The first visit to the gym – working with our body, not against it
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The first visit to the gym – working with our body, not against it
There is something deeply beautiful about being aware of our body from the inside out, a deeper sense of the quality of our movements, including the rhythm of our breath.
Yes, the inhaling and exhaling of the breath, all taken for granted as normal until there is something that occurs within our body that makes us immediately more aware of our breath or lack of it! For example, a very stressful situation occurring around us or even pushing the body so hard in exercising – causing either a holding or gasping for breath, lungs heaving, heart racing and hammering away in the chest.
The body is in communication with us all the time, yet are we truly listening?
What I have discovered from the body is that there is a way to be aware of the breath that supports the body’s innate wisdom and delicate homeostasis (balance) so as not to override the natural harmonious flow – even at the gym!
And so, off to the gym for the first time ever (age 72) to maintain and enjoy a level of fitness to support the body in the natural movement of the ageing cycle.
A qualified physical fitness trainer introduced me to the gym equipment, making me aware of how the machines are to be used. An eye opener for sure! People pounding away on different types of walking machines, different types of cycling machines, various angled boards for toning abs, inner and outer thighs, arms, and rings to lean into to strengthen the core and arms. We did not venture near the weights section – to avoid overload on the first viewing.
The trainer was clear that it was very important to always breathe through the mouth to support the oxygen levels whilst increasing the momentum during the training for achieving excellent results and more endurance. He was very surprised when I shared that breathing through my mouth was not a way that my body would appreciate whilst working out gently at the gym, he again expressed that it was the best way for improving and bettering fitness unless there was a medical reason for not doing so.
With lightness and playfulness, I shared that our body is akin to a living personal science laboratory, filled with a deep wisdom and is very sensitive to what does not support it. For example - the harsh feeling in the throat and lungs when breathing through the mouth makes it impossible to feel the sense of gentleness, tenderness or even delicacy of the breath in and out of the body and then the movements can become driven.
Our bodies are always communicating with us, including during exercise.
If at any moment I am unable to breathe in and out, gently through my nose that is the signal that I am no longer working with the body, but against it. Mouth breathing feels very hard on the delicate lung tissue and the body can begin to harden and thus we are less responsive to its communications.
For example – when using the walking machine and building up the pace of the walk, the moment I am unable to breathe effortlessly through the nose, I recognise that this is the body communicating that I am moving into an energy of push and drive, which could easily go way beyond what is supportive and may be subtly harming in the long term. It is exquisite to be aware of the gentle breath within the body and, without perfection or need for perfectionism, this applies in every area of life whether walking, swimming, driving, shopping, cleaning, or exercising at the gym.
The beauty of remaining in awareness of our own breath from the inside out is to be breathing the ‘rhythm of our own breath’, connecting us to purity of our innermost essence and supporting the delicate tissues within the lungs – a solid foundational platform to move from throughout our day, and whatever occurs externally we can deal with from that rhythm and steadiness of breath.
The body is the marker of all truth.
Esoteric Teachings & Revelations, Volume I, ed 2, p 569
It is that which can with accuracy spell-out all that is and has been.
A somewhat perplexed trainer said they were not trained this way, but after a pause in communication, he said he would like to experiment with a new/different level of awareness of his body as a ‘personal science laboratory’ and give it a go!
Yes, the body is designed to exercise and loves to work with physical labour too, but how we work with awareness of the quality of every movement, either honouring the body or not, is key to true health and fitness.
Fitness is, on many levels, incorporating the physical, emotional, mental and energetic aspects. Energetic fitness, meaning to be at one with the body and aware of the quality of movement (including the breath), is the one we bring least attention to. Yet this is the movement that returns us to live in a way that is all-encompassing wholeness.
Re-connection with the body through the quality of our breath including during focussed exercise, offers a deeper sense of true inner stability, moving with a grace and flow that feels settled and true.
Filed under
Body awareness, Breath, Connection, Fitness, Lifestyle
