Hello my friends... paying attention to our state of mind and body is essential, please don't forget either one. Neglecting our state of mind falls into the cracks most quickly, for in our great country, we are made aware daily of how we look or "should" look, and so that's where we place our attention, on the superficial. Ego does contribute too... Yes, ego... Yikes! hee hee…
Also, even when we place our attention only on our body, we place it only on the superficial, "will this make me look good" rather than "will this make me feel good, live well and long."
These two perspectives are sometimes seen as irreconcilable for often the "exercises" that make us look good harm our bodies and mess with our minds, or at the very least do nothing for our mind and rarely touch our interior landscape, the really important part of who we are...
Ok... so what's the point, what "should" (hate that word) we do? What can we do?
Well, first become aware of how and why we exercise, the environment in which we do it, and our state of mind while involved.
Always move in an environment which add and does not take away from you... Know that everything is energy, some negative, some positive, and that energy can either increase your well-being or cause it harm... So stay mindful, view the space your in, stand still, close your eyes and feel the energy around you, under your feet, above your head. Trust your intuition, if it does not feel right, move on, find a another place...
Now concerning our state of mind, this is something we have total control over, not that we can always, instantly, make it as we'd might like, but that we can be awake to what it is, and if we find it to be tense, angry, scattered, etc, that we can either correct it right then and there, (some of you know how) or delay the activity until it changes...
Now I can hear many of you now... Working out changes my mind, makes me calm, relieves my anger, and I guess in some instances it might, but from my experience it all too often is just absorbed (the negative energy) into our bodies/mind, causing us to move with tension, and scattering our thoughts, not permitting us to move with mind, but instead mindlessly, which causes more problems than good...
My practice qigong, qi (energy) gong (work)... is widely believed to be the original health based practice of China and is literally thousands of years old…
I don't call qigong "exercise," the Chinese don't see it as such, unlike western exercise, the external manifestations are secondary to what goes on inside, especially in the form I most often practice "nei gong" nei meaning "internal." Whereas most westerners want results seen, even if superficial, not benefiting the whole body, even when those very exercises harm us. The Chinese understand if we make the inside beautiful the outside will reflect that beauty, and that it often doesn't work the other way around...
Nei Gong, (internal work or practice) is the practice of becoming aware of how we move, and moving in such a way as to open the body and move its tissue, blood, lymph, and qi “energy’ with mind as well as muscle.
These slow mindful movements are aimed at removing blockages and freeing tissue that have been blocked/tied up by a lifetime of sitting, tension and misaligned postures and/or mind sets (mind misalignments).
I'd love to teach you all something more about this, but right now I cannot... It is a subtle yet deep practice which requires time and energy to learn, so instead I'll leave you with this...
When you move, when you speak, even when u sit, do these things "awake," let "no thing" happen randomly, (absent of mind and intention) use your body, use your mind, don't waste your time, this precious life, for each moment, each movement, is your life... Use it well....
If you are interested in learning more please write and say "what's up with this?" I’ll surely get back to u...
Be well...gi