A question I’ve sat in deep reflection with:
How do we honor spirit through our movement?
Training and fitness has a tendency to become a mechanized process. Viewing the body as a machine, we set goals based on either aesthetics or efficiency. While there is nothing wrong with either, I believe there is an element missing with this lens.
In order to continue, we must define spirit. While it has been stereotyped into otherworldly and existing behind physicality, the true principle of the word spirit is derived to mean “life, the animating or vital principle in man and animals.”
To embody spirit means to live with inspiration, wonder, vitality and a sense of wholeness. It is the breath of life, giving meaning to the pursuits we feel called to in our heart.
What is the true “why” in any movement practice you engage with?
Maybe you want to feel good and be healthy. What does that mean, exactly? What does it represent? What does the sense of vitality found through movement bring to your life?
Maybe you want to master a discipline such as weightlifting, yoga, or martial arts. What does this pursuit teach you about yourself? How do you navigate the ups and downs? Why do you choose to continue when you know there are infinite levels to the game?
Maybe you don’t know why you move. Maybe it just feels right. There doesn’t always need to be reasoning to what we do if it’s our heart calling us to explore. Trust in its direction.
How can you consciously begin to incorporate the spirit into your movement? Begin by setting goals that set your heart on fire. Maybe they feel far off right now. But each day in your movement practice is a new step in the hero’s journey of optimization.
If you choose the path of discipline, you will make the progress you desire. But it goes beyond discipline. Think about what your goal represents. The actualized version of you doesn’t need to be the peak, it can be the foundation for who you are.
Hell is dying and meeting the person you could have been. Movement is essential in actualizing your full potential, but it most be done with reverence and purpose to get the best results.
How do you honor spirit in your movement? Let me know below.
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I needed this. At the moment I only have a (usually) daily yoga /stretching routing but it's not enough, and I keep hurting myself doing all the other things I come up with. Dance maybe... Hiking definitely. I'm tired of pushing myself to move.