Adventures For Body And Soul? Body Techniques Of Different Cultures For Sociability, Spirituality And Sports

All sensory perceptions, all experiences, all the knowledge about the inner and outer worlds thusly gained, are made with the body. Which body techniques and which physical structural conditions did or do other cultures use to direct inner processes, consciousness expanding experiences, the sense of community and the joy they get from sports? Team sports foster team spirit. In our new focus on health and wellness, on sports and outdoor experiences, and also in the rediscovery of traditional cultures, the body is booming . It is also being rediscovered for its ability to provide heightened spiritual and physical experiences. The paper addresses a wide range of spiritual disciplines, techniques, rituals and related practices applied to gain deeper insight, spiritual strength, expanded consciousness, healing and mental and physical fitness. The paper analyses the distinct methods and goals of twelve different approaches. Among them are: (1) Fasting, silence, meditation and solitude as used by religious cultures and monastic traditions (2) Yoga techniques and (3) other breathing techniques, (4) traditional Far Eastern martial arts, (5) dancing used to produce trance-like states, (6) self-mutilation used for penitence, trance and visions, (7) old and neo-Shamanic cultures taking psychoactive plants for healing and altered consciousness, (8) love, the art of surrender and melting together as addressed, quite differently, by all religions, (9) adventure therapy with nature prone sports, (10) modern extreme and risky sports, (11) “trendy” sports using skate, snow, surf or kite boards, and finally (12) ancient and modern Olympic sports. The author may also include reports on his own experiences when running marathon, crossing the Gobi desert and the Takla Makan desert on foot, climbing in 2015, just before his 75th birthday, a peak of 6153 m, and spending four weeks every year in the Amazon jungle with indigenous shamans and their traditional plants to improve his health.