Everyday, there's a reason to hold yourself back from doing
what you want to do. Something, someone, some situation presents these
obstacles that are glaring excuses on why NOT to go ahead. Neighbor's
music is too loud, traffic is bad, you're stuck on the train, your tooth hurts,
your body's tired -- ANYTHING! Same's true for working out. And you
growl "NO! Who can think about exercising right now; I am so
overwhelmed. Give me a break!"
Ahhhh ... well, there it is, isn't it? My last post
(Workout #4) was about varying your workout by playing with it ... not letting
it be too conventional, at least some of the time. I called it, playing
with your brain. You know what? That brain stuff with "working
out" includes a focused rest -- ESPECIALLY when you're overwhelmed,
exhausted or so angry/sad that you feel like nothing's gonna get you out of
that rut.
Now, here we go ... people ask me all the time: "But,
Renée, how does laying down and thinking about circles or colors and things help
me lose weight and get healthy?" ARRRRRRRRG! There's MY growl back
at ya. Do you think that taking 10 or 15 minutes to stretch your
imagination and head into the eyes of the body would somehow not benefit you
because you're not "sweating" or teasing those muscle fibers?
Think about it ... kids are good examples. You got this kid that's
heading to school everyday and getting bullied or is not understanding certain
subjects. The kid heads home, says he/she needs a break and goes right to
the TV or a video game that -- no matter what the innocence or non-innocence of
the program -- does not focus on the child's problems at all. The
importance lies in the program and not on the person watching. And the
cycle repeats. But, what if ... You take that child into a world of
imagination that can put a face or a fruit or a leaf on that problem for a
moment in his/her own way, and you're going to empower that child by teaching
him/her how small an issue can be compared the unique might of self-worth and
awareness. Now, maybe the problems will persist, but at least the kid's
armed with the ability to train the mind so that the next time around, that
problem is surrounded with a whole lot of other tools he/she's discovered to
control and improve the situation. And that IS important.
Do that for YOU. If your mind is not focused ... if
your body is not relaxed and is full of tension because you don't think it's
worth it to pinpoint rough spots, then the workout you do is likely to break
that body. Keep moving ... that includes the mind. And, who knows?
Maybe after some minutes of giving breath and food for thought, you might
be inspired to take a walk or a jog or dance with a friend to old music.
And that's what I prescribe for your next workout -- first.
I found this BEAUTIFUL meditation online that I actually did at the end
of one of my classes today. Follow the link and this author's lovely
explanation and guidance through renewal of self in the theme of Fall.
For my class, I took it a step further and had them lie down visualizing
the Autumn outdoors and the changing colors of the leaves. Then, I had
them become the leaf holding onto, not a tree, but the one thing that's been so
hard to let go of. They end of releasing themselves from it and float to
the ground covered in other brave leaves that have let go. None know
their purpose, but the winds of time move and the freedom is fabulous.
I'll let the brilliant writer/creator of the piece explain the rest.
And if you choose to put my spin on it - great! You can even make
it your own. The class absolutely loved it. Please give this to
yourself before jumping that body around ... start inside yourself.
Here's the link:
http://www.buddhachicklife.com/1/post/2011/09/a-meditation-for-fall-letting-go.html
After that ... since this blog is getting to be quite long
... I prescribe taking a light walk, jog or dance to music your way. What
I'd REALLY like, is for you to dance or step touch, march, MOVE to music you
love. How long has it been since you've done that? If you're a
dancer, it might feel less silly (or not silly at all) to move to music.
I'm probably talking to a LOT of non-dancers though. So, for YOU,
spend time listening to whatever you like and don't let it be "pretty"
or controlled. Keep it free. You'd be surprised how just bopping to
music can make you feel fabulous. Yes ... it matters. It matters
that you're not doing "hard labor" exercises all the time. No
rubrics, remember? No way ... not for us. We're in Autumn ...
changing colors ... and ready to release ourselves to the wind of endless
possibilities.
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