Thursday, August 23, 2012

fitness for enlightenment


Today I woke up and was instantly propelled into a work out. I wasn't working out though....I was filming segments for David Wolfe. It was great, because even though I didn't get the thigh tone-age that comes with actually doing a workout, I was the quiet observer of very intense moments.

Hearing Genesis Sunfire, David's personal trainer, say things like "you're probably going to get angry. You're likely to experience sharp emotions as you blow past your thresholds. Be okay with this. This is normal. It's part of the training." I was wondering what the heck was going to happen.

What followed were the completion of very simple exercises; within minutes David did a total of five different exercises, to exhaustion.

Five minutes of:
-Push ups
-Sit-up twists
-Squats

15-20 minutes of:
Walking with a piggybacker on board
Walking with someone on your back FireMan style.

(Alternatively, speed walking as fast as you can possibly go for 15 minutes is an option for those who aren't working out with someone else, or if your upper body strength isn't developed enough for carrying someone. Let's be reasonable here! ).

Cues that I heard during this whole process included:

-When you start to slow down, speed up
-As it gets harder, consciously relax
-Practice being uncomfortable daily

This is how we develop our willpower. This is how we train ourselves to we can be in service to the planet and those who inhabit it.

This seemingly innocuous workout was plum full of useful lessons and mind-body-spirit training. This is not about fitness at all. It's about enlightenment.

Later I went for a run and applied these principals to my workout: When I felt like like stopping I went faster...when the huffing and puffing was getting close to unbearable I did my best to consciously relax. I definitely felt uncomfortable. I've definitely been "more fit" in my life, and the snakes I heard under the long grasses i was running on made my heart race even more.

I really received a good snap shot of my physical strength, fitness level & will power today, and feel tuned into how I can improve these aspect of myself....which very likely will help me evolve as a person.

What if I can transcend my 'stopping points'? What if the point where I stop is miles from where it is now? What if I get there way faster? What happens then? I don't know....and suddenly I'm getting really excited!

I want to be someone who can help others in every way I can: whether it's listening to someone process their emotions, or assisting a host throw a great party or pulling someone from the rubble. All important superhero skills.

So here I am at the edge of something great, equipped with life changing principals. I'll keep you posted on how this training goes....

Pictured above: Genesis demo-ing an advanced version of twists.

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