The body has a very high fluid content (60% in males, 55% in females) and a loss of 15% of body fluid is usually fatal. These days it is common to see people carrying a water supply from which they sip frequently. Unless you are in a desert in the heat of the day this is not really necessary.
It is based on the same sort of guesswork which pitched the acceptable levels of alcohol intake (14 units for women, 21 for men per week. 1 unit is 1 glass of wine or 1 pint of beer) and these were ‘guesstimates’ by the members of the Public Health Department. While water is the best hydrator and tap water in UK is as good as any, we take in fluid a part of our food as well.
Thirst is an indicator that fluid is needed, and, as I have said, allowing or encouraging dehydration as some spiritual regimes would have one do is unwise, although it can provide interesting psychic results.
How much fluid do we need? This can be deduced by urine frequency and colour. Urine should be passed four to six times daily in reasonable amounts, and be pale in colour. If greater frequency occurs or if the colour remains dark for some days advice should be sought.
It may be thought that I have harped on this subject too long, but I have found that people can so easily be damaged by bad and inappropriate advice about ‘spiritual’ activities if they do not have some knowledge of what the body really needs.
Short ascetic undertakings are usually pretty harmless, but do be aware of what you are doing to your health. To damage health for ‘spiritual’ reasons as St Benedict and St Bernard and (dare I say it) St Francis did, is a mistake, and poor thanks to the God who made your body.
A good rule in all physical matters, and possibly in spiritual ones as well, is the 70% rule. In all activities go only to 70% of your capacity and you will be pretty safe. Of course the clever ones will say ‘How do I know what is 70%?’ The answer is you guess (like the clever public health doctors did re alcohol intake). You will have a pretty good idea of your limit in eating, drinking, running, and any other activity – even praying - so take that as 100%and guess your 70% (and always remember that 110% doesn’t exist).
I think that covers ‘food’ or at least gives you some lines of thought to consider. So now we move on to air. This is fairly simple. We need clean fresh air at all rimes, and if completely deprived of it most will die in about four minutes. (there are people who have trained for a long time to survive much longer, for purposes such as very deep unassisted diving).
However it has been found that the breath and spirituality are very closely connected, and there are many techniques which spiritual adventurers have discovered which enhance their spiritual activities. Such techniques are most famously found in the Pranayama of yoga and in the Hesychia of Eastern Orthodoxy. It is thought, though with very little archival basis, that the Celtic Church monastics used similar exercises. I wish to emphasise that without the direct supervision of a competent teacher these exercises can be dangerous, and can lead to harmful changes in brain, mental and spiritual activity.
Any attempt to use breath control in spiritual activity is wisely kept to the simple slowing of the breath to perhaps four per minute (unless you have access to a competent teacher). We will discuss this in more depth when we come to meditation later in this series.
Next comes ‘protection’ Here again the matter is fairly simple. To spend the night up to the neck in a cold river, as some ‘saints’ were said to do, is unwise. Equally to cosset yourself in a heated fuggy room is also unwise. The advice is keep reasonably dry and warm without pandering too much to ‘comfort’ – remember 70%! It does not help spiritual life to live uncomfortably, nor to live in fear, and it is wise to take steps to learn some form of self defense, particularly for women. Most real self defense has a spiritual side and can be used to tone the body. Most self defense regimes are taught as forms of exercise, and exercise which tones and maintains the body is good.
Much ‘modern’ exercise does neither, because it tends to damage joints, and overuse muscle – particularly the heart. Good exercise is gentle (I am not talking about active sports which are a different thing if you are young enough to partake). Walking at a gentle pace – four miles an hour- for half an hour daily is good. Jogging, running and cycling can damage the knees – I know it doesn’t seem so at the time, but I have seen too many battered arthritic old ex-sportsmen to recommend these as good regular exercises for maintaining good health, For occasional fun –yes (perhaps !). Swimming is good because it’s weightless and almost everyone who swims regularly gains health benefits.
There are some exercises which have been developed specifically for adventurers in the spiritual life, mainly in the Eastern religions, but also in Christianity, though the latter are not well known. We will consider some of these in the next installment.