Conti.. Spirituality of the Old..Religious- Part 111.C.3 

 Bandhu Ishanand Vempeny, S. J.

                                                     

 SPIRITUALITY OF THE OLD  RELIGIOUS - Part11I .C.3                          

3.  Some Practices for a Healthy Old-Age

For these practices I am indebted to Fr. Tony D’Mello’s classes, Guru Goyankaji’s course, Zalman Schachter-Salomi’s book From Age-ing to Sage-ing, my studies for yogic diploma in Kaivalyadham, Lonavala, and Ira Progoff’s Intensive Journal. I shall give just a few exercises for samples. This can be useful for people in their middle-age and in their early old age. I know of old Religious who do these practices very profitably even in their late seventies and early eighties.

Exercise 1: Empowering oneself by activating the senses

a.      Sit down in a comfortable seat of your liking in a place where there is fresh air. Certain amount of privacy is valuable.

b.     First look at the atmosphere around you: trees, animals, birds, streams and the like. Just keep on looking at these things with minimum of thinking. Thank the Creator for all these things. Thank the Lord for the eyes through which you have seen millions of beautiful things, and watched thousands of events all of which taught you to become a better human being.

c.      Close the eyes and concentrate on the sounds: singing of birds, human voices, movements of vehicles, sound of rainfall, storms, and the like. Soon you will hear sounds which you had not heard before or songs of birds which are new to you. 

d.     Experience the touch of breeze, of the seat on which you are seated and of the ground where your feet are. In certain age and stage of one’s life if one keeps up this practice, he/she can experience the inter-connectedness of all the realities in the cosmos and the feeling of cosmic embrace.

e.      Concentrate on the smell and odour around.

f.       Try to eat something that you like. Chocolate if you are not a diabetic and fruits of your liking. Drink something you like.

g.     After activating your senses for a few minutes, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing in and breathing out. Deliberately try to breathe slow and deep.

h.     Think of God’s children who are blind, deaf, crippled in various other ways. Thank the Lord for your senses and limbs.

Exercise 2: Getting into the Reality of Old Age and Death        

          Remember the Words of John Paul II:  “If life is the pilgrimage to our eternal home, old age is the naturally given occasion (kairos) for peeping into the door of this home” (John Paul II, from his pastoral letter for the Old, Cf. Karunikan, May 2008, p. 23).      

 

a.      Sit on a comfortable chair. Have a table or writing desk in front of you. Keep some blank papers and two ball-pens on the table.

b.     Place a picture of the Risen Christ on the table. Attached to it a caption with these words: “I am the Way, the Life and Resurrection.”

c.      Take couple of deep breaths. Close your eyes and listen to the sound for 2 to 5 minutes.

d.     Open your eyes and keep on looking at the picture for a few seconds. Close the eyes for a few seconds and mentally place the image of the picture between your eyebrows. Open your eyes and keep on looking at the picture on your table for a few seconds or even for a minute without blinking. Again close the eyes take in the image of the picture of the Risen Lord and place it between your eyebrows. You could repeat this exercise for a few minutes. This is a sort of Christianized yoga exercise called ‘Dharana’, for concentration.

e.      After doing the above exercise for some five minutes, bow to the picture on the table and touch it with both hands reverently. Read the above caption in a low voice looking at the picture. Again close your eyes, look at the picture of the Lord reverently and read the caption in a low voice. Repeat the exercise.

f.       Take a pen and a paper and write on it this question: What do I expect from my old age? Write down some of your positive expectations. Also write down your anxieties, concerns and fears, etc. of your old age.

g.     Write the name of one of the admirable and lovable old persons you have come across in the past. Write down the things you have admired in him/her and the qualities which made him/her very lovable. Write down the name of another lovable old person, then of another old person and repeat the exercise as with the first person.

h.     Write down the name of an old person whom you neither liked nor admired. Write down his/her unlikable qualities and character traits.

i.       Compare yourself with one of these model persons, try to walk in his/her shoes and see what characteristics are missing in you. Do the same with the negative model and see what are his/her negative and unlikable qualities in you. Write down both the positive and negative qualities in you.

j.       Once again focus your attention on the picture of the Risen Lord for a few seconds, then bow to the picture in reverence and pray: “Jesus, you have told us that you would be with us till the end of time. I believe that you are present in our community and in my heart. Jesus, you were the friend of sinners and you could transform third-rate human beings into first-rate leaders. Jesus, give me the grace to give love, joy and encouragement to people whom I meet today. Lord, accept me as your friend, lead me to the Father and make me call Him as you called, Abba-Father.”  (End with the prayer Our Father).

(Coming up next Part lll.C.3.  conti....)