The Mindful Fitness Manifesto
Cleanse
Exercise has an amazing ability to cleanse our minds if we let it. We bathe ourselves in the soft crunch of sneakers on the trail, the whirr of the wheels on the pavement, the gentle caress of wind through our hair, and warm pressing of the sun on our backs.
These sensations, sights, and sounds bapxize us and recall a simpler way of being. But we have to create the space for it to happen.
Connect
We have to connect to beautiful music, the sounds of nature, and the power that comes from community. We have to escape the traditional model of fitness, where being in shape means fitting an impossible model. And everything else means failure.
Rebel
We have to abandon the world of harshly lit gyms, distorted speakers, television zombie treadmill running, and anti-social hoodie wearing.
We have to stop looking at magazines with envy and starting look in the mirror with admiration.
We have to stop following every one else’s path and forge our own.
The Call
When we exercise with intention, with clarity, and with spaciousness we do more than become stronger in body. We become stronger in heart and mind.
The world calls us to move, not so we can be on the cover of a magazine. But because movement brings us into balance with nature. It brings us into the flow of life.
The Journey
The journey is long, but the beginning is simple.
Open your front door.
Open your eyes.
Open your ears.
And open your mind.
The Step
Take that first step and realize that the energy of the universe flows through your veins. With every pump your heart calls you to wake up, with every breath your lungs bring you into the world like a newborn babe.
This is why we love exercise, why we love life, why we just can’t get enough.
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“We have to stop looking at magazines with envy and start looking in the mirror with admiration.” Hear, hear! Popular media has set unrealistic expectations of what our bodies should look like. We have to discover for ourselves what it means to be happy with our bodies.
I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for your comment!
Love the part about movement bringing us into the flow if life. I couldn’t agree more! Awesome post!
I’m so glad you liked it. I find exercise is an amazing way to connect to life more fully. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Interesting thought. Exercise connects you to life. I am obese. Have I lost my connection to life? Have I been disconnected? Is exercise my first step in reconnecting to life. Maybe I will try it as soon as I finish these donuts.
I love this comment. I would say there are many things that connect you to life and exercise can be one of them. But eating donuts can connect you as well. It has more to do with your state of mind then anything else.
Thank you for your comment.