Do You Believe Exercise Can Be Spiritually Transformational?

       
      I believe so. But yet it still surprises me. In our North American society we have been taught to believe that the mind, the spirit and the body are separate things. Look at traditional medicine: it is full of specialists who don't talk to each other. In truth, not only is the body a holistic mechanism, the mind and the spirit all work together for our health.
      This morning I enjoyed a great yoga class - well, enjoyed is a stretch. It was hard! I do yoga often but some of the positions today were new to me. New is good, it tests my self imposed limits and shows me I can do more. The class was good for me. But the biggest benefit was not physical, but spiritual.
      Before class, I woke up with anxiety. Problems... issues... concerns about the relationship I began a month ago. "We don't really talk," I complained, "and if we can't talk I can't be with you and I don't want to break up!"
      My boyfriend offered some insight, "You are going too fast. We are just getting to know each other. We have plenty of time. Slow down." I admitted he was right.
      Later on in the yoga class, the anxiety I had been feeling was again, brought to my attention. The instructor spoke of how the physical can affect the psychological. She said we all have addictions (or attachments) to something. It need not be drugs or a physical addiction. It can be to anything to which we are inordinately attached without regard for our own benefit. The exercises we did today involved releasing toxins and letting go of that which does not serve us. I went along with it, not really knowing what I needed to release.
      In the middle of the class when the poses were the most difficult. I focused on release, as I was instructed to. As I held the position my body trembled and it took all my effort to maintain the pose. When complete, the instructor took us to Child's Pose and I'll tell you, in that moment I really felt like a child in surrender to my learning. A flood of emotion came to the surface, along with an epiphany. I knew what I needed to release.
      I'm a writer: a naturally verbal communicator. The trouble is that I try to use words to calculate, compute, determine and assess circumstance, in order to gain control.  Speaking out loud or simply in my head, I push to resolve a situation rather than letting it work itself out on its own. Tears came to my eyes as insight grasped the gift I'd been given. I don't need to think, talk, plan and get everything all figured out. I don't even need to try. What a relief to realize I can just let go and trust the process. And what a gift indeed, to be in the process of learning and change in a new relationship with an amazingly beautiful person who teaches me without even knowing it.
      The process started mentally and the emotionally, on its own. Physical exercise with the intention of release moved me through it and took me exactly to where I needed to be. Our bodies are really remarkable when we learn how to work with them. Exercise is truly transformational.
     

Walking My Talk

        I set up a great program to help people change their life in Costa Rica, but in good conscience I could not offer my program to others unless I first tried it out myself. Of course much of this program is already part of my lifestyle but as a test, I chose to live the program with more discipline, just as it is written on my website. I am happy to say it was a great success and that I’ve gained more growth and learning than I expected. Here is my account of my own personal experiences with the Change Your Life program.

Walking My Talk

Exercise

        In order to recommend my “Change Your Life” program I decided to first go through it myself. I began with the exercise. I normally exercise often but not on a disciplined schedule. I set out to try a plan that could be used for the program: extended morning exercise and brief evening exercise. For a week I ate breakfast at 6a.m. and exercised from 8:00 to 10:00. Long walks on the shoreline, bike rides and yoga on the beach along with swimming, were some of my choices. In the evening around 5:00 p.m. I went for a half hour run on the beach or did a short stretching routine. The results were outstanding! I felt strong and invigorated with increased energy and a happy, positive outlook. I slept well at night and woke up refreshed. Other aspects of the program have long been part of my life.

 

Diet

        I eat fresh unprocessed local fruits and vegetables every day because these are the things I enjoy. I am not a vegetarian but I eat little meat. I eat fish or chicken once or twice a week. Sweets are my weakness. I avoid sugar and use honey in its place. And I have had excellent healthy meals at each restaurant included in my program’s dinners.

Healing Therapies

        I’ve used both the masseuse I recommend, and the acupuncturist. Several months ago, while working on a huge writing project, too many hours at the computer caused me some serious back pain. I could no longer even use the keyboard unless I was standing up! Without a doubt, these two healers saved me, alleviating the pain so I could finish the project.

 

Self Healing

        Next came the hard part: dealing with the inside. I had to look at every aspect of my life and make an evaluation. Am I really living the life I want to live? Barry Steven’s guidance using his Life Planning Workbook, proved to be a useful tool.
        I met with Barry and discussed the ideas in the workbook. He believes without a doubt that everyone is able to live the life they dream of – a fulfilling and joyful life. To make this more than just a fanciful idea, a model of a human life with it’s eight major elements is used to help analyze one’s own life. How do you feel about your job, your friends, your relationship with your family? What have you always wanted to do? Are you doing it? The workbook takes you through the gamut of human life experience asking questions to spark your own self understanding.
        My first reaction to this was resistance. My life is not perfect but it is pretty good. I’m living the life of my dreams – almost. Yet I had to admit there was room for a few improvement. Why am I still single when it is not what I want? Why do I struggle for financial security? Most of my days I am productive and content, yet there are sad days, down days when I question everything and have nothing to give to those around me. Sometimes I feel stressed, guarded, overly protective and even (God Forbid!) uptight. (For a child of the 60’s, uptight is about the worst thing you can be!) Maybe that backache was not only from the long hours at the computer… I decided to go forward and take on the tasks of the Life Planning Workbook.
        As I began to go through the life categories, I balked at the first one – Family. Yes there were issues, as many of us have, but they were in the past, or so I thought. Continuing on I had no problem with friends and social life, work and the culture in which I live, and I found myself to be quite comfortable with my spirituality. But when it came to questions about myself I was thrown back to the family category again and again. I could see this would take further investigation. Barry, the creator of the Life Planning Workbook has a keen ear. As I expressed my feelings of anxiety, he took notice to a few critical comments I made and reflected them back to me. It is amazing how a simple discussion with an insightful person can suddenly spark a connection and the answer comes to you.
         I was raised by a perfectionist – at least that is what my mother’s friends called my father. I overheard the conversation when I was quite small. After years of being controlled by my parents, I rebelled and broke free. As an adult I conducted my life very differently than my parents would have advised. My big “ah ha” at age 56 was that in spite of my rebellion and opposing choices, I still carried the perfectionism imposed by my father. I was living my life with the warped idea that I had to do everything right. This was a set up for failure.
        No one does everything right. Who is to say what is right or wrong any way? Whose opinion counts – the voice of my father in my head? At first this was hard to accept: my father has been dead for two years and he is still telling me what to do? Once I got over my hurt pride I began to take notice to that voice of self-reproach. The next thing I did was decide not to take it seriously.”What? A dead person telling me what to do???” Please understand that I mean no disrespect for my father. I sat with him on his deathbed, loved him, held his hand and forgave him. He did the best he knew how. And I too, needed to do my best, which meant getting his ideas out of my head.
        Awareness is key. Often that is all it takes for behavior to change, if you want it to. Once I realized that I actually don’t have to do everything right, it was liberating! I made a game out of it. Every time I felt compelled to do something I didn’t want to because I felt someone else thought I should – I stopped myself. Soon I purposely did not “do it right.” I even looked for opportunities to do it wrong, until my best friend finally cautioned me not to carry it too far. “Just don’t break the law,” she said.
         “Damn!” I mused, “Just as I was getting ready to rob a bank!”
         A month has passed since I went through the cleansing and invigorating process of “Change Your Life.” Body, mind and spirit must be considered as a whole: health and balance in one area improves the others. Now that I do not have to do everything right, I find that I am enjoying exercise more than ever because I no longer think of it as an obligation. There is no one telling me to do it and no one making me feel guilty if I don’t. I am compassionate toward problems of family and friends but I let go of what does not belong to me. I am feeling more relaxed and carefree than ever.
         Life is a continual process of growth and learning. That is what keeps us young vibrant and active at any age. I look forward to learning more about myself as I work with others who wish to change their life in Costa Rica.

An Exercise in Stress Management

  
        How much exercise have you gotten lately? I've been traveling, visiting friends and family in the States. In the past two weeks I've flown from Costa Rica to Philadelphia to Montana and back to Philly again. Not much time for exercise. Traveling is stressful, and maybe like you, I hold stress in my shoulders, neck and back. I'll tell you, I am wound up tight! My normally limber body seems to creek when I bend over.
        I've been learning more about stress lately through observation of my own body in response to a good book I am reading by Michael A. Singer, called "The Untethered Soul." From the back cover: The Untethered Soul begins by walking you through your relationship with your thoughts and emotions, helping you discover the source and fluctuations of your inner energy. I have observed that when anything happens that I don't like, my first reaction is to seize up inside, which blocks my energy flow and tightens my back muscles.
        As most of us know by now, science has discovered that everything is made up of energy. Every experience we have and every thought is a flow of energy. Most experiences can be considered neutral, like watching passing scenery, while riding in a car.  The energy created simply goes through us without much affect. But some experiences affect us with a strong energy "charge," like seeing an accident in the midst of the passing scenery. Without realizing it, we block the flow of energy, causing stress.
        What does it mean to block the flow of energy? As in my example, when you take in a blossoming tree or a row of houses, you may make a mental comment, but then you'll go on to something else, instantly. You forget about it. Seeing the accident creates an altogether different reaction. It may remind you of a terrible past experience or of your fears for the future. With that information pictured in your mind, you do not go on. Instead you feel distracted from the present moment, mentally going over and over your thoughts about the accident. Instead of passing through you, the energy circles and circles inside your head.
        Ultimately the blossoming tree and the accident are both events experienced by your consciousness. Ruminating on the accident will not keep you safe on the highway and indeed it may do you damage.
        My life in Costa Rica is minimally stressful. Any stress there is tends to be of my own creation. For instance, I still get nervous when put on the spot to speak Spanish. But this kind of stress is easily dealt with by an afternoon run on the beach. Now that I am back in "civilization" stress management is more challenging. The faster pace and higher population density seems to engender stressful situations. I must remind myself to stop, take a breath, relax for a moment and let go, releasing the energy and allowing its natural flow. Just this little exercise in self observation has worked wonders! Now it is time to get back to an exercise in exercise.
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Time To Lighten Up

 As a young girl, my French friend Annick came to the United States to work as an “Au Pair” and learn English. She loved her new home and soon became accustomed to American life. She married a Dutch-American and raised three children. Years later she found herself on her own – her family was grown and she was divorced. You may see a bit of yourself in her letter to me:       

        ”Thanks for all you are doing. Life has been a struggle for me. I was laid off from a pharmaceutical company in Princeton, NJ in 2001 after the attack of 9/11. My unsuccessful attempts at other businesses were discouraging. For the last 15 yrs I have been on the computer sitting down, piling up pounds. I gained so much weight, had no strength and could not find my way. What ever I tried was not working. Lisa, you are giving me hope, at 58 years old, that it’s not time to let go but to wake up and do what is good for me.
        In the past recent years, my life has been devoted to volunteer service. Through my church, I was very active in helping and serving others. I have decided for now, to put this behind for a little while so I may find strength again and offer more later. I have realized that I can’t continue helping others without helping myself. That is what I intend to do now. Your program has inspired me, Lisa. It is so clear now that I must do something to improve my life style. My time has come. It is time to take care of myself.
        I just got a new job doing French Interpretation for an International company. The pay is good. My life is picking up. Now is the time for me to do what you do and that is to live my life. I must discipline myself to believe that I can get back on the right track and start enjoying life. I have been carrying a lot of weight – both physically and psychologically. I want to lose that weight and lighten up my life. I want to live with joy, like you do. I need to explore, find myself and do what I really enjoy. I am no longer willing to be afraid to do things on my own. This is the hardest part – pushing through my fear and doing things on my own. But with your encouragement I am moving forward. My time has come. It’s much easier to sit at the laptop to engage with the world, but I must change that and move. I want to be an active participant in life! Many good things will come. I know they will. But first I must act. You are my inspiration because you did it. I know I can too.” 

I'm Still Learning

     “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Marianne Williamson

    I love a good quote! The one above is a favorite. I first heard it in a speech by Nelson Mandela. I was impressed with what he said. With all that has been through, he should know. Then I learned that the quote was not Nelson Mandela’s own words. His wise statement was quoted from a book by Marianne Williamson. Who was she? A well known author, but in my mind she did not carry the authority of Nelson Mandela. Still the quote was valid. I believed it, agreed with it and used it to remind myself of my own intrinsic value.
    Recently another quote came up, attributed to the revered Martin Luther King. Osama Bin Laden, a man who struck fear in the hearts of many, had been proclaimed dead - murdered. I saw it broadcast on the television news, along with pictures of numerous screaming, celebrating people in my country’s capital. My gut reaction was nearly nausea. The highest politicians in my government had once been friends with this man and his family. Now he was an enemy whose death was being rejoiced. Regardless of who this man was, my country men’s blood thirsty reaction to his death disturbed me. Then a quote popped up on Facebook and I was happy to find I was not alone. Martin Luther King told us it was wrong to celebrate the death of an enemy:

    "I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that" -Martin Luther King, Jr.

     My feelings were validated. Surely, if Martin Luther King said it, people would consider it very seriously. I had a back up - someone substantial to support my beliefs. At least I thought so...        
    Next, in the unfolding of events, there was a refute regarding King’s statement. King never said it, it was proclaimed to be a phony quote! Now what? Now what happened was a retort to the refute of the questioned quote by Martin Luther King. Who cares if this was an authentic King quote? Many value the truth in those words, regardless of who said them. I was gratified to know that others agreed and were willing to dispute the world in saying so: lust for revenge and celebration of violence is wrong. Truth is truth no matter where it comes from.
    I’ve been thinking about quotes. I used many, to illustrate my “Change Your Life in Costa Rica” program. A friend read my program description and told me to get rid of the quotes. He said they distracted from the fine quality of my own composition. Maybe so, but I like my quotes. They come to mind when I need them, give me strength and set me straight. When I searched for those quotes I sought out words of well known and authoritative people, well respected people who had proved themselves in life. Why? Because: “Who am I?” I thought. (“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” in the words of Marianne Williamson.) Here I am promoting a program for health and well being on who’s authority? I had better get some back up. I then realized that in spite of my observations on the value of words being more important than the regard for the person who said them, I still felt the need to make an impression with help from “the authorities.”
    My greatest fear, as Marianne Williamson says, is not that I am inadequate. Her quote reminds me that I am brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous. I am meant to shine my light, manifesting the glory within. And as I do, it reaches out to touch your inner light and brings it to the forefront where, together, we enlighten the world! I’ll keep my favorite quotes, considering them as inspiration rather than substantiation. And I’ll even add one of my own. I say: “The best teacher is still learning.”


  

What Life Gives Us

         I’ve been thinking about something a friend just told me as I lamented on being single. He said, “Life does not give us what we want. It gives us what we need.” Looking at my own life, I see this is true. I did not necessarily want to be a writer, but here I am writing in Costa Rica. I did not wake up one morning and decide, “I’m going to live with joy and become an inspiration to others.” Life just took me there and it is exactly what I needed.
        I think most of us don’t really know what is good for us. We know what we want but we don’t know what we need. So we move in the direction of our desire. That is what I did. I wanted a better life: something more interesting and exciting. But deeper than that, I wanted to be a better person. I wanted my presence to help make the world a better place but I had no idea how I could accomplish that. Rather than try to figure it all out, I did what I wanted to do. It was desire that led me to Costa Rica.
        When I arrived in Costa Rica my plan was to do what I had already been doing. What else could I do but what I knew? Life’s plans for me were different. Again it was my desire that led me in the right direction. I wanted to remain in Costa Rica but my original plans were not supporting me. Regardless of the difficulty, I was determined not to go back to the USA and live a life imposed on me by society. My greatest and strongest desire was to live a life of my own creation. That strength of desire was all that was needed – from there life took over.
        I loved my new life in Costa Rica: the beauty of the natural world; the relaxed, happy attitude of the people; and a freedom of spirit I had never known. Life engendered a passion for writing to share my new found enthusiasm. So I took the advice of Joseph Campbell, “Follow your bliss.” Life threw in lots of challenging situations for me to overcome and write about. Suddenly people were watching – many many people. They avidly read my stories and wrote to me seeking inspiration for their own. My long time penchant for the advice of William Shakespeare, “To thine own self be true,” caused me to look even more closely at my actions. I must be sure to walk my talk. Inspiring others makes me hold to the advice I give to them and in turn, it makes me a better person. Joyfully pursuing what I love to do – what I want – has given me what I need.
        My want for a companion to walk the road of life is still here. Yet I know to accomplish what I have, I had to do it on my own. So I continue on in appreciation of what I have right now. Life is smarter than I am. I know what I want. Life knows what I need.