Mind>Body

Do you believe one should master their body before they can truly optimize their mind? The mind controls the actions of the body, but the body reflects the state of mind. There is mediation in yoga, calisthenics, pumping iron, and sports. I personally believe conquering one's physical goals will have a profound, positive effect on their mental state.

I wouldn't say one SHOULD master body before mind... as an absolute order. But, They really go hand and hand. A healthy body leads to fewer physical distractions for ones mind. The more relaxed the body the easier it is to tame the mind. And vice versa, with the proper mindset and state, a person can create the neccesary phisical practices to better their body.

I do know some people (as we all) who aren't in the best of health and possibly not able to depend on their physical bodies for strentgh or comfort due to illness, pain or impairment, yet who move in very intuitive or enlightned mind states.

What exactly does a mastered body look like? Because if I my nose itches, I direct my hand to scratch it. Is that mastery?

I've known some people that lost the use of their bodies. They then go on to master their mind, because that's all they have left. They cannot master their bodies, but they can master their minds.

On the flipside, I know one person who is ripped, super fit, arms twice the size of my legs each. But dim as a burnt bulb at midnight.

Both mind and body can be trained, and if you can work both I would recommend doing so. But ensure you don't overtrain one and forget about the other.

It could be that mind is a function of the body. Just like we call our legs "legs" we also call our mind "mind" but its still our body. A "tool" that our body uses to survive. Maybe.

EDIT
in before Gisteron

How does the mind control the actions of the body? From what I can tell the mind is a function of the body. No, that opinion is not an incontroversial one, of course, but those who contest it tend to do so on the grounds of their anthropological concerns, never on medical ones...

Gisteron wrote: How does the mind control the actions of the body? From what I can tell the mind [b}is[/b} a function of the body. No, that opinion is not an incontroversial one, of course, but those who contest it tend to do so on the grounds of their anthropological concerns, never on medical ones...

Asana yoga, it's good for stuff n things...

A mastered body looks like mine : ) To be honest though I think there is a certain control that is parallel for each. The mind controls the body, the body feeds the mind. Focus on an individual task and you'll see both connect as one that would be as close to mastery as I think can exist. Otherwise realize that the mind and body are the same.

What do we think "Mastery" actually means? At least in the context of mastering a body or a mind?