This article resonates with me. However I have one beef. The author goes on to make some fuzzy claims about feeling your whole self, which I take to mean one's physical self, one's body.
But what if your body is failing? Then all you have really to depend on is your mind. I often wonder how Stephen Hawking managed to do such incredible work with such a limited physical existence. To some extent, we all become Stephen Hawking towards the end, unless the end is catastrophically quick.
Very interesting point of view! Stephen Hawking was the first mentor in my life. He was a great source of inspiration for me, and I spent a lot of time trying to understand what his life must have been like, with his body failing, and yet still motivating himself to do such brilliant work.
The last bit about spreading your focus to your entire body is more about detaching yourself from the continuous on-going rumination of the mind, to pay closer attention to what's real right in front of you right now as a unbiased unfiltered consciousness, rather than whatever your mind is occupied with. My experience is that this is the single thing which when practiced enough times can immediately pull you out of your misery, especially if your misery is self-inflected.
The esoteric term for this practice is mindfulness. I personally exercise my own style of mindfulness, which is partly inspired by Stephen Hawking as well. I visualize my present moment the same way Hawking would describe the mechanics of the Universe in his books and shows. I would go to the microscopic level, zoom in, zoom out, follow the flow of energy, matter, cause, effect, I would imagine a quick timeline of the objects in front of me, where they came from, how they came into existence, I would see how everything is connected with each other, rather than being separate individual entities. I would pay attention to myself, all my senses, my perceptions, emotions, reactions, almost from a 3rd person pov. Like a Scientist observing a Monkey, and all my agitation and worries just disappear.
All of this helps me realign myself. It grounds me in a way that nothing else does. I find it quiet relaxing honestly
But what if your body is failing? Then all you have really to depend on is your mind. I often wonder how Stephen Hawking managed to do such incredible work with such a limited physical existence. To some extent, we all become Stephen Hawking towards the end, unless the end is catastrophically quick.