Viva Brighton Issue #30 August 2015

health......................................Ben MurphySpiritual boxerAt the first sign of halfdecentweather, the fitnessbootcamps start to coloniseHove Lawns, with their flags,bibs and calisthenics. Occupyingthe same space, butof another stripe altogether,is Ben Murphy. At 5.30 am,whatever the month, he leadsa session combining yoga,martial arts, meditation andchanting that culminates in a sea swim. Later inthe day, he’ll do more yoga and boxing classes, onthe lawns and at other local venues.“Put that man back in the cage. He should be inchains” was the comment from one of his boxingopponent’s trainers, and you can see his point.Twice coming within a whisper of winning a Britishtitle, and never one to take a backwards step inthe ring, he’s in the permanently built-and-rippedstate desired by most gym-goers. But that’s notwhat any of this is about. Think more the openinglines of Enter The Dragon, when Bruce Lee’s characteris addressed by his teacher: ‘‘I see your talentshave gone beyond the mere physical level. Yourskills are now at the point of spiritual insight.”In 1999, aged 19, Ben was in South Korea, trainingin taekwondo.“Someone gave me the book Surfing The Himalayasby Frederick Lenz, all about a guy who’s a snowboarderwho gets into meditation and spirituality.I learned some meditation techniques, andeverything developed from there. When I cameback to the west, I wanted to be like a martial-artsmonk, and boxing was the only route to take whereI could earn some money. I increasingly came tosee boxing as being a way of accessing somethingdeeper in myself, aninternal power, bringingit from within.”He was given just fourdays’ notice before oneof his title fights.‘I’d met this shamanicguy in Brighton aroundthis time, and I didshamanic journeyingwith him, and that justblew me open. He was way out there, and beforethe fight, me and my trainer walked with him intothe woods near the hotel, and he read a poem andgot my trainer looking at the moon. It was suchdifferent worlds coming together!’Holding yoga and martial arts postures for longperiods is a central plank in this nonduality approach.‘Intention is crucial, but I’m saying let goof your rational mind, kick out your thoughts andfree yourself to go deeper into your body than youever thought possible. The strength, flexibility andbalance will shock you. Your restrictions placedupon yourself by yourself slowly become burnedby the power of your focus and intention.’The sea at 5.30am in midwinter might feel restrictingto most.‘It’s about not fighting it, and bringing somethingfrom within. I stopped telling myself a story abouthow cold it feels, and I focused on my breath. Icame to understand that the energy inside is themost beautiful thing, better than the material stuff,the muscles. I feel all obstacles can be overcomethrough training of this kind.’Andy DarlingBen Murphy, 07824 470 006facebook.com/TigerTempleUK....89....