Movement
Movement is life. Though we may not always notice this, it is the truth. A stagnant pool of water will quickly becomes rancid, whilst a moving stream always remains clean, as new water continuously rushes past to replace the old water. The pattern or shape will remain, but the individual molecules contained in a particular space will change. So too does the human body change when we exercise, the heart beat rises, pumping freshly oxygenated blood to our organs. Our breathing increases, and as we breath deeper and more frequently, our lungs natural cleaning mechanisms set into play, automatically bringing up unwanted irritants like dust or phlegm that we unknowingly accumulate in our lungs whilst sitting indoors. Today, we are ever more entrenched in our digital world, making exercise an increasingly distant phenomenon for people who are getting more and more used to being attached to a screen for entertainment, work, or other reasons. Therefore, as our passive lifestyle is becoming increasingly non-physical, we must adapt our active efforts towards laying out a plan to make exercise a passive aspect of our daily routine. This is initially challenging, only as much as it takes effort to find the actual physical movements that you are most comfortable with. Though once found, no extra effort need be done on this end. It's always good to explore though, and the trends are constantly changing. That doesn't mean that there isn't necessarily an optimal exercise for you, or for any human. The ancient Yogis of India, developed movement into a science, where the breath, or Prana, had a critical role in the execution of certain movements. Once we have become attuned to our bodies, we can learn to 'let go' of the active mind that seeks to control everything, and let the breath flow with the movements. It so happens that the body has its own wisdom that needs no added instructions. In China, life force or breath goes by another name, Chi, and in certain martial arts like Xi Gong, people get to get back in contact with the breath, organs and health.
Even if you try not to move, you are still moving. Your heart is beating, your lungs are moving up and down. Even if you are sitting perfectly still, the cells and synapses in your body are constantly delivering vital information or 'data', from the key processing units, of which i know there are three, and all of which are positively benefitted by exercise or physical movement. They are the brain, the heart, and the gut. Each of these 3 centers of our bodies have different roles to play, but once all are healthy at the same time, optimal health can be achieved. Exercise no doubt has a role to play in ensuring the normal functioning of these organs. These days, i usually wake up and do a set of yoga moves whilst still in bed to wake up. The first move is a plank stile, lift your legs up, point to and look at your toes, and breath really fast through your nose called "breath of fire", followed by a rock and roll whilst hugging your shins, followed by another breath of fire sitting crosslegged with the thumbs points outwards at a 60 degree angle. Then i usually get my yoga mat and go outside to do my Sun Salutes (called Surya Namaskar in Sanskrit). For those of you that don't know what those are, it's basically the salt and pepper of all yogis, its a 12 move yoga set which you typically do 12 times or 6 times (1 Sun Salute is one cycle on each side, I know because i was confusing this for a while) for beginners. It's a full body stretch, and a perfect way to start the day and keep a health spine and body. I definitely agree with the notion of Use it or Lose it, and because we are sitting down for most of the day it's important to get the spine moving in ways that run counter to those hunched positions from sitting down that can cause back pain. After the Sun Salutes, i go on with my non-physical morning routine e.g. breakfast, read, learn, work.
In the afternoon i go for a walk with my dog Miya, she's my trusty sidekick and a great ball of energy to have running around. She likes to let the whole world know she's here, especially at night, by barking her head off. Despite the minor drawbacks, having a pet, especially a dog, is something i would highly recommend if you are in a position where you would like to do more physical exercise. It is quite the symbiotic relationship, as the dog needs to walk and the human needs a structured regime for walking, so together it's a win win. Moreover, a dog is the epitome of loyalty and love, and despite her nocturnal barking sessions, i still love her because i know she barks out of love, and protective instinct. They are definitely man's best friend, and their energy spills over into others around them, creating a positive energetic outlet which you can plug in any time. Dogs are awesome, and though i've had cats most of my life (which have a more chill vibe), getting a dog recently (in the last 3 months) has been an awesome experience since i've always wanted one!
As a kid, i used to do plenty of sports, like rock climbing, swimming, and basketball. As i got into my teens though, i unfortunately encountered a phase of smoking tobacco which made my sports activities take a big hit. However that phase got me into the phase i am in today which is in the realm of health and wellness, for which I have a deep and profound interest. Not only in exploring the life-sustaining qualities of plants in all their forms, but in all the esoteric disciplines like meditation, Wim Hof Method, Yoga, and Qi Gong amongst others which i am constantly trying to learn more about. I believe that with the will to improve, there is always a way to improve. With the faculties accorded to the human mind, which included logical analysis and speech, and expression of interest, we are able to research, reach out and explore the internet to discover the likes of experts in their fields, mentors, teachers and gurus (dispellers of darkness). We need only decide the interest we seek to explore, the rest is already out there, the interest most likely has already been explored by many before you, as the life of a human being is very cyclical, and billions of humans have come before us with the same thoughts that we are having now. Certain staples like physical movement have always been a part of human life, therefore have experienced the most amounts of R&D. All the sports that exist, indeed have come into simply by the need to express a certain need to move. Basketball, Hockey, Football, Frisbee, Boomerang you name it, are all just forms of expressing physical movement. You could come up with a new sport today, in fact. You just need a bit of creativity, say for example flinging a stick as far as you can, or skipping stones over water, but towards a specific target. I mean there are some pretty crazy sports out there, anything can happen!
Thought I think most millennials have a love hate relationship with movement, we need to learn to embrace movement as a natural part of life. The sooner we are able to do that and get good at it, the more comfortable a life we will have. That's why i am so grateful that my parents put me into so many sports classes as a kid, a lot of the habits stay for life. And whenever i have kids of my own i will undoubtedly sign them up for sports classes too. I think it is of the utmost importance that people develop a loving relationship to movement, not just for the great benefits they bring, but for the other aspects like socialising, making friends, discovering nature that would take place in sports like Hiking or Rock Climbing. I love the feeling i get in my body after a nice long stretching session, be it before bed, or after waking, its just a good feeling that everyone should have whenever they want. And obviously its free, your body, your choices, do what you want with it, but what ever you do take care of it! Nothing is more important in your life, especially if you want to live long! And boy do i want to see how this century plays out, what a start it has been so far!
In any case, I hope you got a little inspiration out of this post to keep moving. And not just in any direction, forward! Sending love out to the community on Hive, together we inspire each other and thrive for a better world.
Peace, dizzybee