Have you lost your soul in the hustle and bustle of everyday life? The book offers 20 exercises to align your soul and body, allowing them to be each other’s companion.
The author is the artist Joein Leong, who deconstructs what we take for granted in our lives with these carefully designed tasks that provide unusual sensory experiences. They originated from “Simple Body Exercise”, a creative project she conceived during her art residency in Chongqing in 2021. “The artist simply borrows the six sense concepts of ‘eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind’ in Buddhism to directly experience and establish mutual relationships through a series of behaviors in the process. The relationship is meaning. The action is expression. And here comes the final ‘Simple Body Exercise’” (Hu Yanzi, 2021). What Hu meant was that the author built a relationship with where she was through her sensory actions, and that meaning lies in the relationship. Later on, Leong expanded and added fun to the project, transforming the actions into exercises doable by everyonÍe in their lives. Be it going up and down a stairway until your body heats up (Acting Like Sisyphus), reading out the Pi digits without thinking of anything else (Sound Making Exercise), or imagining being your pet going out for a walk (Me Being a Pet), the exercises will relax you by temporarily slowing down the pace of your life and pulling you away from your stressful pursuits of fame and fortune. They will make your body a reliable companion to your soul wherever you do them, and you may find the meaning of life in their relationship.
How long has it been since you were inspired? Are you expecting to experience moments slightly different from those in your daily life again? Perhaps you are not looking for anything and just want to move your body for it to accompany the resting soul.
Twenty Exercises for the Body to Be the Soul’s Companion is your guide and starting point.
