I had never before seen a religious person
so radiant. The nun exuded joy and love, indicating to me true spirituality.
One morning I exclaimed to her my appreciation of how joyful she seemed to be. Ah, she responded with an even deeper
smile, I just came from praying. All
love, no force. That’s what we say. I was amazed. That’s exactly what we teach! I told her.
The scene was a beautiful convent and
retreat center in Italy where my husband, Franklyn Sills, and I taught a post
graduate seminar last week in Craniosacral Biodynamics. Not far from where we
landed in Bologna, we had driven up a winding road through a tiny village to
emerge at this remarkable center. A joyful, heartful priest greeted us with his
bits of English. The nun arrived soon after. I was immediately taken by her
playfulness, as she smiled at us and hugged the priest. Each day, she greeted
me with hugs and kisses. I may have never felt so loved and welcomed in my
life!
Awakening
the Heart
This seemed like the perfect context for
our seminar, entitled Awakening the Heart. As I witnessed the clerics each day,
I had no doubt that they lived with awakened hearts! The nun had expressed to
me the essence of this practice. All
love, never any force. I discovered this wise advice came from the
teachings of St Francis de Sales, a mystical monk in the 1500s.
Love seems to me to be primarily about
being with what is. Mindfulness is a practice of love. The nun reminded me of
another nun I had befriended years earlier through month-long Vipassana
courses, where we would sit in silence for thirty days at a time. The intention
in these courses was to be present with whatever our experience was, directly observing
the arising and passing away of thoughts, sensations, and feelings. Through
this extended observation, I came to understand within my body, not just as a
concept, the transitory nature of all things. My attachments became less
important as their objects shifted in and out of reach.
Ooma was a companion in this observation. A
petite nun originally from Cambodia, she donned tiny children’s thongs on her
feet that were too small for adult shoes. I laughed to see the colorful Daffy
Duck image peeking out from under her Buddhist robes. Ooma didn’t speak much
English, but somehow we communicated through our hearts, laced with a bit of
French. We seemed to recognize each other and felt a closeness on our shared
path. Like the Italian nun, Ooma oozed of joy. Her heart was open to the
passing of life. Her love was tangible.
The
Deepest Prayer
In Italy, I was reminded of the place where
I believe all religions meet. Those committed to deep spiritual practice,
whether it be observation of sensations or praying to the Madonna, begin to
loosen their hold on the everyday identity of personality, expanding into
wholeness, oneness and truly loving being. This is a state we also aim for in
Biodynamics. Can we be present with ourselves, our clients and whatever arises
between us, opening to the guidance of the source we call the Breath of Life? This
is a term coined by William Sutherland, founder of cranial osteopathy, whose
work became more being and less doing in nature in the later part of his life. In
his book, Teachings in the Science of
Osteopathy, Sutherland declared:
“Visualize a potency, an intelligent potency,
that is more intelligent than your own human mentality … You will have observed
its potency and also its Intelligence, spelled with a capital I. It is
something you can depend upon to do the work for you. In other words, don’t try
to drive the mechanism through any external force. Rely upon the Tide”
In our Biodynamic seminars, we guide our
students in settling their thoughts and
nervous system, intending to deepen and widen their awareness beyond
everyday personality. In this less personal state, we can meet and hold our
clients within a welcoming, accepting relational field. We practice being aware
of our own reactions to what arises with an intention to be present in a
supportive and compassionate way, rather than in a way we may think we are
supposed to be. In short, we practice love. There are times when we sense our
hearts cast open as we simply be with our client in the presence of the mystery
of life.
Perhaps not surprisingly in the context of
a seminar on the heart within a heart-centered spiritual community, I
experienced this casting open last week. I was demonstrating a session in front
of the class. As I put my hands on the demo client’s head, I suddenly felt such
intense joy I found myself laughing out loud! Explaining my giggle to the
client, she acknowledged also feeling a burst of joy as her heart opened in
synchrony with mine. Many others in the room were also touched by this apparent
wave of the Breath of Life caressing our hearts.
This transformation did not happen through
any effort or force on my part. I simply settled into my heart with an
awareness of me, client, and class being held and suspended within much larger,
wider energetic fields. A similar heart opening tends to happen in Continuum
classes and practice. After making a few sounds, breaths, and movements, I
often sense my heart softening and expanding. It begins to feel as if it spans
the entire length of my trunk, which is bathed in delicious indescribable sensations.
I have heard Continuum movers comment that
their experience is better than making love. Perhaps, it is making love! Making love to ourselves and the planet, all at
once. We are, as founder of Continuum, Emilie Conrad, noted, extensions of a planetary
process. What we do with our own bodies both expresses and contributes to the
planet. As we slow down, we resonate with subtle planetary rhythms. If we make
love to ourselves, we must similarly be making love with the planet. If making
love is really about being present with, accepting, welcoming and being with,
Continuum, Biodynamics, and mindfulness are all about making love! Mama Earth
may benefit from our practices, for how could we demolish her when we are in
love? And could she be replenished with our loving care, her dead forests
coming back to life, like paralyzed tissues in Continuum, or potency held
within inertial conditional fulcrums in Biodynamics? There is a saying that
love heals all.
Love
Heals
When we arrived at the center in Italy, we
were told there was a painting there of the Madonna that people came to for
healing. Sitting with this powerful painting, and a beautiful sculpture of the
Madonna outside, my heart opened again. I sensed exquisite radiance beaming
through my body, igniting my heart, dissolving my personality. As I beheld the
image of the miraculous mother, I realized I was taking in a powerful symbol of
birth and rebirth, the mystery of the creative forces of life and love. The
religious context became less important than the deeper symbolism.
I was reminded of Emilie Conrad’s teachings
on the importance of being able to die, to shed our old skins like a molting
snake, to let go of who we think we are in order to truly embody fluidity.
Whenever we hold on, there is an element of rigidity. Letting go, we melt into
what the next moment offers. Embracing the miracle of each moment, we equally
welcome the arising of old traumas or other unresolved history, or the bubbling
up of joy and laughter. All love, no force. Being without expectation.
Welcoming what is. The mystery stretches its wings, emerges from its shell, and
flies directly into our hearts.
