What the Body Knows
O, The Oprah Magazine: Most of the time my body is busy, though—my hands are making a meal or my feet are taking me somewhere. Should we be getting away from the purposeful use of the body for a certain portion of the day?
Tara Brach: The body is a wonderful instrument, but it's also aliveness itself. If you're having sex, you don't want to be thinking of the purpose; you want to be right there, tuned into sensation. If you're eating, you don't want to say the purpose is to nourish; you want to enjoy the taste. If you're skiing, the purpose isn't to get down the hill; you want to feel the movement. The life that is most cherished is not on our way to something else but is experienced directly.
Tara Brach: The body is a wonderful instrument, but it's also aliveness itself. If you're having sex, you don't want to be thinking of the purpose; you want to be right there, tuned into sensation. If you're eating, you don't want to say the purpose is to nourish; you want to enjoy the taste. If you're skiing, the purpose isn't to get down the hill; you want to feel the movement. The life that is most cherished is not on our way to something else but is experienced directly.
From the June 2006 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine