Discipline?
We have seen how creating a partnership with the physical body is far better than dominating it and that following its signals rather than enforcing the mind’s will leads to a better state of health and well being (Learning to Listen – Part I). I am not saying that discipline is not required when one is committed to creating and maintaining a healthy, strong, beautiful and harmonious body. On the contrary, I will state that discipline is not only necessary but of utmost importance. The great question is: what are we directing our discipline towards? Is it the number of exercises and repetitions? The number of days we work out every week? The determination to follow the latest fitness craze just because so and so endorsed it? More vitamins, less fat, more fat, less sleep, more water, less stress?
The physical body is a miracle (Learning to Listen – Part II) and it carries within – at a cellular level – deep knowledge of health, well-being and ease. Our cells vibrate in distress long before an injury or an illness is physically manifested. Also, our cells will start vibrating at healthier levels before medical tests will confirm that we are in better states of health.
We cannot cookie cut our workouts and we cannot accept general prescriptions for proper exercise and nutrition. We cannot restrict something so powerful and extraordinary like the human body to the recipes for health and well being that are constantly bombarding us through the media.
We have everything we need to know embedded in our very own bodies. With all this being said, you might wonder where and how does discipline fit in. Our society, schooling systems and families have taught us through discipline. The dictionary tells us that discipline means regulation, order, control and restraint as well as punishment and correction.
Discipline also means exercise, regimen or activity that improves a skill.
The skill I am talking about is paying attention to how your body feels throughout the day. If you are not used to it, it will take a few days or a few weeks to get into the habit. But once this becomes part of your awareness, you will discover that everything you need to know is stored in your body. So much so that your body will guide you through your day in a way that your mind cannot.
In the next few articles I will guide you through exercises that will teach you how to listen to your body and how to put that information to work for better health and well being.
For now, I invite all of you to be disciplined and pay attention to your body. Begin the wonderful journey of listening to the great knowledge you carry with you every second and everywhere you go. Start right now the process that will change your mind and your body and that will enhance your life forever.