Page 37 - NAMAH Oct 2015
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Namah Expanding through pain
After this, as soon as one makes the decision to be reinforced again and again. With every
to ‘bear’ the pain, one will find its acuteness breath of expansion comes the reverse of
gradually ease and stop (7). The body itself contraction. This is the ‘dog’s tail’, to which
has the capacity to endure. At this stage, the Sri Aurobindo occasionally referred, the tail
body can then truly start to open and relax. that refuses to be definitively straightened.
As it relaxes, the tissues and muscles begin Although the healing works very deeply, fresh
to unclench and as they open, they begin to shoots of distortion always tend to re-emerge,
absorb the Consciousness-Force from above. so persistence is always required.
This Force aids the growth and expansion of
the consciousness of our body. It sets to work Perhaps there might be a locality of the body
on clearing away the knots and distortions producing intense pain. If so, the procedure I
that produce pain from inside. We begin to adopt is always the same. I call the Mother 1
see how much of our body-pain has a deeper and gather Her Presence inside my heart. I
psychological base. scan the body disinterestedly from top to
bottom. I don’t look for signs of pain: I just
As the passage of our ‘schooling’ continues, see what is there. If pain is present, the
an ‘inner calm’ starts to descend. The ‘searchlight’ will always eventually find it.
opposing duality of unpleasantness begins It may appear with a colour; it may appear as
to disappear from the sensation experienced a knot or something foreign and heavy like a
in the body. An almost ‘comfortable’ feeling stone. It all depends on the nature of the pain.
emerges. The sensation, the Mother states, is So without losing my connection, I go inside
entirely physical (8). the affliction and observe it with as much
detachment as I can muster. I don’t allow
The process of expansion is endless and myself to get ‘drawn’ into it and thus identify
opens to a myriad of realisations. We only with it; I remain separate and ‘choose’ to go
have to assiduously continue the schooling inside to find its very root.
and wait and see what unfolds. The process
of expansion accompanies us throughout its When I reach contact with the ‘object’ I hold
entire course. At the final stage, “when the my gaze upon it and ask it why it has come.
cells have faith in the divine Presence and in As I maintain my observation, usually, the
the sovereign divine Will,” our body can then context gets clearer and the picture expands.
join with the soul to see pain for the illusion If the connection is strong, an answer will
it truly is. On a cellular level, everything will come back immediately and when the
become the sweetest ecstasy (9)! knowledge arrives, the pain is resolved. This
is the power of Light, the hand of the Mother,
Work inside and a feeling of solid Peace automatically
descends over the entire being.
Often I use a direct approach to pain. Its effect
can be immediate but I find the process needs The consciousness of the body feels lighter
1 Mirra Alfassa, born in Paris in 1878 and later known as the Mother, came to Pondicherry
and developed the Integral Yoga with Sri Aurobindo.
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