_edited.png)
Training is an act of specificity, a practice. We are what we repeatedly do. If you want to have more endurance in your life, condition the heart + lungs for more capacity, more stamina. You want more strength, load the muscles with more tension. You want more flexibility + mobility, stretch and expand the range of motion.
It's no different on the inside. Sometimes, I get stuck in a funk, a rut. The best way I know how to move beyond what is limiting me on the inside, is to move some energy in my body to release what feels stagnant within me. Sometimes I need to amplify more of what feels good, ride the wave of forward momentum. I do that with meditation, subtle body energy work like Reiki, kriya and exercise. Whatever I need more of in my life, I train and condition in my body. If I need more endurance, I change my exercise to reflect that. If I need more strength, I challenge what I can lift, what I can hold. When I feel rigid, I stretch. Some days, I need rest. This is what an intuitive movement practice looks like for me.
To live a mindful heart centered life is to listen, to be aware of what each moment offers. To be fit, strong, flexible in mind, body and soul. Each day is a different experience and each season requires a new energy. You can think of it in traditional training terminology as periodization or a cycle within a training phase. I like to give it a more intuitive + energetic spin. Because life doesn't always go to plan and I need my body to support the energy I need to draw upon at any given moment.
If I am overly stressed the last thing I need is for my exercise program to exacerbate that. So I choose a different the approach. If I'm feeling particularly strong I go with it and push a little harder. I love to test the edges of my ability. Some days, I need to move slowly. There are infinite ways to move energy in the body. Tune in to what you need, shifting the idea of exercise as an act of self-love rather than a punishing beat down. No pain no gain is not the vibe anymore.
Don't misunderstand that I mean hard work isn't part of the deal. It's about flow not grind. Yes, sometimes, it's about heavy lifting. When you're tuned in to what your body needs and you give it exactly that, it rewards you. So, if you want to get out of your own way, move your body in the way it wants to move.
