Tummy Mind

Today's blog post picks up a technique taught by Gary Heads from Living Mindfully, which was the body scan. This entailed lying on the floor, eyes closed in meditative pose whilst he guided us to feel each part of the body, not physically, but basically getting acquainted with the individual parts, before integrating them back into the whole. This brings us to the title for today, since the exercise left your blogger more aware of the importance of checking the body parts, which I did each morning on Camino. Feet are critical to a long distance walker, of course, and it's far better to deal with blisters before they become serious. Unless you enjoy suffering like many Catholics seem to do! It's in the script like guilt. And round the body we go. Shoulders are important when carrying a rucksack uphill, and the sensible thing to do is to keep the rucksack light. Then we come to the Mind, not to be confused with the Brain, which has it's own awareness, it's own intelligence. A calm mind really helps on such journeys, as was discovered as the trip progressed from France, over the Pyrenees and into Spain in November and December, optimal for an English pilgrim seeking warmish weather. In the years of walking in the Iberian Peninsula, plus France, long distance walking was avoided in peak times for Spanish and Portugese pilgrims in favour of Spring and Autumn. This was for two main reasons: one it was blasting hot, and two the hostels were often crowded if not full.

So, dear reader, there's the hypothesis for today, Wednesday 29th and just two days away from New Year's Eve. The chances of the blogger staying up until midnight are basically zero, though New Year's Day  may be indulged with wishes for family and friends, and resolutions for 2022.
As for tummy mind, this could well be a resolution for next year after the events of Monday, when a light lunch was followed by a chunk of Christmas Cake made by my friend in the village, complete with marzipan and icing. As if this wasn't already too much, a mince pie followed swiftly until tummy mind protested and demanded no more food that day. Since this went well, yesterday was the same, putting me in mind of the Theravadan Buddhists at nearby Harnham, where the traditional dietary regime was practised, which is a good breakfast early after Puja, work to contribute to the common good, then a bowl of food before midday, and nothing else to eat until next day. Exceptions are made for medicines and the Abbot decreed they included cheese and chocolate. The sugar addiction here at the Retreat House needs fixing and maybe it will be.

Meanwhile, it's still early, and the weather forecast is mild and rather wet. Still, there are waterproofs so a walk into the village is on the agenda, to energise the body and maybe buy a few supplies. After that, who knows?