What is exercising in connection?
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What is exercising in connection?
Exercise can be a huge issue for many of us. The thought of exercise can be quite daunting and can already bring on a sweat and make your heart race. And, we sometimes find it hard to walk 20 paces let alone 200 or 2000 meters.
Exercising is definitely not something that everybody looks forward to doing, or finds easy to commit to doing regularly. It can be painful or uncomfortable, we can sweat, or get a rash and our clothes can stick to us. During exercise it can be hard to breathe and our legs, arms, chest, feet and even our head can burn or throb.
When considering the possible discomfort or challenge of exercise, it may often feel easier to avoid doing it, rather than going to the effort to do it.
Because there is this tendency to want to avoid exercise, exercise may sometimes be something we force ourselves to do, because ‘the Dr says we should’, or ‘we need to lose weight’ or ‘because it’s good for our health’. When we force ourselves to exercise it’s not an enjoyable experience, and we are usually trying to distract ourselves by counting down the clock to when we can stop!
Is it possible that exercise does not have to be uncomfortable, painful or something we dread? Maybe it only seems this way because the issue is not the exercise itself, but HOW we actually are exercising? Is it possible for exercise to be enjoyable and feel great in our body if done in a different way to what we have previously experienced or been shown to do?
Yes, it is!
Exercising when connected and in tune with our self, our feelings, and our body, can result in a completely different experience of exercise.
What is exercising in connection?
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Staying focused and present with yourself whilst you exercise: There are no external thoughts about what you are doing next, or the discussion you had with your friend that morning, or something you experienced previously or are looking forward to.
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Listening to your body in a very fine tuned way: Be aware of every little feeling and begin to understand how to adjust movements or exercises according to what is felt in the body.
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Bringing a quality to your exercise: It’s as simple as being aware of the quality of your breath, being very present with every in and out breath and starting to understand that there is a gentle and natural way of breathing that is in line with what your body and being truly needs, to feel very confident and very much in your skin.
What are the benefits of exercising in connection?
- The type of exercise we choose to do will be one that we truly enjoy and what our body truly needs.
- The intensity or level that we exercise at will be exactly what our body needs that day and not beyond this.
- Exercising at the right intensity for us means that exercise won’t be painful or result in feeling exhausted, flustered, over heated and out of breath.
- A conscious presence can be developed not only in exercise, but in every part of our life, by being present and focused on what we are doing when we do it, which will stop a racy or out of control mind.
- Being present in what we do, gives us the opportunity to be aware of and choose the quality that we are holding ourselves and moving in.
- Exercising with commitment to maintain connection, presence and quality can develop an appreciation and enjoyment for our body and who we are.
- Less energy is required when the focus is on being present and choosing a quality of being, so there is no feeling of being drained and instead a feeling of being refreshed and revitalised.
- Committing to exercise in connection develops a confidence in our body and what we are capable of.
- Exercising from a connection can start to develop a relationship with ourselves and our body, this relationship can then extend into other areas of life such as food and lifestyle choices.
See the article To exercise with love for some tips on how to get started.
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