From David Hulme
Anil Ananthaswamy’s review of the book Kabbalah: A neurocognitive approach to mystical experiences (8 August, p 42) led me to wonder whether the world of sport might be ripe for investigations into the out-of-body phenomenon.
I can imagine that long-distance runners might experience the feeling of separation from their physical selves as they pound rhythmically mile after mile. From a personal viewpoint, I once had a fleeting moment of separation from my physical self while practising archery.
It came during a period of intense training when a combination of concentration and repetition made me feel as if I was observing myself going through the shooting process and it lasted while I loosed six arrows.
The central premise of Zen and the Art of Archery, first published by philosopher Eugen Herrigel in 1948, is that through years of practice a physical action becomes so effortless that you can perform complex movements without conscious thought. It might not be out-of-body, but it is part of the same continuum.
Stockport, UK
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