacing all relationships. Letting go and allowing ourselves to be the Love that we are in all scenarios is definitely one to develop.
A beautiful understanding of the true relationship we can build with our bodies and the gift of this as the true intelligence it shares with us and the amazingness and love this allows in the world if we live this way
I so know what you mean when you say
“I’ve been a master at saying things that I thought sounded great and really sophisticated, but they were not coming from a heartful place, rather they were designed to keep people away. In other words, I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside.”
I have spent most of my life in the rejection of my own deeply gorgeous love, how is this possible I hear you all say. It was possible because instead of listening to me and staying with what I knew to be true, I allowed others to dictate, bully and capitulated to their way of behaving and their view on life. Now I’m clear of all those ideals and beliefs and can reignite the truth of who I am again and live that until my very last breath.
Holding on to an issue that you have with someone is a quick way of creating protection and holding on to it. Holding a grudge keeps us continually protected. Opening to love and seeing the person for who they truly are well before any issue has been created enables us to drop the protection and speak from the truth of what we feel.
This is a beautiful analogy Matts – simply saying what we all know to be true. The mind cannot deliver the warmth and love that is so desperately needed in the world and in our everyday.
I think one of the masterful ways to avoid letting others into our lives is to not share anything about myself. So I find when someone asks me for example how my weekend is I can give a general response such as it was pretty good, or busy, or ok, or I can share a little part of the weekend, something that happened and allowed them to feel how I was, a richer picture of myself. I can feel how different this is and how much the other person loves to hear a more personal side of me and how it lets them into my world, and consequentially me to theirs.
I really enjoyed reading your blog and feel the truth in the ways we choose to disconnect from our true selves and thus others. When we are allowing our minds to run the show we are in a way shutting out the opportunity of true connection. This is very painful and doesn’t leave the body in a good state.
It’s interesting isn’t it how we think we need to hide ourselves from people. It feels so lovely when we let the guard down so why do we resist doing this? We all have an ability to see beyond the protection so we can all see each other anyway. When observed like this protection starts to look a bit ridiculous!
Nothing beats true intelligence, our bodies know the truth only the mind can bend and twist that truth.
I have realised now that when I live from my head, things feel narrow, hard and superficial…when I go deeper and respond from my whole body and how it feels, life feels, rich deep and multi-dimensional….with this there is no question which I would choose…sometimes the head comes back in and I go wow…that feels funny and choose different.
It’s funny how the mind can be used to shut people out. I know if I am in a room full of academics who are talking about something complex, I can choose to feel alienated and I keep quiet – rather than seeing myself as an equal within the room. But all this does it creates separation where there needn’t be any.
We follow our minds often like that ‘cool’ friend in high school that we knew wasn’t really good for us but we ignore the feeling and just continue to follow until we have the big whammy stop moment.
Our spirit ‘doesn’t nurture the body,’ but when we are connected to our body through our heart and movements the reflection of divinity is felt as a warm glow in the body. Nurturing is always within the inner-heart, but the ‘heart definitely’ has to be connected to, by us being present with what we are doing in our movements. Or by being in conscious presence with our movements. This is a great blog Matts, as our nurturing of our body certainly is felt by those who we come in connection with.
Many of us are a master at keeping ourselves away from others, but its not really mastery is it, but more deceitfully sophisticated in its lack of honouring for ourselves and others.
Matts, you have expressed this so clearly and from your heart that the truth of what you say cannot be denied. How many of us walk around depending on our “intelligent ” mind and neglecting and shielding the intelligence of our hearts that give us all those yummy feelings and beautiful connections with our bodies, ourselves and everyone else. The difference between mind full and heart full is so distinct. Very inspiring.
It’s true Matts, ‘mindfulness’ might be a way to create peace, a clear space or clarity to the mind, but what about the rest of the body? What happens when we get up, walk around and go back to normal life?
Its like proportional representation. The brain takes up about 1/8th of our whole body, but 100% of our attention. I say equal votes for the heart, the lungs, the hips, the knees! Vive la difference….
We all know that feeling of rationalising somethings from our head and yet it feels rubbish in the body. I used to push through and force this, because I thought I was right or I wanted a certain outcome. Now this rarely if ever occurs, because my body comes first, I feel, I observe and I do not ignore any changes in tension and connection, the whole body intelligence offers much deeper wisdom, I am committing to that.
As I read this blog Matts I felt such a deep understanding of the impact words have on ourselves and others depending on the source of the vocabulary – heart or head so whole body intelligence from living ‘heartfullness’ we actually achieve whole body relationships. Every moment counts.
“Said with a newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, which as a result, brings true intelligence.” I agree it is important to have a love filled with our body, our body is what communicates with us, connects us with our heart, lets us know when things are out of balance.
‘ For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ Spot on Matts, being intelligent at the expense of the body doesn’t make any sense at all considering the body holds a deep wisdom and true knowledge far grander than anything the mind can access.
Thank you Matts. As I learn to listen to my heart and body it has been transformational in how I am in life and with my health. I get to feel how cold and disregarding the mind can be and how all encompassing the heart and body are.
Serge Benhayon presented recently that we are all of the same intelligence. It was one of those light bulb moments. Of course, given we all come from the same source – God and we all have the same access to the ageless wisdom, no-one is given any more or less. There fore we are just fed the thoughts that we are stupid or more intelligent then another.
Thank you for sharing Mary-Louise, the belief that some people are more intelligent than others has been planted deep in my body I can feel and to feel the truth that we are indeed all coming from the same intelligence is really helping to unroot this belief and see it for how it truly is. Our ability to recall should never be confused with being intelligent, being intelligent is so much more than being able to regurgitate a text or understanding complex formulas. A light bulb moment for sure. Our intelligence is innate in us and we can always reconnect to it – it is where we come from.
As much as the body is an instrument or vehicle of expression it is also a receiver of expression; actually it is the receiving aspect that defines what will be expressed as only what goes in can come out. Therefore it is crucial to have a sensor that can identify and discern what to receive and what not as it will determine our overall state of being. Whole body intelligence is the sensory authority that is capable to fully be aware and understand the vibration inside and outside the body, all other measuring instruments like the mind or gut feeling or instinct are insufficient.
Our sensors when attuned to love and the light of the Soul will consider all equally.
It’s constantly revealing just how much the mind runs the show or body overriding your feelings in a split of a second. How do you know the difference of being when it is one of the healthiest knowing choices of awareness you could make? Absolute honesty has supported my connection back to my body – feeling the aches, pain, awkwardness and confronting other wise avoided ways of being has supported my return back my body. Another version of this is honouring what I know and feel.
We are masters of avoiding not going where we have no interest whatsoever in going. To that end we know how to play our various resources even if we are not aware of what are we doing. Once you learn that it is about letting people in, you become more aware the extent of how much (and when) you manipulate situations (if you do it at all) seemingly ‘to your advantage’ (not really).
Awesome blog Matts – brought with so much wisdom and love. As we allow our hearts to lead the way we find that simplicity and openness offer a freedom that allow us to let go of the prison where we have allowed our mind to isolate and separate us.
There are so many ways to protect oneself, but protecting ourselves with our mind is no doubt more common than we could ever imagine. We all do this, get caught up in the mind, over complicate, distract and make life more difficult than it really needs to be.
I am loving building a relationship with my ‘whole body intelligence’, having relied for years on the coldness of my brain alone approach.
We have such a wealth of intelligence accessible from the body, if we develop a relationship that allows us to listen and know what it is being communicated. The mind has no such skills, being an instrument for recall and analysis essentially.
Using my mind to have the right words and knowledge now feels like a weapon that I used to keep people at arms length.
Such a humble and inspiring sharing Matts, of how we keep the world out, ourselves locked up, with the mind us the fortress to so-call ‘protect’. It’s inspiring because most of humanity use the mind in this way, in fact it’s what we champion in society – the assimilation of knowledge, the so-called intelligence, the top conversation and argument at the dinner table. Amidst all this there is the hunger for connection, which we seek to satiate through means that will never bring us what we truly seek. So for a man in particular to surrender within themselves and be open and honest about how the mind has been used to keep people out, is such a healing for all – and it shows us so clearly where that hunger for connection can be satiated, which is when we go within, connecting to the perennial warmth of the inner heart.
Nobody wins when we hold ourselves in protection.
I had never really considered that I use my mind as a form of protection yet when i read your blog Matts I could feel just how much I do. All the negative thoughts hold me back from both fully feeling the love coming to me and expressing the love back out. This is awesome as I can feel the simple choice I have to say no to those thoughts and drop the protection.
“So you could say that I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart, and the (not so funny thing actually) is that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.” This is so spot on Matts, as when I go into my head from a need to control something, I do not feel the fullness of me and struggle within the complication I then create which is going against my bodies natural rhythms to move through situations with the flow and not against it.
I agree, the mind / head can be very neglectful of the body and we can get lost in our thoughts, even when we think we are doing great, but the beauty is the body does not lie, bringing awareness form the heart allows us to really appreciate what the body is sharing…and example would be meditating for hours in one position, with little care for warmth, position, tension, sleep etc….how did this feat dependent on training and stamina become a sign of being ‘good’ it is so important that we listen to the signs, the body offers wisdom well beyond the mind.
In protection we can be very masterful at keeping others out , but how liberating it is when we master staying open and realise this is the safest place we could be.
I have noticed this tendency for the mind to get in the way for protection. Sometimes I can feel so much love for someone or for myself and then when it comes to expressing how I am feeling, thoughts can jump in that tell me I don’t deserve it or that it cannot be true or that it will be too much, which is all ultimately really about me hiding who I am and how I feel and not wanting to be open and vulnerable with others or even myself.
I noticed many years ago how men would have an intellectual sword fight with each other. They would say that they were having an informative argument but to me it looked and felt like a sword fight! I love seeing men talking to each other from their hearts. It is music to the ears and a strong contrast to the sword fight of the mind.
The mind can push people away with thoughts, creating so much isolation, all at the expense of the body.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” If only we were taught this in school, that our mind isn’t the part of our body that is the most intelligent, but our bodies are, that it is important to listen to our bodies and not always give in to our mind. We would have a very different society.
As I was reading your blog Matts, I recall noticing the many forms of protection I see in people I meet. I also remember feeling hurt at times when I feel people were being dismissive, arrogant, and sometimes rude. But what I realise now is that these are just different forms of protection and when I take them personally I get to feel hurt but when I understand and see people’s behaviours and reactions for what they are, often it comes back to protection. I myself have used various forms of protection to keep people out but at the end of the day this never feels great, in fact every part of me feels awful when I act in a way that shuts people out.
A great observation of life – that the mind can distort, be the trickster and perceive the world to our choosing whereas the heart does not lie and holds the whole in equalness, without attachment, need or agenda.
What a great realisation Matts, “I’ve been a master at saying things that I thought sounded great and really sophisticated, but they were not coming from a heartful place, rather they were designed to keep people away.”
Love the body and the mind will follow…
One’s perception of the world will always be hemmed in by the quality of one’s experiences whilst one does not learn to reconnect to the body and the intelligence it displays that allows us to delve beyond the narrowness of our otherwise limited thoughts.
‘For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ – We have all been fooled to believe that ‘the mind rules’ and that intelligence is located in the mind, when truth is that our bodies knows the true answers, we only need to allow ourselves to feel what is continually being communicated to us.
I agree Matts, we are so used to use our minds to protect our hurts that allowing our hearts to have the first place seems to be scary and not doable but like this we never can have intimate relationships. Only by learning to open our hearts this is possible.
Opening our hearts open us up to each other and to the whole Universe – allowing true connection and for us to flow with life rather than at odds with it.
There’s no way a mind can truly know at a deep level how the body feels and what is going on for it as it cannot feel, so how can it truly know all there is to know without feeling if it is actually true or not as our gauge is through feeling truth.
There is a whole level of awareness that is far more profound, powerful and irrefutable than anything our mind can come up with. We have spent so much resources in looking into enhancing our ability to use our mind. It is time that we paid more attention to our relationship with, the awareness we tap in through this relationship and how we can support ourselves to deepen that.
I noticed how the intelligent mind with lots of knowhow about a difficult subject can be very dismissive of others not having the same understanding, at least that is what I noticed with myself. I was quite shocked how arrogant I was in the past with others because I could recall so many clever things and understand difficult maths and sciences. I would at times get impatient with others not understanding when I explained it in one time too! Now I love more to connect with people and make it not about how much I know or they know but about how it is to be together and how enjoyable I am and they are without the ‘I am only smart not good in loving’ lifestyle.
Well said Lieke, we can all do with less imposition of each other and more connection and true understanding.
Only wisdom and love can call out a line such as this
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” Beautiful thank you!
Matts, I love this, ‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have’, I am aware that sometimes I think I can only be with others if I’m feeling great and that I can have a tendency to hide away if not feeling so great, rather than showing all of me, with all my imperfections and allowing myself to be open, honest and transparent and allowing people in, thank you for your Lovely, honest sharing.
When l admit my patterns that keep me separate from others I can bring another level of acceptance to myself and with this, my connection with who I am is there and I can feel my loveliness; in this truth what’s not to share with others?
Mindfulness is another of societies sticking plaster that prevents us seeing the root cause of the problems.
The distresses and challenges happening in universities are to do with broader institutional goals and objectives rather than an innate problem with students’ mental health.
I love your” newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, which as a result, brings true intelligence. For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” and for sharing this so clearly bringing this reflection for us all to see. A real life changing way to live from our heart that is beautiful and in flow with all we come from and in connection with each other.
It is amazing quite how much we come from the head when we say things which end up being at the expense of another or trying to make a point. Love for me holds everyone equally and says it the way it is. It is opening yourself up and showing your all, not trying to hide your imperfections and also not hiding the love that you are.
How awesome Matts, shifting for being mind driven to being impulsed by the heart. What you have written here is very inspirational;
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself.”
The mind has its own agenda and doesn’t care about the body. As you say, only a cardio-centric way of life offers the harmony and rhythm that support the whole body and as a consequence, human interactions and all of humanity.
Loved what you shared Matts so simple and straight to the point, mindfulness is all about the mind with no connection to the intelligence of the heart and body, the mind is for itself, the heart and body are for the all.
It is when we dare to show our imperfections, knowing that there is no such thing as perfection, that we as human beings can open up and truly deeply connect to each other.
I agree for me it is usually my imperfections that I have tried to hide, so I would always make it appear I am doing well as generally no one wants to hear if you are struggling. The problem is then I stand in a lesser way with others instead of claiming my amazingness and showing all that I am. After all pretty much everything in this world tries to set us up to not be love so we are going to have moments when we slip and so if we tried to be perfect we would definitely set ourselves up to fail.
For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?
I know this state, when I talk intelligent instead of showing my vulnerability. It is like an inside decision, “no I do not let you in, I do not allow to be seen,” and it is so easy to get a feeling of connection via our minds, when in truth our hearts stay closed or at least are not opened up in full.It is a practice to observe those decisions in order to one time we can alter them.
Awesome blog Matts, reading this again, I realised I can fully trust what my body tells me but my mind can often be very misleading. I can have thoughts that distract me from what I am doing, thoughts that disconnect me from people and thoughts that are not supportive or loving. I have worked out that the more connected I am to my body then my thoughts are more aligned to love and truth. But when I am disconnected from my body, then I too very easily use my mind to protect myself from people, which never feels great but, like you shared, feels very lonely. I too am appreciating how important it is to nurture, love and care for our body, because when I am connected to me, then I am naturally connected to people lovingly and effortlessly.
How do we actually know that we are caught up in our mind when we know no different? We don´t.
Until we experience a state of being ourselves or meet someone who does that gives us a marker of how it is to not be caught in the mind. Then we have a choice.
That’s a great point Alex – without a true reflection we cannot know the difference and we will defend our choice to let the mind run the show.
‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.’ – Beautiful Matts, I can very much relate to the enormous difference it makes to let the world see who I am behind the facade and the changes it has made in my life and my relationship with others.
‘ For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ This question should be posted on billboards across the world every.
Love love love these words – nailed it!
‘The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself. ‘
For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess? What intelligence indeed Matts. But really when you get down to it, the mind doesn’t feel so how can it know what the body needs from a feeling perspective, it cannot, it can only try to control and manipulate the body with its wants and needs and never with the bodies best interest at heart.
Gosh, Matts, I have been caught up in my mind for most of my life, but now know that there is a whole different and liberating experience of life to be had without being driven by mental pictures, beliefs and ideals.
“So the heart, the precious heart, incorporates in all its humility, the whole body, which we could say is a whole body intelligence, whilst the mind brings with it a mind that is full of itself, or it could be translated to being mind-full. So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is:”
Very true words. I observe the mind is a liar because it keeps the body out. Truth and honesty can only come from the heart honouring the body.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.”
Hear Hear. Totally agree with this statement. This is why mind-full-ness will never work. It does not truly nurture the body. It just tries to force it into a state that cannot be maintained. When you connect the body and the mind, and live more from the wisdom of the body and the inner-heart, nurturing is second nature. No forcing there. A loving discipline at times, but not forcing.
I can relate to using recalled knowledge and complicated language to try and protect me from feeling like a fraud, when in reality when I really connect with who I am and allow myself to express, all I ever need is there is each moment.
Great point Elizabeth, this just shows how the mind will narrow everything down to suit the individual, at the expense of the rest of humanity.
This puts a different spin on the practice of mindfulness. Do we really want to encourage a stronger connection with our minds? Does this bring us the wisdom and the answers we seek? Or could there be a greater wisdom and understanding of life that we have access to from our bodies.
This is a great point Andrew – we have been lead to believe that the solution is to be found in the mind, but the true answer lies in our bodies.
From someone who has also protected myself through my mind, not letting people really in, I too am “slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart,” it does take time, and awareness. Because at that moment to go back to the mind can be strong. I am becoming more and more aware of this and how to come back to my heart moment to moment.
Awesome Matts, it is great to look at the many forms of protections we create to keep people out but deep inside we all want to connect with each other. You inspire me to look at some of my layers of protection and start peeling them away to let people into my life more and more. I often say I am very open to people but I can also feel there are subtle layers of protection I was not previously aware of until now.
To come from the mind is to go into a controlling mode. Coming from the heart we are able to relinquish control and surrender to love.
Yes, Jane. Exclusively using our minds should come with a health warning!
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” Great question, Matts, exposing that using our minds is definitely not going to be the answer in the long term.
The mind can be a fierce tool of protection and one that can cleverly hoodwink you from realising it.
There is a lot to explore and unfortunately many of us are so far away from expressing from the heart that it is like a new tool what we need to learn, by learning to let go of ideals and beliefs instead of clinging to them.
It is strange but true phenomena you are talking about here Matts. Using the mind to protect us from the others, is something that I can relate to.
From experience I agree that living from the mind takes a toll on my body, it twists me up inside and it doesn’t feel very fun to be me so why would I want to share this with others? The thing is I am coming to understand how I have chosen to be all knotted up and intentionally not show who I truly am to be this way. If I do show my truly loving self I feel how I am not an individual but am in fact equal to everyone. However the truth is and always will be is that my body shows me how successful maintaining the shut down is (which it is not) and how joyful it is to just be me. The lesson is to value who I already am, a part of everyone, rather than trying to hold onto being an individual in this world.
‘I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart,’ – This transition is something that requires much loving dedication and awareness. Considering energies are running through us all of the time and we choose which one we are going to let run us – then that means every nano second we have to be on it.
I feel that for most of us this is how we are with the world
“I’ve been a master at saying things that I thought sounded great and really sophisticated, but they were not coming from a heartfelt place, rather they were designed to keep people away. In other words, I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside. It was quite ‘effective’ and very few, if any, dared to question me; which sounds quite horrible when I say it like that, but that’s how it was. It feels quite ‘yuk’ and it also leaves you in a state where you are quite lonely.”
I know from my own experience that this is how I kept the world at arm’s length so to say which does make you feel quite lonely and it was not until I met Serge Benhayon and watched how he behaved in the world that I felt that I could start to trust the world again and let down my guard.
From my experience and observation, getting heady, being stuck in the head, with our thoughts, disconnects us from our body and we can be very disregarding of our bodies when we are in this state. We hear of artists, scientists etc working on a project, working day and night, little sleep, barely any food, the mind working over time, and the body being dragged along, this is an extreme version of what many of us do everyday as we go from one task to another. Are we dragging our bodies along or are they fully engaged in the activity we are taking part in? Often the head is then master and in so doing we loose connection with our bodies, whole body intelligence, ‘heartfullness’ is the way to true intelligence, there is no doubt about, the body is so fine and sensitive an instrument, it detects the slightest shifts and changes in environment and energy, it is something to embrace and develop a relationship with, for sure.
We accept protection in the way we relate, and yet everything in us knows it isn’t ‘it’, thus our perpetual dissatisfaction in life and within ourselves.
Well before the head goes into protection we are making the movements that have already said yes to the protection and walls.
Mental intelligence cannot be the answer when we have so many so-called intelligent people living in a way that makes no sense when calibrated to the bodies natural rhythms and functions.
Matts its easy to use the mind to know something more than someone else, to think we are better and to keep people out, but when we let ourselves feel our body, feel ourselves and our connection then we can’t keep anyone out as it goes against all our inner feelings.
‘Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff.’ – love this analogy, Matts! The mind likes making decisions for the whole body, without recognising it’s a part of the whole and any decision should support the whole and each part of the whole, not just one part, namely, the mind.
‘I used my mind to protect myself from letting people into my life.’ – it’s interesting how we think we’re protecting ourselves by ‘keeping people out’, or controlling how much we let them in, when in truth, we are merely isolating ourselves and missing out on the amazing joy of brotherhood and the love and support it offers.
My experience is that the more I allow myself to honestly feel, not react (too much or at all) the more I am willing and capable to respond from the heart, not the mind. The more I feel the need to protect myself and avoid dealing with emotions and situations the more I use my mind to control and manipulate life.
“The mind is interested in itself” utterly true this is, and it explains why we make choices that hurt us, because they are mind driven choices that leave us feeling less vibrant, something the body would never do. So surely this proves that a life lived from the body rather than the mind is the way to truly live in wellbeing.
Very true, the mind likes to be seen and as an individual and is always seeking recognition, therefore, it’s choices are always driven by self-interest, despite the spin to convince us otherwise.
So true Stephen, it is great to be aware of this. I still catch myself making choices that are driven from my head and a disconnection to my body, and the result of this never feels great because it harms me and others on some level. This shows how important it is to be aware of this and to continuously listen to my body.
And isn’t it ironic how Mindfulness is currently being championed across the globe, a practice that engages your mind to train your body….control dressed up as conscious presence!
Over the last week or so I have had moments of insight where I have realised just how many different ways my mind can be involved in keeping me from the clarity that comes from allowing myself to feel everything. So it is great to appreciate the unfolding for you Matts.
It’s true, when we go into our heads to make a judgement on another we instantly lose connection with our loveliness and we create a separation. It’s such a quick change and one that we can easily miss, but catching it is the way to drop it and find our way back to true connection with ourselves and others.
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” – intelligence is based on what a person knows – facts and figures. But exactly how intelligent is it to do things that hurt and cause harm to our bodies?
The protection that we choose as you say Matts is very lonely, deep down we want to really connect with people and have those intimate relationships, not in a sexual way just really connecting deeply with someone, everyone. We tend to do this with a selected few that we see close to us, but are we really if we aren’t like that with all. Does it just seem like we are more open but in actual fact it’s just another level of letting people in instead of us fully being there in any given moment and letting all of us out.
The point you are making here is so important, Matts, how the mind does not nurture the body in any way, and in fact is happy to disregard or even abuse it, to achieve a certain outcome.
‘ The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.’ It is amazing how many unloving things we do that we can justify with our mind which begs the question – does it really care for us?
True intelligence makes choices based on the harmony, health and wellbeing of all and will never, ever leave anything in a mess.
“a love filled relationship with my body, … brings true intelligence.” Well there’s a statement to turn education on its head and what we have accepted as intelligence. The more I get to know myself via the body, the more I understand and know of life.
How wonderful it is to appreciate our innate value and how in doing so, our hearts are open to life.
Well said Richard, I don’t feel this way of living from the heart and valuing the body was ever called normal, it was all about school, marks, degrees, achievements and yet, it is the most normal and natural way to children before they find themselves being taught another way.
A very good question, not very intelligent really. I have often wondered how to explain the empty feeling inside, the feeling that we feel when we reconnect with our bodies and then freak out! To describe it as – “It’s as if you leave for holidays and you forget that your flowers need watering and you come home and they are all not looking so great.” Putting it that way takes away the drama of that empty feeling, it simply offers us another opportunity to start watering the flowers aka start taking care of your body!
I love your comment “the mind does not nurture but the heart certainly does”. This is defiantly worth pondering on. I recall having conversations with friends as teenagers saying should we follow our heart or our head? Yes their was a lot of emotion attached to this, but a worthwhile conversation to have nevertheless. We felt that the head (or the mind) was more cold and matter of fact and we thought that the heart, even though was warm and tender would also lead us astray. The truth is though our heart never leads us astray, it always guides us to the truth. Its our mind that leads us astray through its justifications, complications and even the doing of the right things. The heart is love and everything from there is about love. Simple.
The last line is an absolute killer Matts! I love it. How can a choice that leaves our bodies in disarray be intelligent? Yet we make these choices every day. A worthwhile question to consider.
Very great question indeed, how truly intelligent are we? Is intelligence really about knowing more than another or could it be about embracing and loving everyone equally amd thus living in a way that supports this?
I love your sharing Matts. A beautiful reminder of how the heart nourishes the body in a loving way and seeks the same ‘..love filled relationship..’ with those around – free of judgement and competition that so often happens when we are coming from our minds.
If we are not in our own driverseat, the mind takes over and so, being present in the body offers us the whole picture. It is never about mindfulness, like you say Matts heart fullness in the way to true intelligence.
I love this statement Matts – “… I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have…” I am at this place too and it feels just gorgeous to be, without putting on a show to pretend to be something else just because of an erroneous belief I have held that others want me to be something different (although in some cases that may be so, however that I now can view as to what that really is, to fit in with something I always knew did not fit me).
The mind is a great tool for those who just want to be left alone. It is not just any tool though. It is one that forces you to act in specific ways that bring you farther and farther away from the heart. You have to be prepared to engage your mind in every conversation. You enter specific types of conversations; the type of conversations that guarantee that you will not be able to connect with your body and come to a point of rest within yourself.
Yesterday during an esoteric yoga workshop, i found myself sitting in a certain way on the table that felt uncomfortable, i realised that this discomfort that i was willing to endure was because my mind had accepted so many beliefs from school/society about being a woman, being dignified and sitting with my legs firmly closed!
Aligned to what is not true the mind will always compromise the body.
Thanks Matts, this is a candid summary of why mindfulness is not the answer.
Indeed it is and how many people out there in the world are offering to practice mindfulness, all to not truly drop into the heart by making the mind the number one ….
How many leaders in the world whether they are the CEO of a company or of government can say they got there by opening up and letting people in – not many I imagine. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why the world is currently in the mess its in.
An amazing sharing of true intelligence and the wholeness this allows bringing an understanding to the separation and emptiness if we are honest enough to the mind’s intelligent way of life and living which always leaves us feeling less and hence the need for protection. Openness to the all from our hearts in its simplicity and purity is everything and is what it says pure intelligence from beyond all encompassing known and felt.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” great point made here, we have been so caught in living a life where our mind takes off trying to control our life, but as most of us have seen that has been so much harmful to ourselves and our body. No connection to the body and heart, mind on its own rushing through and creating a distant between the body. What you have shared is great, to take it back to our connection to our heart, which takes the whole body into consideration.
Yes, that takes courage as there could be a backlash once we drop or reduce our protection.
I used my mind a lot for protection but I have found that my movements were actually even more important, i.e. how I presented a point could be more important than the point itself. A sharp tongue coupled with abrasive movements is very forceful.
Yes and they have done that out of protection as to not get hurt themselves, yet the hurt is even bigger as this isolates us from others …
Coming from only your mind is very singular and isolating, whereas being impulsed by your heart opens you up to a deeper understanding and connection to not only within yourself but to humanity as a whole – not being afraid to express your vulnerability and let down the barriers that the mind can keep you imprisoned with when it is used to over-ride what the heart and body is feeling. “The mind doesn’t nurture but the heart definitely does.”
I love that Matts: “I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am” how much we all gain or rather enjoy when another lets us in and we go there.
There are so many ways that we have developed with the idea of protecting ourselves from what – the full glory and love that we are. I know that I do this daily and my thoughts and mind are a huge part of this.
‘For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ – Thanks for this Matts – so well put and so true. This is the body speaking and not the mind. What an awesome sharing of the potential of true intelligence.
I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – This is such a great statement and intention Matts, clearly bringing in an allowance and appreciation of who you are in truth.
There is so much truth in the saying ‘the mind can play tricks on us’. If we rely on our minds to tell us what to do, then this is exactly what happens. To nurture our children to know that they should trust what they feel in their bodies rather than the thoughts that came into their minds would be a great step towards changing the way we live in this world.
I can relate to being on the ‘cusp of a new era.’ Recently I was being asked to surrender when I had gone into doing. I thought I was being clever, that I was doing things perfectly. Usually the world leaves you alone when you’re functioning and looking good in that way. But here this person wasn’t buying my facade of being in my head – I was thinking how well I was but when I felt my body there was a layer of surrender and vulnerability to go to that I was pretending wasn’t there! But when I did I realised there was a whole new level of being with me and also being with others.
The mind often makes logical references and sees everything as one plus one is two. With that I mean that I am noticing these days so many ‘if that is so it means that I am this’ or ‘if that is not so I am not good’. They are all concepts in my mind that have hurt me deeply in the past. Instead the heart and whole body just feel every moment as a unique moment and can interpret exactly what is going on and why which leaves the judgement behind.
I find this can even be as simple as the conversation topics I stick to, keeping it to work or studies or something I know about or is interesting, rather than allowing space for deeper more personal things to be shared.
Makes a great protective platform doesn’t it, when we stick to our mental knowledge and topics. Yet how much often do we feel just so much more touched and something being offered when we allow ourselves to drop into connection with ourselves and others …
How different our world would be {and our schools} if we were taught that our body is more intelligent than the mind!
Can you imagine – it would be very very different as everyone would be so onto everything and feeling everything and knowing what works and doesn’t work for them, the world would be such a healthier and more harmonious place to live in…
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does”. As I read these words of wisdom I suddenly wondered how life would be for us if these words were shared with us as small children and continued to be as we grew. In fact I am sure that young children naturally know this but are not supported to hold this wisdom, just as their parents weren’t either. Simple words with a hugely powerful and healing message for humanity.
I have used both nastiness and niceness to protect myself from others. I wielded them both in the same way, basically banking on the fact that people tend to either attack or get close to either a nasty person or a nice person. Two sides of the same coin
Making it about the heart and not the mind. A great reminder ????
“I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have..” – that’s the key i’ve also found too Matts, the acceptance of one’s imperfectness without indulgence but with understanding of the vastness of our divine or multi-dimensional selves that far surpasses the material physical body we can get so wrapped in. Removing the wrapper reveals the imperfect gem inside.
‘Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff. No real joy and harmony happening there, is it?’ this reminded me that we sometimes forget that the mind works with the body and should not act in disregard of it.
Matts, I also use my mind to keep people out of my life, through justifications and judgements, I am able to create a reality that ensures isolation and control. But I realise that this is all a play of my mind, because the truth is that I love so deeply and this love comes from the intelligence that lives within from my body, nothing to do with my mind at all, just in the simplicity of being it is all there.
Love what you have shared Matts about ‘heart-fullness’ or ‘whole-body-intelligence’ being all about the truth of who we are, and in our connection, which is the ‘precious heart’, inner-most, heart-fullness or the esoteric, once we are connected to the harmony that comes from that connection there is nothing else.
There are many ways we can shut people out – using intellect, whit, humour, anxiety, shyness, anger and/or bravado. All of which are never who we are in essence but a mask we attempt to wear in fear of being hurt for being seen as our true and amazing selves. But what hurts more? Holding ourselves back and having to live in a way that is false OR ruffling a few feathers here and there when we express from our amazingness?
The mind has no power next to the inner-heart.
It makes sense, if we are constantly in our heads we misuse our bodies and they harden, and a hardened body cannot love in the same way as a body that is at ease with itself. How important is our presence then moment to moment?
Once we disappear into the mind we are lost in a labyrinth of lies, in contrast once we choose to come into the body , we enter a world of simplicity and truth
A “labyrinth of lies” is a great description of the mind, if we leave the labyrinth and the body tells us a whole world of truth.
Back from holiday, realising the abandonment of the whole picture, we can gently move our minds out of the driving seat and take our rightly place, whole bodily, with both hands on the steering wheel.
Why in the first place do we feel we can’t just be in our bodies and just be truly ourselves? Why are we made to believe we are not truly divine, in the first place. It’s great that there are a lot of people starting to wake up to the fact that we are beautiful just being us and this is something that in the future will become a given, but will need the likes of you Matts to show by your livingness how it is done.
I love what you share here Matts, there is no greater intelligence than that we activate when we choose to connect and live from the inner heart. Not always an easy thing to do, but well worth the choices needed to do so… of which you are a case in point.
I agree Jenny – and eventhough this is not the way most of us are brought up to live, it is never too late to choose a life lived from our innermost.
I love the analogies you used to expose the lack of love and true care that the mind has for a body that it uses for its own agenda at great cost if we allow it. We deserve more than an empty box but we must be willing to let our heart fill it and embrace the true intelligence of the body, that in connection with the heart does not need to protect itself like the mind believes.
Holding onto pictures in life creates a barrier and protection in our bodies that is not only harming for our physicality but also deprives another of receiving the essence of who we are.
How true it is that the mind is consumed by the self, an identity, ideal and appearance at the expense of the body and others, yet the heart never is not in constant understanding and appreciation of all others – the whole of us and the greater whole… in connecting to our hearts, we can deeply love and hold all.
And on top of that the protection numbs us, makes us unaware so we don’t notice how much we get affected anyway.
I used my mind for protection and I have become aware how I use my body and my emotions and the way I move … Protection can run deep.
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” – quite Matts, and in this you disrupt the institutions of academia, education and business given the rocketing rise in burnout, stress and ill mental health/depression and anxiousness. Intelligence is (developing) a spacious body open and ready to receive the vitality of the light of the soul used in every day life.
Everything we do, everything we say can come from the heart. We all know when we have felt a gesture or act that comes with this Love. Contrast this with an empty reply, a bunch of words strung together in a sophisticated way. They might entertain us, soothe us or amuse us, but they are a gift without anything inside. When we make this decision as you say Matts, to make life all about expressing from our beautiful body, we truly deliver a present to everyone we meet that goes so much further than we can see.
Thank you Matts for a great sharing. One of the hardest things in life is to be ourselves at all times in all situations. but as you say our Heart does just that.
The mind has so much power if we so allow it, the mind can justify and reason what ever circumstances. How this then becomes all about the intellect and no connection with our innate heart that knows all if we so choose to connect to it.
The mind will always look for a part of something, where our heart will see the whole before it looks at a part. I find that the mind will always look for a ‘lesser than’ option and is unable to feel and unable to feel the truth. What’s important here is not having or aiming for a mind that is empty. I have found if my mind is empty, I am checking out – like I am in a void rather than being in the world in full.
Intelligence can come from the mind, but wisdom comes from the heart.
The answer to the deep sadness so many people feel, the emptiness they desperately seek to fill, is found within your blog Matts. As long as we seek with the mind, we are seeking on empty, with an end of itself alone, without any consideration for the whole of us or of others.
I know this mind game pretty well and can see it ever so more clearly when I am allowing myself to feel my essence and see that my mind isn’t really all it is said to be and my heart is far more intelligent and knows what my body needs. It is allowing ourselves to feel this and let go of the hurts that we hold against others.
“So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself. Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff. No real joy and harmony happening there, is it?” great analogy Matts, we are missing out on so much when we don’t incorporate our whole body into everything we do,
Imagine a love filled relationship with our bodies and then naturally our relationships with others are equally love filled.
SO true Jenny – the more we can honour who we are, enjoy the fact and express it the more we can see others for who they really are and not for their behaviours. On the other hand, when we hide behind behaviours or false personalities it’s very hard to see the truth and beauty in others.
Living life through pictures and not being aware of any quality is aiding us to be in protection against one another. And I would ask, why would we want to protect ourselves from others in the first pace? Because we have been hurt, and have given up putting ourselves out in the open again to feel.
Our mind can get away with so much irresponsibility and things that aren’t true, and all along if it works in counter to the nature of the body it is just living in isolation, and the body is hurting. Real honesty starts with the body.
Yes that is my experience too. My relationship with honesty started with developing awareness for my body and the signs and symptoms it is always sharing.
When we are in our heads when we communicate, emotions come in and cloud our perspective so then you never get to the truth of the heart. This then promotes a sense of frustration and thinking that you don’t have the answers. Luckily for us our bodies have recorded everything for us.
…’I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am.’ I love this line. It’s so full of love, openness, transparency, knowing oneself and a beautiful acceptance of who we truly are. I too am realising how caught up in my mind I have lived – playing out scenarios in my mind as to what to do next when it’s about surrendering to simply being and living from my inner heart. Appreciate all these realisations that I am receiving where I am not living who I am in full. Understanding they are part of the process of returning to being me as I drop what isn’t supportive along the way.
It’s easy to use our mind to protect ourselves, we just have to allow thoughts that keep us in separation from others. Our heart, however, knows this is not the way.
“I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart” – and sometimes the impulses from the heart don’t always make sense at the time, i.e. you get a feeling to do something, but later it makes perfect sense. Whereas the mind tends to go with a linear logic that makes sense at the time, but doesn’t always make sense later.
I love your sharing of the heart as ‘whole body intelligence’ – this is very cool and makes so much sense. Especially given there are studies out there that show the heart responds quicker than the head.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” This is so important and really all systems on the planet are set up by the mind and are configured to keep it that way. Thank God for Universal Medicine and the universal whole body intelligence that is impulsed by the universal love. When we see how protected we are it is so deeply sad and so far from the love we can be as a humanity.
Not only do thoughts prevent us from truly connecting to other people but actually all else beyond that to which can be felt in our hearts and bodies.
Matts, absolutely gorgeous, ‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have’. I have found this recently too, I used to have this hard shell where I would not let people in, I would not show my vulnerability and would always say ‘good’ when someone asked how I was rather than be honest about how I was feeling, that has changed now and I can feel how I have dropped my guard and enjoy being honest and true with people and it is now very lovely connecting with people and and letting them in.
The body naturally wants to connect, it is like its particles are drawn to join another particles, so if all pretence, protection and roles, that we think we have to play drop away, all that is left is a beautiful openness and expressiveness.
“How I Used my Mind to Protect Myself from Others” – losing my mind and its cool protected-ness, and instead surrendering [more and more] to my body on a continuing basis is one of the greatest choice these last few years for the openness, warmth and magnetism when it comes to all types of relationships.
As a society the biggest question I think we can ask ourselves is this
” For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess? ”
This sums it all up, this question alone holds the power to unlock the worlds ills. Great article, thank you for reminding me of how I choose to operate way too often.
‘….the whole body, which we could say is a whole body intelligence,’ is a whole new way we can be living. How is it we have this amazing body – holding intelligence in every particle, and we basically ignore it and put all of our intelligence into a very narrow form – the mind, which is fickle and unreliable. Our body in itself holds the key to the universe, it is made of the same stuff – particles/atomic structures etc….
This shows how we can hide behind words in saying one thing to a person but not really meaning it or by calculating what we say to people in order to ‘protect’ ourselves. But what is it we are protecting? It certainly is not the heart as the inner heart wants to connect not protect! Awesome sharing.
When we realise that the protection that we have been using to keep others out, isn’t a protection at all and simply keeps others away and stops us from receiving the very thing we all want, which is love. Only our hearts can guide us in this, as the mind is only interested in controlling its environment to feel okay, whereas the heart says, this love inside me is all the protection I ever need, this love is powerful, and this love is for all.
It surprises me the way an imperfection becomes the focus therefore separating ourselves from the loveliness we are. It makes no sense to choose a focus on one tiny hick-up at the much grander truth of: we are simply learning and in that mistakes are essential. In fact learning becomes stifled, constrained, tense and complex when disconnected from our true source of wisdom – which is our connection with our bodies, our innate loveliness – the essential tool to true learning.
I know that those moments when my mind is in alignment with my body feel like the most natural and yet the most common state is for my mind to be dominant – inspiring to read this blog, thank you Matts.
You hit the nail on the head here Matts ‘For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ – it clearly does expose how we have been living, disconnected to our innate qualities within in all that we do so no wonder our health and wellbeing statistics keep rising year after year. What we have to consider is that those numbers actually don’t even represent the true state of our quality being lived as what we are living with as being accepted as normal and putting up with pain, discomfort or exhaustion is a very telling sign how far off they really are.
Heart-fullness is the way… I couldn’t agree more.
Bringing the mind back into union with body, inner heart and its natural wisdom is the name of the game to access our true intelligence.
“It’s as if you leave for holidays and you forget that your flowers need watering and you come home and they are all not looking so great.” – I love this way of putting it, when we enclose ourselves into our mind, we neglect the body and developing a connection with it.
‘So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is.’ – well said, Matts. Mindfulness doesn’t consider the effect on the body, as you’ve shared, therefore, it doesn’t consider the whole. For true understanding each part must consider the whole that it is a part of, which is exactly what the heart does.
We all have our vices to shut people out and it’s great that you are exploring yours Matts. Thank you for sharing and inspiring.
Yes, this is an inspiration and invitation to explore our own mechanisms for keeping people distant in our lives.
Growing up with so many pressures and expectations placed on us by society has lead to many behaving like they know the answers rather than be judged as less but as you have so honestly pointed out there are outcomes to every choice and this one in particular can leave a person isolated and alone.The greatest support and protection is the warmth of a loving heart and the fullness of knowing we are choosing and celebrating all that we are – amazing. As you have shared Matts – ‘The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does’.
It’s not something that most people usually think about – ‘using the mind to protect ourselves from others’. Anyone who is not used to thinking in this way would have to sit and ponder what this actually means. In our body’s natural state it is gentle and surrendered. If we have a strong inner connection there is no need to harden and protect ourselves against others. If we stay with this inner connection there is no need for thought. Without the strength of the inner connection of course we are going to go into thoughts to make sense of everything and place judgments on everything and everyone around us. As soon as we do this the hardness and protection comes in. We have a clear choice – focus on the inner connection, or go into the head and think! Staying with the inner connection allows us to meet and connect with people from a true place, and there is absolutely no need for any walls.
It is easy isn’t it to expose the mind as not being as intelligent as we think it is because it can clearly make decisions that are self-harming to the body and itself even where as the heart will never make a choice that is self-harming or harming to others.
“It’s as if you leave for holidays and you forget that your flowers need watering and you come home and they are all not looking so great.” This is such a great analogy Matts. How often do we just follow what our mind tells us to do and completely ignore what the body is asking for? Way more often than I would like to even consider I suspect.
Reading you blog Matts reminded me of a video I had to watch once as part of company policy.
And I was watching and listening to some of the top executive managers talk and they said all the right words and were very articulate but were very robotic, there was no empathy and they felt shut down and given up. So definitely no connection to and with the workforce. And it left me feeling quite ‘yuk’. I could read that they were not allowed to run the company as they would wish but were totally driven by the shareholders and to me when the shareholders run a company it is lost because it becomes all about money and profit is empty and cold, this trickles down to the workers who also give up because the pressure to perform is enormous and they can feel the lack of care towards them and the company they work for.
Matts, the quality of your writing says it all. We feel your tenderness as you un-peel layers that kept you away form yourself and others.
Try as we might to erect brick walls with our minds, when we meet true love in another, it starts to melt the foundations of these rigid barriers. Consistency is key, it re-builds our trust, allows us to dismantle the barriers in our own time and empowers us to heal the hurts we have been protecting. True love simply asks us to be all we truly are, loving, wise and deeply caring, appreciating why we have erected the walls, but relentless in loving them down.
‘ and the (not so funny thing actually) is that having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.’ Yes Matts, it is only when we start to become more aware of the constant messages from our bodies that we realise the damage we have done.
A full mind literally takes us out of our body and of life. When distracted by thoughts we miss out on so much and it drains not nurtures the body
Absolutely. When we isolate ourselves in our heads we shut down the communication with, and awareness of, our bodies, which means we do not respond to the signposts our bodies share and end up exhausted, ill and/or injured.
Throughout our history we can see quite clearly where men and women have used their minds to protect themselves thus then shutting themselves off from the love in their inner heart. This choice then leads to all sorts of problems for when we are in our heads another can be perceived as the enemy, when we are in our hearts we know we are the same.
‘…having been mind driven for a long time takes a toll on your body and can leave it quite empty and vacated.’ This is quite a realisation to have and an awareness you bring to us all….for does not most of humility live being mind driven?
Matts you wrote: “The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” That is really something we should learn from day one – the question is why this is not something normal for everyone?
Interesting account Matts of the fact that living from the mind leaves us empty, and living from the heart, full [of flowering blossom : ) ] I agree too that the latter when felt holds no contest as to which is healthier .. the issue being whether we allow ourselves to feel it – by feeling both qualities, and then making the active choice that keeps us healthy and vital.
One of the great benefits of being protected is that we have lots of strategies to deal with rejection or perceived rejection. The disadvantage is that they don’t work…
‘I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have’ … I can totally relate to this Matts – I have also been hesitant to allow people to enjoy all of me, there has been a control in how much of me I’ve shared. When I am feeling vulnerable I have been like a wounded animal, hiding in the bushes, licking my wounds. Deepening my relationship with me and taking self-care to another level, I can now appreciate this is exactly when having people around is so supportive, being open and allowing in the love from those around me to support me as I love and support others – true brotherhood.
What are we really protecting ourselves from? We may say ‘i protect myself from being hurt’, could there be something more to this, could it be ‘Im protecting myself from being all that I am within’, because if I am, then others will not like it, react, be jealous?
As you have stated so powerfully – I’m willing to let go of the protection I have had around people and I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am’ Yes to enjoy you for who you truly are! Thank you for sharing this blog from who you truly are, I’ve enjoyed you and your sharing which I feel will likely resonate for many of us.
The only way to defeat the imposition of the mind is to connect to the body. And the best way to do that is through movement, and more particularly becoming aware of the quality of your movement. In that process, the musings of the mind become secondary, but no less important, for what one will find trough experimentation is that the quality of our thoughts can actually be affected by the quality of our movements. As I have shared previously, open your chest outwards, relax your shoulders, look someone in the eye, keep you hands by your side, and see if you can remain closed to another person. Most likely, if you are protected normally, you will not only find this uncomfortable, but will find your body almost involuntarily flinching as the shoulders try to close in to protect the heart, and most likely you will want to cross your arms. But that is only because you are unfamiliar with being physically, and thus energetically open. The esoteric philosophy teaches that life is always energy first, before it is physical. And this is true. However, one of the greatest ways to change your energetic state of being so that you are impulsed moving forward to change your living way is through the quality of movement. And in that, every movement counts……
I can agree with everything you’ve shared here Adam as the way to quiet the mind is to come back to how I move and open my chest, let go of clenching my jaw and scrunching my toes and to allow for eye contact. The more I do this the more beautiful life becomes rather than staying protected which feels safe. The beauty feels very natural and yet unknown at times and I wonder if this fear of the unknown is a part of the reason for the lack of consistency in what are very simple movements. I get to feel and see people opening up that I could never image possible.
How instantly the mind forgets that it cannot function without the body it is inescapably connected to, and is then so quick to abuse. Yet our true power is lived when, through our hearts, our connection to our whole-body intelligence is embraced knowing that this is in which the mind is included, what truly guides us to live the vitality, love and wisdom that we are born in a body to live.
Beautifully said Matts, a heart-felt statement from your heart out to every other heart that wants to hear and be appreciated for the intelligence it brings.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” I feel this is something we can all relate to when we let our bodies speak, while the mind will find many arguments why it is right.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. So the heart incorporates the whole body.” I can relate to this. I understand that feeling intimately. Lots of holidays and lots of dead flowers. The picture is dramatic yes but it makes so much sense and explains what has been happening to and for me for a while now-lifetimes actually.
The flip side is to not use the mind as a way of protection, basically hide. There is no love, joy or livingness in this choice; it is still all a mind game.
There is a big difference between living from our hearts and living from our minds. Matts, I love how you have shared this from your lived experience having lived both and knowing the difference – for when we share from an actual lived experience and share how it was vs how it is today with the changes one has fully embraced, the message is far more powerful! I too have and still can live from my head, but more and more am learning to live my life more from the body and from the deepest recesses of the heart – this treasures all of me, and allows as you have shared, a true intelligence to come forth, one that always honours the body at all times.
The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. Absolutely Matts, as the mind cannot feel and so can choose all sorts of things for the body to go through, never once feeling the effects.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself.” – you have nailed it here Matts, and in the process you have exposed mindfulness exactly for what it is: heartless.
The mind leaves the body like an abandoned vehicle on the roadside. With no care for what happens to it next.
Today I attended a Livingness 1 workshop in Cologne and we workshopped just that: the difference between being in your head or connected with your body. What stood out for me is that my connections with others felt so much deeper and very yummy in my body when I was connected with myself first. A true no brainer!
This is a great point Lieke; our relationships with people can be very intellectual based or truly open and intimate.. The difference between the two feels enormous!
When we express to someone with absolute love and a moment of the universe is expressed, to try and re-do that again is holding back because the next time it is greater, hence why if we stay stuck on something that was love 4 years ago and are not moving forward it all doesn’t work.
The mind in its arrogance thinks it need nothing and no-one. The heart in its fullness expands into the space of the universe and wraps all within it amazing grace.
I find that when we become too mind driven and intelligence focused, it casts a coldness on life, keeping people at a distance and making life a pursuit for more rather than a deepening of all we already are.
That is true, living the life of the mind is emotional, not loving.
We can see why the world is currently in the mess it is in, is because it has been run by an intelligence that is not connected to the body or heart. We will see in the future that no amount of intelligence is worth it if it does not first come from the heart.
It is a shock I think to stop and feel how the mind does not nurture our bodies in fact it over rides the natural wisdom and knowing that it constantly communicates.
Thank you for the deeper clarification Jenny.
I agree Jennym, our minds can justify whatever they want, working with outcomes rather than the truth. The mind shamelessly over-rides the body’s intelligence for it’s own gain.
I love it when I gain a deeper understanding of an aspect of life and my relationship with it expands. So I have always enjoyed using my logical thinking to work out what is in front of me.
Yet…. I am noticing more and more that my mind can only tap into a tiny fraction of what I can with my whole body, which to me means my whole being not just my mind.
Our body is made up of particles that are aligned to and vibrate with the whole of the universe, so we have within us the most profound antennae about what is going on (if we do not sabotage it with our foods, thoughts, emotions and other polluting activities) .
I love your playfulness of comparing mindfulness with heartfulness. What a booby price is the drive for mindfulness.
I love the analogies you have used here Matts – that being in our mind is like having a meeting with only the boss. Very telling and certainly gets the point across that we are missing out on so much when we only come from the mind. I love what you share about the heart being whole body intelligence and how different this can feel in our bodies. As computers start to take over knowledge for humanity, there is certainly an opportunity for us to not be driven by our heads but rather come back to our bodies as a whole.
This is really interesting. I have found that living from the mind alone starts to feel like a prison, being dictated to by thoughts which cannot be controlled. This is until you simply connect to your heart and respond to what you feel – then the relationship with thoughts changes completely.
Simple and powerful blog you have written here Matts. I have heard so many times someone say about another that ‘they dont know what theyre saying as they let their heart rule their head’. But as you so wisely say “The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” If we all paid heed to this and put it into practice – time would soon tell which one was right – there would be no need for proof then.
There is a huge difference between living from the head and the mind and living from the heart and body.. one is cold and protected, driven and hard, and the other is open, inclusive and loving. After having lived from my head for a long long time, to start to let this go, to start to accept that my mind doesn’t know everything and isn’t quite the masterful character it thinks it is, feels like a challenge – but only because I’m still invested in owning knowledge and intelligence. Building a relationship with our bodies where we can feel more, and notice the quality of our thoughts, allows us to build trust with the body and what we can feel, and with that, we’re less reliant on the mind to tell us what to do.
Matts, thank you for this blog because it is so great to read something from someone who is saying that they are in that transition phase from using the mind as a weapon to using the heart as a unifier. We have used and abused our minds and given the mind far too much prominence when true intelligence comes from the heart. Letting go of using the mind to protect us and keep people out is a choice worth making.
As long as we champion the mind as being it, the pinnacle of life then the body will continue to suffer the consequences in its many forms of illness disease and accidents.
A great point you’ve made Matts is that the mind can paint amazing pictures, evaluate tricky problems and come up with complicated schemes or ways around things, but does it NURTURE the body? When we rely solely on our mental intelligence do we feel inclined to look after ourselves?
Perhaps the only time that the mind will ‘nurture’ the body when it has been directed and impulsed by the heart itself?
For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess? Great question. In the past I lived solely from my head until the day came that I reached breaking point which was the catalyst of shifting from my head to my body – well that was life changing. These days my life is simple, I commit to work, I let people in and love to connect with people but most of all I have developed and deepened the relationship with myself that I can now honour and love my body and live in a way that allows the bodies intelligence to impulse me.
The mind would have us believe that we as the individual is the main focus but the body will consider all equally. So with everyone living from their minds and not their bodies it is easy to see why we feel we are separate and different from everyone, and want to protect ourselves. Then there are times in our lives when we do feel the emptiness and despair but we do not know what to do with it – so more conversations like this one are indeed necessary.
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” Or anything else for that matter. True intelligence always considers every movement within the context of the whole, regarding not only the effect on self but on everyone else too, an intelligence that can only come from the innate wisdom deep inside our hearts and bodies.
Our bodies are amazing with everything it does autonomously. We don’t need to be reminded when we sleep to breathe or to keep the heart pumping! But, the mind doesn’t sleep when we do, it carries on working watching old movies and creating new bizarre ones with dreams. But aren’t these dreams just from choices the mind has convinced us to make when we are awake? When we chose to have the heart be in charge of the whole body intelligence the mind gets to rest at night also!
Beautiful Matts, ‘Said with a newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, which as a result, brings true intelligence.’ I am also realising that having a loving relationship with my body is key, being aware of how I am moving and how my body is feeling, I find that if I listen to my body and move in a gentle way and listen to my body with what feels supportive and loving and what does not then life flows and there is an ease, I have been enjoying falling in love with my body and enjoying the shape and movements and grace of my body, this enjoyment and focus for me means that I am present in my body and not off in my head thinking about all sorts of unnecessary things.
The mind is calculating like the workings of a computer, very functional, but cold. The heart is full of love, warmth and openness. From each of these places we express completely differently…and each has a different impact on the body. It doesn’t make sense that we override our heart voice with our mind voice and yet we do. It’s beautiful Matts that you have said no to the expression from the mind and yes to one of the heart…we all benefit and the world expands as a result!
‘I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am, in all the imperfections that I have – however, not making them the focus, because I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.’ Embracing our imperfections whilst not making them the focus is a beautiful way to live, the acceptance that we are all human, we all make mistakes it is about accepting those mistakes or imperfections and moving on. There is always so much amazing stuff to appreciate but how often do we fully embrace appreciation of ourselves?
Tenderly written and from your heart, an unfolding many will relate to.
The analogies you make about going on vacation and coming back to find all your flowers wilted and the boss who doesn’t invite anyone to the staff meeting are spot on Matts. That’s exactly what we do when we only focus on the mind. I am beginning to discover the whole body intelligence that you describe. Its makes total sense to live from the whole of you rather than from just the brain.
With the state of our overall state of health we need to look to the body for answers because the mind is only coming up with the problems. Take sugary foods the body reacts in so many ways telling us sugar is not good but still the mind thinks it is a good idea.
“I’m slowly shifting myself from being mind driven to becoming more impulsed by my heart” what an amazing difference this approach to life makes, I know when I rely on the mind I get anxious and go into right and wrong, when I listen to my heart I know what is true and life is far simpler.
“I’m willing for others to enjoy me for who I truly am”… this really struck me today. Partly because I found it a slightly odd statement due to the fact that you rarely hear and it could be easily misinterpreted. But I loved it and could really connect to your intention behind the words as so often we hold back from sharing ourselves from the world, which means people can get sold short of what they can enjoy about you. Here’s to sharing more of you for more people’s enjoyment!
We all are awesome when we allow our inner heart to come out in full, including the imperfections as that just makes life so real.
For way too long the mind has ruled the body and in turn ruled our lives. The imbalances that we see absolutely everywhere come directly from the imbalances that are first set in motion by a mind that is allowed to govern the body. The only way to restore harmony in our bodies and therefore in our lives is to restore the seat of power to the heart. Vivre the heart for it knows the way.
ha ha very true it is mind blowing – blowing away the puffed up mind. Mind is useful and has its place but heart is what it is all about and where our true intelligence is. Nothing is too much to handle for the heart as it does not need to handle or control but simply is.
Love your comment Nicola – “…– blowing away the puffed up mind..” – awesome description.
Matts you have shared much of great wisdom here and in sharing your most recent revelation about using your mind to keep others out, you offer others a potential key to unlock their own awareness around similar experiences. And although I didn’t express myself in a ‘sophisticated way’ to keep others out, I used verbal aggression and sarcasm to hold people at bay. The techniques that we all use may be different but our intention is the same and that is as you so rightly share ‘ to avoid connecting with people and showing who we are on the inside”. What an absolute relief to now be living with an ‘access all areas’ sign around my neck, everyone is welcome to come on in and not because I am perfect on the inside, far from it but simply because I am really ok with anyone and everyone seeing all of me.
Great sharing. Heaps of people also use humour as an attack / defence. It seems most of us have one protection method or another but what truly protects us is to drop the protection and be open.
“So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is.” Yes, and when the mind is impulsed from a loving body connection they work in harmony beautifully.
What an awesome discovery. It is amazing really the many way we can come up with not letting people in, whether that be from a false superior or inferior position, neither of which are true. The mind is very ‘creative’ if it is left to run without the body’s say. When they align and let the heart be their meeting place all flows in a loving rhythm. Thank you Matts.
The way you live either feeds you back or takes away from you. If you live in only one part of your house then this part will be full of life, colour and energy and the others will gather dust and start to look like no one cares about them. Take this into years and the difference will be significant. There are many parts to our bodies and yet it’s not the way to take care of it. When there is something going on the best approach to anything is to have a look at it all, if we look at just a part we will always get part of the answer. When we realise and understand that everywhere we go we take all of ourselves with us then it’s important to listen then to all the feedback we are given. Live in one part over the rest and your life will be dominated by that part. Our bodies, lead with our true inner heart are the key to us understanding all that is around us, with respect this makes simple sense.
If we put all our stock in mindfulness and yet the body holds the vastly deeper form of intelligence of which the mind is just a part, which science is starting to show in the studies of the intelligence of the heart, then what is it we are actually getting if we practice being mindful?
Some great examples of the emptiness the mind offers as it fuels itself through the lack of love it offers its carrier, the body. What you share Matts is the way forward for all of humanity, a way that lives from the inner heart which acknowledges the whole body as intelligent, which in turn lives from a far grander space than the mind alone.
It is fascinating how our minds can override our bodies for years, and then be totally shocked when illness and disease ‘suddenly’ appear… when in fact our body has been sending out messages for years that have been stubbornly ignored!
Totally agree Matts… “For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” Our minds will override everything our body is feeling to get whatever it wants. Our mind is very self-centered and self-indulgent, compared to our body which is encompassing of all.
Matts you so light heartedly expose something very ‘serious’, how we use our mind to protect us, or we ‘think’ we are protected, but what are we really protecting ourselves from, ‘we may say from being hurt’, but could it be from being loved and loving, having connections and warmth with ourselves and others which brings a whole new quality into our lives, where we actually become alive in our whole body. We say we don’t want to be hurt, but i wonder if what were really saying is I don’t want to ‘love’. Many carry a myth in life that ‘love hurts’, but in fact it is not being love that actually hurts.
I have definitely used words to hide behind and thank you for exposing how damaging this is not only to ourselves and our bodies when we repeatedly make this choice but also to all the people that we come into contact with who miss the opportunity to get to know us until we are ready to dismantle the walls of protection and allow ourselves to truly express.
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” – this is Gold Matts. Our mind can tell us to do all sorts of things but often at the expense of our body, such as, over working, over exercising or over eating.
Our minds tend to be driven by the pursuit of achieving something for ourselves whereas our heart expands with joy when it can be part of the bigger picture and support others who are less fortunate. Saying Yes to ‘heartfulness’ is the best way to unravel the many layers of protection which I built up to protect myself.
It’s such a great opportunity working with Serge Benhayon and all he shares because life can become so rich. Like yourself I didn’t share the fullness of myself with others – I didn’t even share it with myself as I didn’t know how to be vulnerable with myself and others. We are not exactly taught to respect our feelings, or to be honest and real, more so to be polite and present a polished image. But it is this realness and vulnerability that can foster true connection with both ourselves and others, and that makes for a much richer life.
I used to use my intelligence as a form of protection. I used it to be mightier and better than others and it was quite fierce. It was a fantastic form of protection and kept people and myself well away from my heart. I prided myself on how intelligent I was but as so beautifully described, the mind does nothing to nurture the rest of the body and I was left quite empty. Nothing could fulfil my emptiness when coming from the mind. Only a shift into the heart can do that.
Matts thanks this is a truly light and incredible clear understanding of the mind thinking it knows it all at the expense of our own body and Everybody! There is no love or truth at the expense of our whole being.
I love this line, ‘mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is.’ With mindfulness being the all new craze, it is not the answer that we think it is. Connecting to the heart however is a whole different ball game and, should we choose it, we might find how life can change considerably.
“the precious heart, incorporates in all its humility, the whole body, which we could say is a whole body intelligence”, then “heart-fullness, could be likened to having presents on your birthday” and every day being your birthday, seeing every day is us learning to be more love with a capital “L”.
We champion the mind beyond all, especially in a country like Germany the mind is everything, believing we are nothing without it, even putting it above the well-being of our bodies, and yes as you say using it to protect ourselves with witty answers, rationalising and worse using it as a weapon against unwanted ‘intruders’, not aware how much the coldness and cunning of words can hurt another.
If we deeply nurture, appreciate and love our self we fill up from the inside out and our bodies emanate vitality.
It is in many extraordinary how destructive the mind tends to be for the body. It is in fact a form of self-abuse.
Love your play-full analogies here Matts. Nothing good has come from the mind without the heart being there in full too. Think about it… or rather feel into the heart about it… when we are in our heads we can make life solely about ourselves. But when we are in our hearts, we cannot but consider everyone in each decision we make.
The mind club has lots of members and I am slowly reclaiming that this is not the club for me! A mind driven approach leaves no room for the body to speak up to what is truly going on. It is interesting that the best way the body gets the message across that makes us stop is through illness and disease.
I can agree on that Natallija and I can see other ways to ad which are used by the body to make us stop and that is through the turmoil that is in the body we sometimes do things that are causing small or bigger accidents, depending on what we need, creating stop moments in which we are given the opportunity to chose another way from that point on.
I love the analogy of being in the mind rather than the body. Going away on holidays and leaving anything to happen to the house, the garden etc is about right! I have found the mind does not care one bit about the body and is happy to collect things like ‘intelligence’ that look good on the outside but allow the house to rot on the inside.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does”, this simple statement speaks heaps for the behaviours that we go into when we let the mind run the show an the way we are with ourselves and others when we let the heart lead the way.
Beautiful sharing – I also feel like I am undergoing the slow transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly when it comes to claiming who I am and staying steady and solid in that with others, letting them see who I really am rather than a polished facade.
Very well expressed Matts – so many people use different ways of ignoring the heart, or rather choosing the head first. And for many, it can be a real challenge to get out of one’s head. For me, esoteric yoga and the Gentle Breath Meditation have been life changers on that front, allowing me to feel what it’s like to be in my body. Once you know, you don’t want to leave that feeling.
Mind-full or Heart-full, yes that is where it’s at and to put it like this we can immediately feel the truth of this, and how it will make a difference in everyone’s life when truly understood and embodied.
This is a great way of explaining the difference between the mind and the heart: ” The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does. So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself.” If we all work on realising that awareness and living from it, oh what a difference that would make in the whole world,
“what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” How can we champion ‘progress’ that comes from the mind but leaves us with a lesser quality of life and society ?
This is a beautiful expression Matts – “I am pretty awesome when I allow myself and others to feel it.” – How awesome to claim yourself like this. Thank you for sharing your insights.
“heart-fullness” I love the sound and feel of that. It is also my experience that living from my mind tends to overrule my body in its quest to achieve, be the best and get things done. Whilst when I focus on my heart, which only needs to be feeling my heart area in my body and focusing on this when I do things, everything changes, and also gets done, but in a loving way that does include my body in the process like drinking water when needed and equally going to the toilet when needed.
Hi John O Connell here from Ireland .
Thank you Matts , I was thinking Stephens Hawking could learn a thing or two by reading this article as I have. The title is just spot on “how I use my mind to protect myself from others “. But the humour of this is that you were ending up ‘quite lonely’. I used to be like this too and it was the loneliness that woke me up, as in surely my life was not meant to be like this. Like you I started trusting people it was then I got to learn just about everyone was using the mechanism of the mind to stay isolated,scared and “protected”. Its funny how we are convinced that we are ” protected “.But the opposite is true we are imprisoned, not alone imprisoned but in solidarity confinement .
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?” – a very important question Matts is asking us. Why do we pride on our achievements while we’re having an pandemic on diabetes, cancer, dementia, depression, suicide etc. Surely something’s missing. Could it be that the ‘only’ thing that we’re so desperately looking for is our own precious love that lives inside of us? We haven’t done anything wrong! We’ve been feeding each other all these ideals, beliefs and pictures to live up to. Not being honest that we’ve allowed them to ruin us on the inside. Thank you Matts for start sharing a very, very, very important and deep conversation! A one that everyone can relate to – I do:-).
Matts you have summed it up beautifully when you say
“For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?”
And if we take a look at our world today we can see the complete bodily mess we are in humanity is riddled with illness and disease and yet we still champion our intelligent mind.
“For what intelligence is intelligent if it leaves the body in a mess?” Love this last line Matts. So true. Our body shows the way we have been living. A great mind may live in a crippled body – but where is the loving heart? As the population ages there are so many who live to a very old age, but existing in a body that is breaking down. What if different lifestyle choices were made at an earlier age? How would we age then? I know some elderly people who have made such choices, after attending presentations by Serge Benhayon, and they look and feel vibrant in their 70s and 80s. Many more to follow…..
We are going through a period in which the practice of ‘mindfulness’ is very much in vogue with many courses, workshops, magazine articles and books on the subject out there on offer. What you are sharing in your blog Matts and from my own experience I concur, is that connecting to our body through firstly connecting to our heart brings a level and depth of intelligence to the whole body that leaves techniques such as mindfulness far, far behind.
When we are open and transparent it is amazing the difference this makes to the people around us. They can feel our lack of protection and are more likely to engage. This just shows how everyone can feel energy. Ensuing relationships can then evolve.
I do know that too Matts, that I try to live from my intelligent mind but with that I actually create stress in my body because I am completely ignoring the intelligence that lives inside. But the beauty of surrendering to this inner knowledge of the body is that the intelligence that then comes to the fore is so much more and all encompassing compared to when I act only from my mind that only is out for recognition and reward.
The mind separate has little respect for the body, maybe that’s being too kind, however when we are connected to our body and innermost our mind aligns and our thoughts are in accordance with what is truly needed and doesn’t allow abuse.
Most beautiful what you have written here Matts, a super precious expression of the heart. I love your examples of the flower and the staff meeting, it makes it very clear how our mind operates.
I agree, I love the simple practical and playful analogies.
Reading this article also allowed me to feel and come to understanding that there are people in my life who are simply holding more protection than others which results in cold and what sometimes feels calculated mind-driven rules and beliefs being expressed and imposed on me and others. It also allows me to stop and feel where I too slip into this as a result of not embracing full care of my body, but to also appreciate how far I have come for once upon a time I was as mind driven and judgemental as the acts I sometimes now receive from others that I do not like. What is beautiful is that from heartfullness I know this is not my natural way, nor is it for any other. This allows me to react less and surrender more deeply to the body and – as best I can for the steps I have walked to date – choose and reflect another way.
Matts, this is lovely, ‘Said with a newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body’, I too have been enjoying having a relationship with my body recently. After many years of pushing myself and living in a disrespectful way with my body, I now see and feel how beautiful my body is, I take care of it and enjoy feeling my femaleness; with my curves and delicateness, I find that when I feel how lovely my body is that I feel present with myself and I feel a fullness.
“The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” Our heart is actually the first part of our nervous system to be formed and is made of this amazing combination of nervous tissue and muscle, innately connected to all the incoming messages that our nervous system receives. When we choose to pay attention to and feel our hearts within our bodies, we engage with a whole body conversation. Staying in our heads is like never leaving the elevator to explore the rest of the building and we in our arrogance champion this way of being, ignorantly unaware of the most amazing party taking place within us.
I like it, I have a colleague in aphorisms – and I didn’t know what you shared about the heart.
Mindfulness disconnects us from our body and takes us further away from who we truly are. It creates separation and therefore we behave in a way that is not true to ourselves. Mindfulness is abuse to the body no matter how subtle the behaviour is.
It’s so wonderful and healing when we discover (well, actually reconnect to) a truer way of being, the falseness of our familiar, well-practiced way of being gets exposed – how horrible it actually feels as we start to familiarize ourselves with something much much more grander and lovelier.
You have made some great points here Matts which I absolutely couldn’t agree more with. The mind totally leads us up the garden path and is easily influenced into what is disregarding to the rest of the body. How does the mind in all its so called wisdom let us drink poison, inhale smoke or think it’s a good idea to rape, murder or go to war for self gain. It really does boil down to knowing the difference between spirit and Soul, it seems the Spirit’s tool is the mind and the Soul’s is the heart and getting into mindfulness just keeps us from connecting to the Soul.
Kev, I love the way you have described the difference between spirit and soul and how there is one way that feeds the spirit and another way that brings love from our soul. If the world lived aware of this fact then our approach to those that commit crimes would be entirely different and prisons would not exist like they do today.
It’s the reflection of the soulful one’s that is dearly missing here. How would anyone know there is another way if we do not let everyone know? Let’s let everyone know there are heavenly one’s walking amongst us here on earth.
By letting go of our own self-instilled protection, we become a flower that opens to the sun with it’s all.
I like this term you use here Matts – heartfulness – it includes the whole body and its intelligence rather than just relying on our mind or our intellect to discern and respond to life which for me has made a big difference.
Matts I love this point “The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” it’s also something that I have felt and the fact is the mind is used to protect and keep people out, I had an interesting conversation that by 2030 a $1K computer will be more powerful than all the minds on the earth, our pride in our intelligence will be exposed and the only thing that will be left is the quality of our living way and our relationships.
I guess more powerful than all the intellectual minds, that is thinking in the way we do now (most of the times) but there will not be one computer in the world that will measure up to a mind being sourced from the heart.
Mindfulness sounds as though the mind is so full of ‘stuff’ that there is no space to feel what the heart and body are communicating to us.
Well said Mary, for it is the very space you speak of that we obtain our clarity and understanding of what is really going on in the world around us and we don’t just take human life at face value.
It is not the application of the mind that is the problem, but rather the application of the mind in isolation to the whole.
So very true Adam. The use of the mind to support what has been discerned by our heart and impulsed by the Soul is a wonderful and welcome ally. It is when the mind is let loose and allowed to run amock in disregard or contra to the harmony of the whole we are in trouble.
Great take Adam, yes what is sourcing the mind?
These two statements by Matts are pivotal: ‘The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does’ and ‘…what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?’ I suspect many of us have come to know the truth of these words first hand, and are now having to live in bodies that have suffered as a result of our mind-driven ways. Adrenal exhaustion, endocrine issues, cancer, broken ankles, diabetes, you name it – pretty much all the strife we get ourselves into on the health front are the result of us ‘thinking’ our way through life. Therefore the current trend towards mindfulness that Matts notes is not what it’s cracked up to be – it could be called a quite dangerous trend. Definitely time to bring on the heart-fullness before we disappear irrevocably far down the rabbit hole of the heartless mind.
‘The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.’ How true, I too am moving from living a mind-driven life to feeling my body and allowing that intelligence to manifest. In the past my value has been in how much I got done, and never mind the quality. Now I am learning to feel first, but have observed how quickly the mind cuts in with its busy thoughts. It will be a long journey of transformation but one that is well worth working on, and it helps when I make space to appreciate just how far I have come instead of berating myself for still being a ‘bad’ girl.
Following the mind without the body gets us into all kinds of strife. What I have found is all gameplaying, manipulation and deceit come from giving the mind free rein. Checking back in with my body allows me to instantly feel how far away I am and when I am super honest it also only takes an instant to connect back.
I so love this Matts, we really get to feel you sharing your amazingness and awareness of you and we are given this lovely little package to feel and be inspired by. It’s a win win for us all.
I agree, it is a win win as the way Matts shared is a marker for us too, to check in and see where are we at with our mind, body and heart. Thank you again Matts, awesome real and very important blog.
It will be a day of jubilant celebration when all of humanity have their minds, bodies and hearts all impulsed by love.
I love this analogy it says it all ‘Like having a staff meeting, but the boss has not invited the rest of the staff.’ More and more I am letting my heart do the talking and my body loves this.
Yes indeed we cannot really call the intelligence of the mind intelligent if it leaves the body that en-houses it in a mess and strings specially designed words together to keep people at bay. We can call it clever, manipulative and controlling but not intelligent. It is interesting that the word ‘intelligent’ originated early in the 16th century from Latin – intelligent – ‘understanding’ from the verb intelligere a variant of the word intellegere – understand, from inter – ‘between’ + legere – ‘choose’. So you could say that true intelligence is the understanding of true choices. The heart can make choices by perceiving what is needed taking the whole into consideration – this is true intelligence.
True intelligence is love in action.
“So the heart incorporates the whole body, while the mind is pretty much just interested in itself.”
In reading this line, I can really connect to the difference between selfishness and self care, self love. Selfishness comes completely from the mind, with no thought at all for another, whilst self love is impulsed from the heart and naturally grows from within to include love for others. In our world, unfortunately, selfishness is way too championed.
So true and once felt within, no way back to letting the mind run everything …
A mind left to wander renegade to the body that enhouses it is but a fortress in which we hide so as not to seek the true treasure that is found in the Kingdom within our hearts.
The mind is a great tool when used as such and not as the master over the body.
Our body certainly comes off second best when we live in a way and we make choices that we think are ok. Our body will speak loud and clear. I find though I am certainly aware of the choices that I am making that my body is saying, “please don’t” but I keep repeating them even if I know at the time that it’s definitely time to stop. I have found that using the mind to defeat the mind does not work, which means that a mind over matter approach is not it. For that is what I have been attempting to do. The other important thing with this awareness is to bring it back to my body and appreciate what is being communicated as opposed to giving myself a hard time for the choices. If I give myself a hard time for my choices…bingo…behaviour continues, its like it opens the door for more of the same. In deeply appreciating my body’s communication, my actions that follow are completely different and much more supportive and caring of me.
‘So mindfulness is not the big saviour everyone tends to think it is: heart-fullness, on the other hand, is’ Quite a statement when mindfulness is all the rage; when education, the corporate world and the fringes of society are all practising it.
Very true – mind-fullness seems to be the way to go and when I hear people talk about their practices around this I have not heard once connection to self or connection to their body or their heart. Full of heart would be an awesome practice, and one that society is in desperate need of.
An interesting article Matts, thank you. I remember a similar mind set when I lived in the city… The object was really to be as sharp and witty as possible. There was always a sensible one-upmanship. It wasn’t until I removed myself from this whole social set that I realized how incredibly draining this was for me, and it literally took years to let go of this old paradigm. And that was just one aspect of what I really had to let go of!
It is quite painful to come home to your house and see/feel how negelected it has been and, in my experience, it is a bit easier to run away than to deal with that. Yet, equally, I have found that if I stay and deal with my house being left untended for so long it actually comes together quite quickly. Same with any troubles in our lives, if we pretend they are not there, they just get bigger. There is so much support for us all when we stay and deal with what is there to be dealt with.
What intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess? This is a great question?
We have many many intelligent people, yet their bodies really make me question if they are intelligent at all… one only has to look at what is in the majority of shopping trolleys and that in itself reveals a lot!
Agree Rosie, if our body was having a say most of what is in the shopping trolley would remain on the shelf. Come to think of it, it would not even be on the shelf in the first place as it would be felt as unfit for human consumption, which most of the food in the supermarket is.
I really like what you have shared here Matts. The line was a stand out for me – “The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.” So so so so true. I lived by the mind for a long time and I can say 100% there was no nuturing going on – I did care for my body at times but no nurturing. Learning to live from my heart, is all encompassing and I nurture by deeply taking care of my whole body – it is a game changer.
What a beautiful sharing Matts. I love your descriptions – my body knew exactly what you were talking about. Really beautiful place you have come to.
Yes me too Nikki – love this blog, it’s awesome and very to the point.
Awesome blog Matts – very real and practical , yet exposing the mind way of living versus the heart.. And that by virtue of living from our mind, our body will feel totally different than we choose to live by heart. And so, we are left to feel what choices we made and how much we have spend in our minds or our heart. And what harm it has caused or healing it had brought. All for us to reflect and if not truly beneficial for our whole body – to then discard our ill ways..
Just recently I’ve been seeing how the mind left to its own devices, slashes and burns, cuts and saws at things till there’s nothing left. The words it uses seem reasonable and ‘well thought-out’ but actually reduce, minimise and cut down. The biggest trouble is, that after a while this way of being can cause a lot of strife in our world and lead to us feeling emotional pain in our body. Then the mind says ‘hey I’ve got back up see – my body agrees too’. But all along the whole mess was made because we lived in a mental way. Truly as you show Matts the rewards that we think we get are not worth it at all.
The slash and burn approach is but another sneaky way to avoid returning to the love that we know. Fortunately, once we have seen this way of avoidance and distraction it no longer has a hold. We are then free to make different movements which are confirmed by the more open and loving thoughts that are received.
It’s absolutely true that intelligence is not found in the mind but rather a full body intelligence that comes through and is not just found in the books of knowledge. The way you know that intelligence is for all and universal.
“In other words, I didn’t really want to connect with people and show who I truly was on the inside”. What comes to me Matts is the word vulnerability. To express from one’s heart can look the same as the head speaking, but with a totally different feel to it. This I would say has been my journey with expression. As I can easily express “words” as such, however where are they really coming from, head or heart, and I know for sure it is heart when the words vulnerable and openness comes into my vocabulary.
I love your humour Matts. And it sounds like you are on the cusp of something big. I’m sure lots of people can relate.
We pride ourselves on our intelligence and how much knowledge we can retain but when we are sick our mind can’t work out what to do, but if we listen to the body we know exactly what to do. We have yet to embrace this, but one day, science will not be able to find the answers to increasing levels of sickness, and then maybe begin to look to the body and the way we are living.
Alison great point you make hear Alison when we become sick our mind does not know what to do or support us, but as we stop to listen to our body, our body knows what to do. For example change what we are eating, take a rest, drink more fluids etc
I love how you say : ” … one day, science will not be able to find the answers to increasing levels of sickness…” – puts it right on the table and when pondered upon, one can not but agree.
Great take on mind-fullness; I feel the same way and have been heard to say, “no thanks, my mind is full enough”. But jesting aside, it is whole-body mindedness we need and not solutions that improve the focus of the mind.
Agreed Gabriele, whole-body connection is the way, not techniques that focus on the mind.
I like that Gabriele, “no thanks, my mind is full enough”, very true of the state of being that most of humanity is in, and ironic that the focus is on the mind to supposedly tackle this cacophony of thought. Whole-body mindedness on the other hand is 100% the way that brought me back to the true me.
So much weigh is given to that one organ. 8kg dominating the 60kg body that suffers the consequences of its dictatorship.
Well said Gabriele and it is no coincedence that mindfulness has become such a huge thing. Someone asked the other day if I was referring this and what I shared was that mindfulness keeps you in the mind. To be able to connect to your beingness inside and feel this in your body, the way you move and live life is two completely different if not opposite things.
The simple realisation that we (can) use the mind to protect ourselves and the honesty to feel the effects it has on the body and our overall state of being is opening up the possibility for a ground-breaking shift – we can start feeling truth from and with our body.
And when we do that, it is very liberating as the body communicates so much and if we choose to listen and respond appropriately, our well-being and everything changes so much. Love that body …
Yes and you are confronted with the choices you made previously, which is for many a huge step to take. But it is worth it, as it is the only way to feel and connect to the best adviser you have- the body.
I love this appreciation of your love-filled body. It is true, the only true way to return to a different depth of intelligence than the world purports to be true (from the mind, not through the body)
“Said with a newly found appreciation for how important it is to have a love filled relationship with my body, which as a result, brings true intelligence. For what intelligence is intelligent, if it leaves the body in a mess?”
The sometimes not so obvious behaviour of using our mind to control and wield life to be a certain way, or get a certain outcome or even just have a familiar eiire to… all I can think of is like if we had lights and colours around us, we are focussing it all on our head while our body is wasted, but as soon as we let go it’s all in our body again.
Our mind knows only what it can gather and use in situations for short term gratification but the heart and the body knows it all.
And the body never indulges in competition or judgement – just lovingly shows us the consequences of the choices that we are making. Very different from all the tricks and games that the mind can play with us.
Love this Otto. Shows that the only differences between us are only really made up in our heads. We are all the same on the inside and our bodies naturally know this and want to live this.
I so know this from experience the heart and the body does truly know it all when we surrender and listen to this. This mind … tries to know it all and then wants to own what it tries to know! … pretty yucky
I am sure you are not alone with being caught up in the mind …. so many of us are taught this from young and get identification from being smart and I know that game where people try to out do the other with their knowledge. Always scared me, as I didn’t go to school much so if the conversation got too heady, and too many big words were being used, I would always feel inadequate because I couldn’t keep up. Still have the same problem in the game of trivia pursuit. I have no idea what the answers are. I never owned a tv growing up, I didn’t learn from text books at school so for me it is quite different. It used to bother me though, and now I actually appreciate that I haven’t gotten so caught up in it.
!! TRIVIAL PURSUIT used to terrify me amongst my family and friends – all of whom seemed to know so much more than me. But – actually – the clue is in the title. TRIVIAL – utterly worthless; which is exactly what mind intelligence is when compared to body intelligence. PURSUIT – a chase; which is so not what life is – rather a simple return to that which we already are that can be chosen at any speed that each individual so desires. Thus TRVIAL PURSUIT is in fact the perfect title for such a game and perfectly encapsulates everything the crazy obsession that we gave with mindful intelligence.
There is so much hope we have that knowing things will somehow save us. I know this trip only too well having taken it for many years.
I love your breakdown of trivial pursuit.
But I will be bold enough to say that game is played off the board in many important realms of our lives. Politics, science, media, medicine. All of them have made the trivia of knowing a lot of facts far more important than the deep knowing that comes from being open and vulnerable with each other.
There is more trivia in this world than we like to imagine, and if we are willing to see the global failure of systems such as education, healthcare and environmental management, the pursuit of it has sold us very short.
Well said Rachel – we have a global epidemic of life being one big trivial pursuit with the mind being the great deceiver and far from the true intelligence of the heart.
Yes glorifying the mind over truly connecting with others doesn’t make a lot of sense. It separates us from ourselves and also others. Not our nature and not sustaining.
Awesome observation Otto, TRIVIAL PURSUIT is what I would call many of humanity’s so called advances – going to the moon is but one of many.
This is awesome Matts. A short, powerful piece that has so much in it – so much gold to be felt and practised. I am particularly feeling this “The mind doesn’t nurture the body but the heart definitely does.”. So simple and obvious in a way and yet so easily overridden and forgotten – by the mind!! Thank you for being so willing to share your unfoldment so honestly and openly.
Me too Lucy – and I loved that statement too -awesome blog, short simple and straight to the point.
Why would the mind nurture the body – when it knows that a nurtured body would be more intelligent than it.
Well put -great question indeed, why would it…
I like that one Otto
Well said Otto, there is a calculated investment in the set-up that is in place…
Love it Otto! The mind exposed!
The body communicates very clearly but it may not always be what I want and so the mind comes in and overrides what I could otherwise simply feel and respond to.
A nurtured body would give the mind all that is needed in every given moment. No agenda, no lies, not doing just an invitation to just be YOU!
Not only does the heart nurture the body but it nurtures everybody.
What it shows is how much we must be in our minds when you look at all the wreckless unloving behaviours we get up to. Even the notion a little bit of this wont harm says it all. It is as if we will accept harm and abuse so long as it is not extreme whatever that may mean. Whereas our bodies immediately feel when we are not being harmonious so why would we choose any less and even champion less?