Body: Exercise

When we begin to move we create change from the inside out.

I have a friend who is having a stressful time in life right now from family health issues, to having to move an art studio because of a fire, working and various other every day stressful situations, which are out of her control.  Though she has been under considerable stress, she mentioned that she was going to a kick boxing class confident that it would help her cope with everything.

In the past people didn’t have to think about exercising, but now many modern conveniences have made consistent movement obsolete and many jobs and chosen lifestyles have become practices in being sedentary, but exercise and movement are vital to our sense of well -being.

Movement is such an integral part of our lives, and exercise provides physical, mental and spiritual benefits. Besides strength and endurance, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, body concept and stress management are a few psychological aspects that show improvement with exercise.  Exercise can create an atmosphere where we are conscious, open, and receptive, giving us a sense of “acute well-being.”

When one connects with the body a process of wholeness begins to take shape as one becomes more familiar with his or her form. 

Get moving!

Body

“There is only one temple in the world, and that is the human body”  Novalis

To consider the body a temple shifts the consciousness to a caretaking role. For me, it is the one area in my life that I feel I can truly control because I can make choices about how I use my body and what I put into it. I like to think of my body as a vehicle for being in this space and time.  It can malfunction, but I can try to maintain it so it functions optimally.
From a transpersonal perspective, a focus on the body is another approach to personal growth.  Almost anything that we do will have an effect on all the parts of our being.  Karl Dürckheim, in his book The Way of Transformation says, “When we have understood that body and psyche are not two separate entities, but merely two aspects of the whole way in which a person manifests, outwardly and inwardly, we come to understand that work on our inner being will inevitably affect the body, and that efforts to change the body will equally inevitably have their effect within.”

Personal Boundaries

Last week I wrote about personal space or Proximics, but I mentioned personal boundaries because they also are about the physical, emotional and mental limits we use to protect ourselves.  Personal boundaries are used in all aspects of our lives.  We all have them even if we aren’t aware of them on a conscious level.  Good personal boundaries are about self- knowing and self-respect, being aware of our personal needs and confidence in our beliefs and actions.  If you have any codependent behaviors you may have problems with personal boundaries, but by taking calm assertive actions you can begin to create personal boundaries that serve you and not others.  Creating healthy personal boundaries is about developing one’s personal power.  Carl Rogers believed “The individual has within himself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his self-concept, his attitudes, and his self-directed behavior.”  It always comes back to awareness, when we find our boundaries being challenged we always have the choice to alter our response to the best possible outcome.

Personal Space

I am currently living in Florida, and I try to get to the beach for 2 hours every week.  I like to get a little sun and go in the water.  It is so peaceful and relaxing to me and I love bobbing in the waves.  Yesterday on my weekly visit as I was enjoying my bliss on a very quiet beach, two women came and put their chairs approximately 3 feet directly behind where I was sitting. (Really I am not exaggerating)  It is a big beach and there were only 2 other people in this particular large area.  It really bugged me!  They were in my space!

  So it got me thinking about personal space and personal boundaries.  Personal space is more about our physical space, but it is also about our relational experiences as well because it is part of our interactions with others.  This was definitely a personal space situation I was experiencing.  Personal space is defined as: the physical space immediately surrounding someone, into which any encroachment feels threatening to or uncomfortable for them.

 These women were encroaching on my space.  I tried to understand it.  First I thought it was rude, and then I realized they were speaking Spanish, so I thought maybe it was a cultural thing. I didn’t want to move, because I didn’t want to be rude, but I was clearly agitated. 

Edward T Hall called this concept of personal space, Proxemics, which is a subcategory of nonverbal communication, and “he argued that human perceptions of space are molded and patterned by culture,” and can lead to “serious failures of communication and understanding in cross-cultural settings” http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/13  

Our personal space boundaries develop at around 3 to 4 years of age and are mostly defined by the time we reach adolescence.  The personal space response takes place in the amygdala, which is part of the brain area involved in fear and caution.  As the illustration shows we have very defined spaces which seem comfortable for us in different situations with different people.  I have been to the beach plenty of times where there are many people very close together and it didn’t bother me.  The theory behind this is that when we are in crowded situations we tend to observe others as if they are inanimate objects. (I am going to pay attention to how I observe others in a crowded situation next time I am in one.)  In this instance the beach was almost empty, and they could have sat anywhere, but they chose to sit very close to me and they were very comfortable doing so.  

Laughter

"Why don't Buddhists vacuum in the corners?
 Because they have no attachments"

Do you get enough laughter in your life?   Laughing is fun. I find humor in every day things and intentional comedy. We tend to be more receptive to laughter when we are open to surprise. The other day I saw this sign. Someone was very clever!  I don't know what a "Stink Fish" felony is, but it sure made me laugh as I imagined what that would be.

Laughter is good for you on every level of being. Laughter sets off chemical reactions in our brains, our muscles tighten, oxygen goes to our tissues, endorphins are released and our immune response gets a boost.  Laughter also impacts our relationships with others because laughing together creates bonds.  When we create bonds with others we feel more relaxed and safe.  
So what made you laugh today?

Holistic Health

Holistic Health is an approach to health that takes all the aspects of being human into consideration.  This includes Body, Mind, Emotional, Creative, Relational, and Transcending aspects of self; something I call “The Spectrum of Being.”

Holistic health relates to how well these aspects of self are integrated into our daily lives. Creating whole health is a journey and a practice. Very few of us are completely balanced on the “Spectrum of Being,” and hopefully we always have some aspect of ourselves where we can continue to develop and experience growth.

How can we create whole health?

One way is to look at the different aspects of self and consider how much time you apply to that part of your life.  If you exercise regularly and eat well, but don’t take enough time for relationships, creativity, or consciousness then you might consider looking at ways in which you can incorporate time for these underdeveloped aspects.  

Here is a list of the 6 categories of being.

The sub lists shown here are just examples of topics that fall under the 

different headings, however they are all interrelated, and when developing one the others follow. 

 Body

Exercise, Nutrition

Mind

Thinking, Learning

Emotional

Expression, Love

Creative

Creating, Playing

Relational

Relationships, Interactions

Transcending

Spirituality, Awareness