The “I” Consciousness

Taking care of personal health requires a constant awareness of balance and control; however doing it effortlessly is something we have to learn from Nature. Human body is an automatic machine with its own built-in intelligence, rhythm, and balance. In the silence of our inner consciousness, we begin to sense how little do we really manage the basic functions of our body and how we tend to abuse our body more often than take care of it.

Let us say that biography of the human body starts out with a fertilized egg, the size of a tiny fluid drop. This tiny fertilized egg, hosted by mother’s womb, has all the necessary “Intelligence” that is built-in to create an entire human anatomy in an orderly fashion. It is this built-in Intelligence that is our body’s constant and silent companion throughout our lifetime. Recognize and honor this Intelligence.

The personal body that an individual identifies as “I” is given a name and that is the extent of its individual ownership. Human body has its own primary built-in sensors namely the eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin. These sensors could alternately be called receptors because of their respective information gathering functions. By utilizing these sensors, the “I” feeds the body, cleans it, builds a shelter for itself, produces off-springs, and carries out all external functions in the role of body’s prime care taker. However, because of ignorance “I” feels that it is the sole care taker of the body.

The human body takes care of itself internally with its own built-in Intelligence. Besides the primary sensors listed above, human body has multiple command centers such as the brain, heart, lungs, digestive tract system, nervous system, immune system, and several others. And then there are tiny innumerable individual cells, each one of which has a command center and built-in intelligence of its own. Realize that inside of the human body is a universe, which is managed effortlessly by its own built-in Intelligence. The so-called “I” tries to understand the built-in Intelligence through scientific observations. The “I” is merely an observer of all that is happening.

Diving deeper in our consciousness we realize that human body breathes on its own with its natural rhythm of inhaling and exhaling. The lungs process inhaled air and selectively introduce Oxygen into the blood stream. The digestive tract metabolizes ingested food and introduces essential nutrients, vitamins and micronutrients in blood stream. The human heart beats automatically to a natural rhythm, pumping blood to circulate throughout the body. The blood stream irrigates entire body and its cells with Oxygen and essential nutrients. Its immune system provides defenses against infections and diseases. The nervous system is the body’s balancing mechanism. All waste materials including solids, liquids, and gases are rejected or excreted out of the body at appropriate intervals. The human body does not seek nor require any prior permission of “I” to carry out any of these numerous life sustaining functions. All that the human body requires from “I” is a healthy cooperative joint venture. For that reason, the human body has been awarded a brain. Brain is the seat of our so-called mind.

The mischievous human mind is simultaneously capable of playing two opposing roles. One role is to harmoniously co-exist with the body and the other one is to create disharmony and mischief.

Recognize a fundamental aspect that every disease has a root cause in the mind. Therefore we have to train our mind to support the constant balancing operations of the human body. A balanced mind nurtures a balanced body and the reverse is also true. This is why the mutual cooperation or union of mind and body plays a very crucial role. The system of Yoga has evolved to promote a harmonious union or integration of body and mind.

Each one of us is born with one or more handicaps. Some handicaps are easily recognizable and others are not because of their subtle nature. But the largest handicap that a person can have is attitude.

In normal daily life, there is no need to wrestle with the jargon of sophisticated medical terms. Let the qualified medical professionals and scientists use those terms and do their jobs to help us. But first, each one of us must help ourselves through increased awareness and a clear understanding of the mind and body’s constant interdependence. I choose to call it the “I” consciousness.

First, we have to empower ourselves by taking full responsibility for improved awareness. A simple example of improved awareness is in addressing the daily bowel movements. A constipated stomach has its root cause in the constipated mind. A constipated mind holds back thoughts, emotions, and consequently holds back the stools. Free the mind by expressing and sharing thoughts more openly, and the stools will follow suit. Healthy mind will promote secretion of lubricating fluids in the digestive tract that will help easy forward movement of stools. You don’t need to know names of these lubricating fluids simply because the built-in Intelligence of the body takes care of it on its own. Let the “I” be a relaxed observer.