I have never been one to commit to exercise; I always thought I was fit because I worked as a waitress. I used to make fun of the Fitness Fanatics or the people who worked out in the gym every day. I could not understand why they got so addicted to it and most of all I never wanted to exercise as I did not want to look like a man – full of muscles, all hard and tense – in a woman’s body.
Over a year ago, after attending some courses held by Universal Medicine and being inspired to take more care of myself, I started doing some gentle exercise classes with Re-Connect Exercise, and in that moment I realised how unfit I was. I would get out of breath just trying to do 3 or 4 sit-ups! What I had got mixed up was the fact that I was a healthy body weight for my size, but I was definitely not fit.
I decided to make a commitment to exercise and to the weekly classes and to practice on my own as well, not to get in shape or to look a certain way, but as a way to strengthen my body.
What I noticed was that it really didn’t take much time to exercise each day, and it wasn’t even about how much time I spent, but the quality of the time spent. So instead of trying to do 20 sit ups, pushing and rushing, I started out just doing 4 or 5, but with a real sense of presence and a connection with my muscles as I did each one, which I found was so much more beneficial. Beneficial in the sense that I could feel my muscles strengthen and develop really quickly, and it inspired me to continue.
Now when I wake up in the morning, instead of lying in bed, I feel an impulse to get up and exercise, to move my body and feel how good it feels to be with my body, to be with me.
And when I exercise now, I love the feeling of my blood pumping through my legs and arms, and taking a moment to really feel this sensation. I feel alive.
I didn’t start exercising this way to get fit or to lose weight, and although there are certainly side benefits to my exercising, it hasn’t been my focus or my intention: rather my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.
The days in which I take the time to exercise or not, really have an effect on my moods and my energy levels. Each day that I exercise is different and depends on where I am in my monthly period cycle. Whether or not I have my period, it’s not about just doing the actions or the moves, but feeling into what feels right for me on each day.
I have also noticed that even on days when I may be feeling a bit tired, the exercise actually energises me and helps me through the day instead of the old theory in my head that it will just make me more tired. I often find quite the opposite – that the exercise, the circulation and movement helps my overall energy levels.
Since starting and committing to my own exercise program at home, I had to spend some time in hospital and was not able to walk due to nerve damage down my left leg. I came home from the hospital with a wheelie walker. At first, all I was able to do were very simple, small movements, but I was committed to supporting my body and building the muscles up again. My body has been a great guinea pig, because in less than 6 months I have learnt to walk again, I have completely regained my balance and am able to do lunges and move around without any evidence that there was any nerve damage in the first place.
I know that this fast recovery is due not just to the fact that my body was in good shape before the nerve damage, but also because of the commitment that I have maintained in taking time to exercise my body daily throughout the recovery period.
The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation, but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me.
I have a deep appreciation for Serge Benhayon, his family and Universal Medicine for all the ways that they have inspired me, not only in the way I exercise, but in everything I do.
By Rosie Bason, aged 35, Massage Therapist, Goonellabah NSW
Related Reading: Motivation To Exercise – Could It Be About Commitment?
I have been exercising regularly now for a few months and I am loving it. I feel stronger, more energised and cared for on the days I exercise because of how I exercise rather than how much.
There is nothing like exercising with the purpose of allowing more heaven to flow though ones body.
I love how my body feels and one of the reasons why is because I look after it and regularly exercise in a way that honours my body.
Thank you Rosie, perfect for me to read this today and I was especially inspired by your words on exercise being about the quality you do it in, not the quantity, and how the body responds to this. This line for me really changes the approach to exercise and it’s much more inviting “my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.”
Having been ill for several weeks recently I am gradually re-building my stamina and can feel how it is the quality that I exercise in rather than the quantity that supports me in my recovery.
“I feel alive.” A beautiful recipe for gentle exercise with awareness of every move.
Taking the fight our of being fit and being energetically fit so we exercise when present with our bodies takes all the huffing-n-puff out of any routine so we end up as you have shared Rosie with more energy and vitality at the times when it is needed.
Exercise to fit a picture of how we think we should look is draining of energy but exercise to deepen our connection to ourselves is energising.
Exercising with presence and a connection to our bodies is very honouring of ourselves, ‘it really didn’t take much time to exercise each day, and it wasn’t even about how much time I spent, but the quality of the time spent. So instead of trying to do 20 sit ups, pushing and rushing, I started out just doing 4 or 5, but with a real sense of presence and a connection with my muscles as I did each one, which I found was so much more beneficial.’
To commit to do my exercises everyday is part of taking lovingly care for my body, to build and sustain a body that support me in my job as a nurse. Sometimes I do some exercises under the shower, then my muscles are really warmed up and it is adding a nurturing quality to my morning ritual in the bathroom and like you said Rosie it has not to take long or everyday the same routine but it is about being with the body, being with me.
I recognise the one where I tell myself I am too tired to go for a walk but then when I do I feel great.
I know, it’s like the walk brings a new lease of life.
And I have found the same with food I can say I am hungry but understand that their is no way I could be so the hunger pains go away, so listening to our bodies makes all the difference.
I’ve recently started exercising more and the benefits are absolutely massive, I feel lighter and have more of a bounce in my step and it’s so incredibly simple – it just needed a deeper commitment to my self and looking after my body and ensuring I am fit enough for my life and work.
I love exercise, I tend to do if I am free 20 mins swim a day and I love it, if I don’t do it for a few days I can feel how much it effects me. Keeping my body fit helps me in all aspects of my life.
And when we add a 10 minute walk each day with a focus on our movements and breath this also adds another dimension that also helps in every aspect of our lives.
There are so many ways we can exercise our bodies when we go about our daily activities. You inspire me to appreciate that more and to love myself and therefore build a body that is fit for life.
Great article Rosie, reminding me that my body may now need to do some strengthening exercise and that it is not the quantity but the quality I am feeling in my body, taking the time to be with me.
What I clearly get when I exercise is that it is always about connection first, I used to exercise not connected with myself and my body did it on auto-pilot but it did not made me vital or feeling alive, quite the opposite if I am honest. Now I know that I can exercise just in the way I feel my body needs, very gentle and to feel how the connective tissue in my body expand so my body is much more spacious after bringing in this quality in exercising, walking, and in my posture.
Yes and the more awareness we have, the easier it is to see and feel the effects when we let the care drop. Then its easy to see what works and what does not. What supports and feels good and what does not.
Yes, I love feeling the blood circulating throughout my body and how the movement awakens me more.
What I feel in that stillness in motion, is that there is more space and my movements don’t come with the all familiar racyness that I used to operate in.
Yes it’s is all about the connection to our bodies and the quality in which we move. In the past I have been very focused on achieving e.g. a certain number of lengths at the swimming pool but am now enjoying how my body feels when it is exercising and building my strength and vitality slowly but consistently. In the past I used to see exercise as a means to an end but now loving the time I get to spend with myself as I deepen my relationship with my body.
Yes enjoying the moment rather than the end result makes everything totally different and then there is no need to get to the end to get the reward as the reward, if we need one, is in the fact that we feel great in the doing of the exercise in the first place.
The way you approach life Rosie is very inspiring- thank you for your honest sharings.
Thank you. I am having more fun now than ever before. Its great not to hide and its great to share and not worry about how others are going to judge me.
Beautiful Rosie – the greatest exercise in life is to feel our body and love as we connect and move. It’s about embracing this quality and enjoying you not the quantity of things we pump out and do.
Yes Joseph, connecting with our body and feeling ourselves in every movement we do, is the basis of a quality exercise and aware life.
Like everything else in our life we should consider energy first, then seeing everything is energy and the energy we do things in is the most important aspect of every movement so we stay connected.
I have discovered just how beautifully loving it feels to exercise in a way that honors my connection to my body. In choosing to exercise in this way I find that it supports me greatly to live life to the fullest, with greater sustained presence and connection, and my days are often very full. Exercise now is a vital part of my self-care program along with being aware through how my body feels when I eat, sleep and generally live.
Exercise is a great part of self care and really does change how you feel to eat, sleep and live. I know that if I haven’t moved from my desk too long, my head gets a bit fuzzy but if I get up and do just a few movements, it changes everything. The circulation starts to move and I feel more alive in just a minute or two.
I know when I sit at my desk too long my body gets fidgety, my mind starts to race and a simple walk around the house or around the block makes such a difference. Thank you for reminding me so I can ensure I pay attention to the smaller nudges to take a break!
I love exercising with my body (rather than ignoring it and doing more than needed), it really supports my energy levels and how I feel about myself. I have got a lot of tools like this, learnt from Universal Medicine. But somedays I miss or skip my exercise but in that I am unaware in that moment of all my other tools if exercise isn’t the one for that moment. There’s a fixation on getting the exercise or lamenting on not doing it rather than pulling out another supportive tool.
I don’t get to exercise each day either, but I do take time for a walk in my lunch break or for a quick stretch. Again, it doesn’t really matter the time, more so the connection to our body in that moment.
” rather my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement ”
This for me it has been the same outcome as well after committing to exercise for me. I have more alertness in my body more of a zest for life and movement in my body a more conscious awareness of how my body works.
Exercise and learning human biology are great ways of getting to know the body that you are living in….after all we live with this body for quite some time so it pays to know how it operates and how it likes to move and what supports it most.
It’s amazing what’s possible when we don’t go into something or start a new program with intense expectations about what it has to look like, e.g. exercising for weight loss or muscle building. Having no attachment to the end result relieves us of a huge amount of stress too.
It is so beautifully confirming to exercise with the purpose of simply deepening my connection to my body and being, to build strength in my body, as the more I commit to this more I feel a strong sense of presence as I live through my day.
I agree. When you are fit for life, you have enough energy for everything.
Great point that exercise doesn’t need to be about the quantity, but is so much more about listening to when the body says ‘that’s enough’ – but as in ‘that’s really enough’, rather than ‘I can’t be bothered doing anymore’. True that often when we’re feeling most tired, a bit of exercise is exactly what the body is asking for, to feel rejuvenated, connected and flowing again.
When the body does say it is enough, it is important to honour that too, and not over ride it or push to meet your required number of sit ups or reach a certain goal. The only goal is to listen to the body.
..Or could it be not that you’re working harder, but working longer hours with more quality and care, that feeds you back? I have found that the quality I’m in when I’m working is what dictates how tired I get – if I work hard, then I end up hard, but if I let go of the need to have things completed by a certain time, and relax into the flow of what’s there to be done, I don’t feel drained at the end of it.
The one thing I know for sure, is these days I have more energy than ever before, I work long hours and enjoy what I do and yes, sometimes I feel tired but not drained or half dead. Its a huge difference.
Quality in connection does work compared to quantity. I sometimes gently exercise only 2 lots of 2 types of techniques in 15 or 20mins – that supports me in my body for the day. As long as I commit to exercising at least twice a week it is enough to support and keep up my vitality in going consistently all day every day.
This is where it is about what is right for you as it can be quite different for different people, depending on their lifestyle and what their body needs at any given time.
It is so true, when I feel tired, uptight, stressed or anxious then exercise or a walk in nature, I find often helps me to let go of this and come back to myself and feel more energised.
Yes, the movement, even if it is just a little bit of movement helps me to shift whatever I am stuck in. It is not about how much movement though, really just the quality in which I move. How I move, what my thoughts are. It can be interesting to play around with and notice how things change and how I change. Another science project on myself!
Love it – being our own science project and supporting ourselves to explore how movement changes how we are with ourselves.
I can imagine that when you don’t have distractions it can be challenging because then you really have to feel what is going on, how unfit you are, or how you have been living that has got you to where you are today. I know for sure that I would be reacting too probably! Good on you for being aware of it, sharing it and going for it!!!
The quantity of exercise has no meaning when I am present with myself. The focus becomes on how I am feeling. I can really feel the love I have for myself every time I exercise with a commitment towards me.
I feel the love I have for myself too, when I set aside the time for me to exercise, stretch, walk or just lie flat on the floor and rest. It is great! I have been doing it in my lunch break at work lately and its amazing how good it can make you feel.
When we exercise in accordance to how our body is feeling on the day we can indeed become aware of and appreciate how alive, graceful and powerful our body actually is.
And when we appreciate our body and feel how awesome it is and realise that it is our vehicle to get us through our life, we value it more and therefore taking care of it more makes much more sense.
I agree Michelle – when I exercise in the respect and appreciation of my body I feel more solid and connected to it as it enables me to let go of the stress and negative thoughts patterns that I can take on during each day. It’s like a recalibration, an opportunity to begin again.
This is great Suse, and what I just realised from reading your comment is that with any form of movement, a walk, stretch or even talking as that too is a movement, we can start again, re imprint what ever it is that we feel a bit off with and recalibrate.
I work as a waitress, on my feet all day. My feet generally don’t hurt but this week they have, it’s been super painful and I’ve being very grumpy after work. Yet I have a daily walking routine and the last thing I wanted to do was go for a walk. But what changed was that I went out and made sure I was fully present with how I was walking and my feet stopped hurting and I had a bounce in my step and a feeling of joy and no more was I in a grump! The quality of our exercise is vital for vitality and not just how much or what we do.
And then the practise is to bring that step and feeling of joy to your work place and to all that you do so that it isn’t conserved just for you, your family or certain people, but is shared with everyone equally.
I go for a short walk (half hour tor so) every day and have done so for years but I do not often go for a brisk walk. This I have started doing just because one day I did without planning it and I enjoyed it and have continued from then. I love this new pace and am feeling my body is waking up from a kind of slumber. I feel my body as I walk and love how the whole of me comes alive.
I love this Elaine for it is so easy for us to get stuck in our ways… and not try something different. It is great when we do and we can feel how the different movement actually supports us.
Our approach has to be constantly updated as we change, grow and need more or less of any kind of exercise.
I was just thinking last night that I need a new approach to excercise and to initiate a fresh morning routine that takes more care of my overall health. You are absolutely right in that it’s part of our commitment to life, ourselves, our work – and preparing for what is ahead of us.
I started a one to one program recently with It’s Time To Shine and was approaching it from the angle of wanting to exercise to be fit for life and feel strong in my body – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, except for me it meant I was just perpetuating and old consciousness about exercise and missing the true impulse of why I chose to ask for support with this. The real reason, which was suggested to me by my wise practitioner, was that I wanted to feel lovely in my body. She absolutely hit the nail on the head. Of course I want to be fit for life, but to feel lovely within myself was the first and foremost reason. So at the moment I don’t exercise. Instead I move to feel lovely. It has changed the way I feel about doing it every day too – its a joy to do, not a chore.
I loved reading your comment today as I am staying in a hotel and about to go explore the gym. I know I can get lost in gyms and caught up in what everyone else is doing and push myself too much…. so now I will go there to move to feel lovely and see how I go. For some reason I think it will be easier in the pool than in the gym, but really we can move to feel lovely no matter where we are.
After a month or so gap I restarted doing my morning exercise. Reading this again has inspired me to appreciate that taking that time to exercise is time spent with me and my body and it does feel good and being present with myself is totally worth it.
When we get busy, usually the first things that we drop to make time to fit everything in, is our time whether that be for a walk, to sit still or to exercise yet these are the things that support us most when we are busy and are super important. We are important and we need to take care of our being, not just our doing.
That’s true, excerise and taking care of ourselves is generally the first think we drop when we get busy or tired – but it’s crazy to drop the things that take care of who we are and the things that support us the most day to day.
Commitment to exercise, to life and spending quality time with me is a beautiful message Rosie, thank you
I have found that by not choosing to exercise my body is not supported in being able to handle what life asks of it. I work a lot at a desk and find that during the day my body can build up a lot of tensions that the exercise can not only support with releasing, but support me with re-connecting with me.
I took have become more aware that any form of exercise is not about how much we can push our selves or the quantity, but it is very much about the quality in which we exercise, whether that is walking, stretching, yoga or swimming. The more I have been working with the quality the deeper the healing in my body and the healthier it feels.
A brilliant article Rosie breaking down the ideals of exercise, whilst offering a far more empowering way to be with exercise. I have also discovered that the more we commit to a loving relationship with ourselves the more we exercise in a way that is a confirmation of this connection, as such meeting ourselves with an opportunity to strengthen our connection to our bodies, rather than the push to meet the expectations of a picture or image.
That ‘being present’, I have found, makes all the difference. It offers a sense of what is needed and what is enough. Sometimes it may be as simple as going for a walk, other times it might be a gym workout. Rosie has reminded me of how a dedication to ourselves in this way is healing on so many levels.
The commitment to writing is just as valuable as the commitment to exercising so deep appreciation for your commitment Rosie! I can see that the small frustrations I have about old behaviours stem from a lack of commitment to exercise and movement. I could feel it from the moment I started reading and remembering some of the issues that have come up over the last few days. This month will be a perfect opportunity to deepen the relationship with my body and exercise and lay down a foundation of commitment that is more inspiring than my current experience.
When there is the awareness and the willingness to change, even those old ingrained habits can be left behind and become a thing of the past!
That’s the key willingness to change with the awareness we have. Any habits can be changed with new loving ways.
That is where the word imprinting comes in. We may have done it a certain way in the past, and left a certain footprint, but now we can change our movements, re-imprint our footprints and live another way.
Amazing to read this today when I am feeling a little tired and wondering whether to exercise – you are one billion percent right – exercise gets our bodies moving again and naturally reactivates our commitment to life.
I love that I wrote this blog over two years ago and it still continues to have an effect on people and inspire them. It inspires me to write more and share more for we all have so much to share with each other.
Appreciating the movements made and the quality in which we move when exercising is so very beautiful and for me shows the greater scope for how exercise can bring purpose for why we exercise and the ripple effect it then has on the rest of our lives and how we express is pretty amazing. Exercising for life connects us to the true purpose of why we are here and how movement is integral to our body and expressing who we are in full.
Being fit for life and being able to respond rather than react, to be able to move no matter what your age changes everything in how we are with people.
Gentle exercise is a way to feel how your body is supporting you and a commitment to prepare your body for whatever is asked of it.
I agree Rosie, It definitely makes a huge difference when we exercise and make it about quality and not quantity, there is a real joy feeling the fluidity and the strength of a body that is honoured for it delicateness and tenderness instead of the hardness and disconnection when we push through past our natural capabilities.
Yes we can be delicate and strong. There is no need to be tough and hard though. Feels totally different. And how awesome does if feel to be around a strong delicate woman rather than one who is hard and tough and pumped up like a man.
I do feel lighter and more energised when I exercise and stop when I feel to. Whereas when I push over the ‘too much!’ mark I feel tired and no fun. It’s not the endorphin or adrenaline high or a worked so hard numbness but an energised feeling that comes with me in the day where I feel supported and cared for.
As you say Rosie, in exercising we actually activate the body to prepare it for the day ahead and we can feel very clearly the difference in our expression compared to our day without this activation. Life really needs this kidney energy to be there, otherwise we can feel weak and depleted and lose our inspiration to live life in full.
‘Now when I wake up in the morning, instead of lying in bed, I feel an impulse to get up and exercise, to move my body and feel how good it feels to be with my body, to be with me.’ Thank you Rosie, I have dropped my exercise routine for a while and this blog is a great inspiration to take it up again and to give my body the support it asks for.
Thanks for your comment, because like my blog was to you, your comment reminds me….. and now that it is colder here and winter…. my bed does seem more appealing but I know that I find the warmth within me once I start moving and I know how good my body will feel after and throughout the day!
Exercising with quality, i.e. exercising with a presence of self and awareness of the body is completely different to exercising to “get it done” or get it over with. It is night and day.
Thats so true when we bring a presence to our exercise we are working with the quality of our exercise that makes more difference to our movements and how it supports the body.
Thank you Rosie for sharing, I am reminded to be more aware of how my body feels during exercise and as you say the spending time with me doing exercise is a beautiful way to do that. “the less it has become about meeting an external expectation, but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me.”
I love what you have shared in this blog Rosie. What struck me this morning was that when you exercise you spend time with yourself; a wonderful reminder for someone who tends to drift off into ‘thinking’.
Good question to ask yourself is if I am not with myself, and I drift off, then who is running the show? I wrote another blog about energy and what energy are we being run by. Are we on autopilot or are we connected?
Beautiful to feel how you have embraced exercise as an opportunity to spend time with yourself and how this has supported you through your hospital stay and the subsequent recovery process. Too often I have approached exercise as something else that I need to fit into my busy day and then it becomes a chore. Thank you Rosie I am feeling inspired to get back to regular exercising to support my connection to me and whatever else I am doing.
Why do we have such a relationship with the word chore as if it is some dirty bad thing we have to do. Doing the dishes can be fun and so can exercising. We have to really be aware of the language we use as it can have an effect on how and when we do things, rather than just doing it because we feel like it or we like how we feel during and after.
I liked reading this blog Rosie as I currently am going back to the gym after spending years of being a gym junkie or a fitness fanatic when I definitely was not fit at all. All those years ago when I was thinking I was fit, I caused more harm by hammering my body- it was a no wonder my body kept breaking down with illnesses or infections.
Reading this is so supportive and I know my body needs to be re-toned otherwise it will break down again from the other perspective because I did not take care of it.
I like what you have written ‘with a real sense of presence’ – that is so important instead of being checked out moaning and groaning as the heavy weights are being thrown around. I agree that is about ‘quantity’ and not ‘quality’.
We can all benefit from a bit of exercise no matter what age we are, and exercise for me is not about looking a certain way, but supporting my body and what it needs to maintain health. As I was reading your comment I just thought of the two extremes, the gym junkie to then letting all exercise go and how detrimental that can be. Good on you for changing the way you are with your body and exercise!
The quality in which we exercise determines whether the time spent is either caring for ourselves, or potentially making it all about how it looks to the detriment of how it feels.
This is inspiring Rosie. I’m needing a little jump start to get my body moving again. My inconsistency with exercise is contributing to the exhaustion I feel in my body often to the point of me not noticing it so much as it’s become my normal.
Our relationship with exercise is always related to our relationship with ourselves first, and never the exercise itself.
Working as a waitress as well I understand what you mean at the start Rosie, all that walking and weight lifting I should be really fit right? But I have found my legs ache when I get up from kneeling at a low table, or my legs ache after a busy rushing lunch service. Bringing gentle exercise into my morning routine I have felt lighter and more energised at work when those 10 minutes a day are enjoying my movements. There are days I do it with issues in my head and I don’t enjoy it, showing me that it’s the quality in that time that makes it the benefit I am finding more than the quantity of exercise done.
Yes, we have become way to reliant on being fixed, rather than taking care to not get sick in the first place.
Our ability to recover from ill health is greatly improved by having a strong healthy body, and exercise is key in this. Particularly important to consider in these times of great illness and disease rates. Perhaps as a society we have become pretty short sighted when we don’t invest in our health by taking daily physical activity as our medicine. It is known to be the cheapest, most impactful way to care for our health. And as Rosie says, it is quality, not quantity that counts most. Maybe we have become to reliant on healthcare systems to look after us, and we need a new system that requires us to take more responsibility.
Having fallen for the lie that once you reach your ideal weight you no longer need to exercise, so my exercising days went out of the window, other than a walk during the day, and it occurred to me that when I was exercising my thoughts were always related to loosing weight and so I would push myself and as a result ended up hating exercising. It would be refreshing to approach exercise from a place of supporting my body to do a full days work, and see what the benefits are. Thank you for the inspiration.
I really can’t stress enough how much my morning exercise routine helps and supports me through the day. I had an operation to remove my appendix and was in hospital for a week and rapidly lost a lot of weight along with all my muscle. I didn’t exercise for quite some time and it is only since going back to it that I am starting to come back to my old self.
“And when I exercise now, I love the feeling of my blood pumping through my legs and arms, and taking a moment to really feel this sensation. I feel alive.” I love this feeling too, exercise can offer us so much more than simply improving our fitness, it’s a daily lesson in authority, acceptance and vitality.
It’s crazy how the world is not addicted to being with ourselves – cause it feels so gorgeous! Instead, we’ve put all these distractions and disturbances in the way to become functional robots trying to fit an image of how life should LOOK like. Starting to make time for yourself, connecting through movement, meditation or breath is a beautiful way to strengthen the connection with our body and inner stillness.
Good point Rachael, why are we not addicted to being with ourselves. How good does it feel to just walk down the street, when you are fully connected! ….and functional robots… no thank you!
What an awesome inspiring blog Rosie, after reading this I can’t wait to get going and bring in more focused exercise into my life. I can often fall for the lie that I do not have enough time yet this is just illusion I can make time, I know it will greatly benefit me if I stay focused present and committed.
With commitment, you can change anything. I love this word and I feel it is a strength of mine.
What I observe here again is the revelation of the power of commitment…. That much maligned word that is actually a doorway to evolution
I too have recently discovered how fun exercise can be. I was never really into fitness at all but having recently started an exercise program I can feel the difference in my body and how I move. Bringing purpose and commitment from how I move in my exercise program has flowed into other areas of my life and it has really made a difference to how I get up in the morning and feel fresh and vital. I have discovered just how fun and delicate my body feels from moving in a way that supports it in full.
I have let my exercise programme go again and I am wondering about this idea of strength. I have a feeling that doing exercise as long as we are aware of our bodies and honour them as we go, builds a strength that is echoed in the way we approach life. It is like it magnifies the confidence we have in ourselves and prepares us to meet challenges from a more solid stance.
I have noticed that I have a rhythm with my exercise and at times I exercise more than others, and this supports me because sometimes I don’t need it and at other times I do need to be stronger and I have found that if life is challenging for me, if I make the time for exercise, it actually supports me and gives me strength. Not the physical type of strength, but an inner strength to deal with whatever is coming my way.
Best investment ever to look after our body and it feels great too.
Feeling movement in ones body and a sense of strength is super important, I know for me that exercise is the first that that goes when I get busy. There hasn’t been that love of it and to as you say, strengthen my body, not necessarily do it for fitness. So reading you blog has been really inspiring, to commit each week to doing things gently, not making it about the number, ie. number of sit ups or anything else. Feel how the exercises feel in my body.
I have recently got back into exercise after having a baby and i am loving it! I really used to push my body to exercise to look good, but now I do this for fitness. Of course I am still working on letting go on having a ‘good body’ – but by doing exercises that support me not exhaust me – is an amazing start to this journey of more self love.
I wonder if this whole concept of having a “good body” comes from our lack of self appreciation. I already have a good body but I often don’t appreciate that so I go into this having to fix it mode rather than appreciate and take care of it.
I feel inspired Rosie. I have been approaching exercise as another thing to do and as such it feels onerous and I resist. But when I read about the natural commitment that you have experienced from being dedicated to strengthening your body, I can feel there is a completely different way to think and feel about exercise.
I agree Rosie, if I am feeling tired then going for even a short walk helps bring me back to life, ‘I have also noticed that even on days when I may be feeling a bit tired, the exercise actually energises me and helps me through the day’. This makes sense, we are bringing more oxygen to our body, and getting things moving.
I always thought that my job kept me fit, and I was very slow to do extra exercise as I thought it was wasting energy as I exercise all day but when I started doing regular morning exercise I found that miraculously I was less tired at the end of the day.
So true, exercising as part of work, and exercising to be with you and part of your self care are two very different ways of exercising and give different results. That has been my experience anyway.
This is a great motivating blog Rosie thank you, your enthusiasm has motivated to look more deeply at my exercise routine, at present I go for a walk every morning and like to go for a short swim on days I can but I am feeling I need to put some stretching in, I am feeling this will be very supportive.
I am currently doing a stretch and build exercise program online and it is great. There is always more to learn, always another way to connect and look after the body as I find that my body needs different exercise at different times.
This is such a gorgeous blog Rosie. I love the simplicity of what you have shared and how choosing to love ourselves is a joy. It is so true that the pictures and images we hold of what exercise means only keep us from exploring our connection to our bodies. Through choosing to take care of our bodies with exercise we are committing to building a loving relationship with the part of us that carries us through our living day, through which we are connecting to an intelligence that lets us know how our bodies are travelling from the choices we are making. What a beautiful way to get to know ourselves, confirm and strengthen our connection to who we are, so our movements are implused through a loving foundation.
True care and maintenance of our bodies is vital, pretty much all we undertake are physical tasks everyday, and we also repeat movements a lot, particularly at work. Often we do not build strength and stretch to support these movements. Doing so supports us, so that we are less likely to feel exhausted, weak, or have an injury. It also deeply supports our awareness of our body and how it feels, and from that a depth of wisdom, understanding and expression can develop.
A real key moment in this blog for me is when Rosie Bason talks about committing to exercise with presence in her body. This has been something I have also been exploring because, I find that when exercise is done in an uncaring way for my body – such pushing or breathing hard, then my body hurts and I feel tired. With more presence in my body however – which can start with the quality of my breath, I find that I can do the exact same movements but just in a way that my body actually enjoys and I finish the session feeling very settled.
I found it interesting that you didn’t want to exercise as you didn’t want to be like the ‘fitness fanatics’. I think fanatics of anything put the mainstream people off. In fitness it is the image that you have to train hard, really push yourself to the limit and also look slim or buff before you even begin. I imagine a lot more people would be inclined to try the gym if this stereotype didn’t exist. It already creates the illusion that its too hard or that you will be judged for not fitting the mould.
Yes, exactly Fiona and I get put off by the idea of having to fit in or be like them. It is not that I have anything against them, just I don’t want to be that hard, or have to wear such and such clothes, or do it like this or that.
One of the biggest things I get from exercising is that feeling that I have done something supportive for myself. You can get lost in all the other things you commit to do in a day but finding time to exercise says to my body, you are equally important to all the those other things. In fact without a healthy body that feels strong and energized, I am far less able to do all that I do.
We can set ourselves up to fail when we have unrealistic expectations. I love that you started with just 5 sit ups and built from there. I find that doing just 10 minutes of stretching every day make a huge difference to how my body feels. I am inspired to start exercising for fitness again using this same approach.
“a meditation in movement,” I like this expression. Seeing exercise as a meditation in movement brings focus to the quality and connection while exercising.
After recently experiencing a chest infection I have never been so aware of how unfit my lungs were to cope with the illness. I have recently started an exercise program with weekly classes and one on one sessions – I am doing this online and it’s just as effective as in person. My exercise program is structured to support me specifically for where my body is at, no pushing and no one size fits all approach either, just what’s gentle and supportive.
Rosie, exercise was also the bottom of my things to do list for a long time. Now I enjoy the movement as I’m connecting with my body.
Whether we like to see it or not, life is a constant exercise in building a relationship with our body. The question is do we foster and introduce hard rules and an ability to push through, muscular strength to overcome and carry the greatest weight? or do we nurture and solidly claim a body that is connected, warm, and integrated too? A body that is respected and enjoyed in every move? Now this is what I call getting into the groove. Thank you Rosie for highlighting how exercise and life is not something to push through but something to connect us all, isn’t that something worth building and committing to?
I have also never been one to commit to exercise, mind you I have always had lack of commitment issues in all areas of my life. But now that I do commit, I find the difference in my energy levels and my general well-being by the quality I now do my exercise routines super supportive for my body.
Committing to exercise and spending time with me, love this Rosie, and is certainly how I feel it now that I also make gentle exercise (connective tissue) exercises part of my daily routine.
I love the concept of exercise being like meditation in movement. I struggle getting inspired to exercise but from reading this can deeply feel the benefit of doing so with the commitment and presence you choose.
I wonder, with exercise do we hold so many beliefs that its hard to get inspired, that it’s hard work, that it’s boring, that it’s time consuming whatever whatever and it is just these beliefs that get in our way of connecting with our bodies and feeling awesome.
Like anything in life, if we do the same all the time it becomes normal and it is great to break it up, play around and explore and ask the body to do something different, to go a little further, lift something a little heavier or get your heart beat going a bit faster.
I have been doing house renovations recently and at first my body was so sore because it has not done the physical work in so long but after a week or so, my body feels so fit. Its great!
Great to read this again when I need to be reminded about the beauty of exercise. I get plenty of exercise but I don’t do anything that brings up my heartbeat and I have been working on the computer a lot too which is obviously very sedentary despite the fact I get up now and again to walk and move my body. Bringing more quality to my movements and going on a slightly faster paced walk at times as well as re-introducing stretching to my daily activities feels like a good way to start this new moon cycle.
Having routines and commitment in our lives really feels great. Exercising and building your fitness feels great too.
What if part of our commitment to exercise was a vital part of our commitment to evolution? I’m suddenly super inspired.
Very inspiring Rosie, I can feel I have let my body slip and am not in a fit state and that this is an area that I need to bring more attention too. I have found your article very inspiring- thank you for sharing.
Exercise is definitely a routine I need to bring back into my life. I know when I had a routine before I could feel the difference in my body and vitality. Gentle program is very supportive. The key this to keep to the regular programme.
as with everything in our life… Commitment is the fulcrum upon which all our paradigms can shift revolve, and evolve
More and more I am feeling the importance of exercise and actually that it is our responsibility to exercise if we are to truly be self-caring.
It sure is our responsibility to exercise or not….and there is no one else to blame for the state of our health. Not the food companies, not the gym, not our work, just us for the choices we do or don’t make to care for this body of ours.
There are times when I only have 15 or 20 mins to go for a walk, in the past I would have thought what was the point, but I agree it is the quality not the quantity when it comes to exercise and enjoying the connection every step of the way.
I love how you have made exercise about quality, commitment and deepening your relationship with yourself Rosie.
Thank you Rosie, for reminding me it is about quality not quantity! Sometimes I still get lost in the tick box of what I ‘should’ do forgetting it is about the energy I am doing it in.
Thank you Rosie I love the way you have described exercise as an opportunity to simply spend time with yourself connecting to your body. This is in stark contrast to what I see at the gym where there is a TV screen on every wall and almost every machine not to mention the people on their phones answering emails etc as they work out. When I choose to stay present in my body when this is taking place all around me I get a true work out of my ‘connection muscles’ and my body muscles.
Great advice to focus on the quality of the movement in our exercise and to stay connected to the muscles as we use them. When I do this I feel that vitality you describe – the body sings back its appreciation and it sets me up powerfully for a day in my body, living with it, in it and through it. Way better than ‘working out’ to a pre-determined routine for me is to listen to and then honour how my body is feeling that day, increasing or decreasing my activity levels and movements accordingly. It’s a completely different way from the toil and sweat training I used to do which left me with long-term injuries. I now do exercise that is much more supportive and sustainable – and my body loves it, because it’s leading the way.
And I must add too that I come from a background of lots of sports…Training 15-20 hours per week in tennis, Running 7kms three times per week and then frequently doing up to 4 hours of yoga in a day 3-4 times per week. And I was always in jobs that were active outdoor type jobs or jobs that required moderate to heavy lifting and lots of walking and being on your feet all day. The intense training fell away after I had my son, and I could never quite bring myself to go back to it again. I always thought there was something wrong with me because of this, or that I was weak for not getting back into it. However I still maintained a level of fitness from walking the dog and also from the active work I did. However, it is very different to exercise for yourself or walk for yourself as opposed to doing it at your job or because the dog needs a walk! The focus is completely different. I feel I need to appreciate this more now in order to get back into a rhythm with the walking and exercise for me and my wellbeing.
Gorgeous blog Rosie, and very inspiring to feel the growing commitment. Your blog reminds me of the story of the race between the rabbit and the turtle and how the turtle in the end may not be the fastest one, but yet with the consistency and solidity of each step is sure to make it in the end. And so it is with exercise too – we can commit to a gentle program and just a little bit each day or each week which builds up on the body consistently OR we can dive in with excessive push and drive to work the body hard, but this usually fizzles out within a given time frame. In all honesty I am still working on a consistency in my exercise routine. It seems to be easier to just keep doing it every day, but if I stop or skip a few days then I find it much harder to start up again. I feel your sharing has helped me see the push that can still creep in for me with exercise. Thank you Rosie!
Exercise for me in the past was always about what I looked like and to try and reach a certain ideal, rather then supporting me. Now, when I feel my body when excercising, all that tends to melt away and it brings more vitality and joy then ever before. No more exhaustion from pushing too hard !
“I was a healthy body weight for my size, but I was definitely not fit.” I like how this blog is focussed on excercising to support your body, rather then excercising to reach a certain goal or look a certain way. Rather it’s about feeling good. It suggests that there is a way to excercise that is free of the pictures of what excercising should look like. Love it.
Beautiful Rosie, it is never about what we do, but the quality we do it in. I learn this more every day. And being in your body when you do things, like excersise, feels actually very good. We share what we live, and so.. in how we move, we express everything we have chosen, and so we must be wise and choose our actions to be love.
I love going for a daily walk and a daily swim, only around ten minutes for each but the continuity of doing it regularly really helps to support me.
Yes, it really doesn’t matter how long you exercise for, it is all about the quality and the consistency.
The fitness industry seems to be booming at the moment with ‘boot camps’ springing up everywhere with many touting the benefits of extreme exercise regimes. Injuries from time to time are considered just a sign of effort. It is really noticeable to me how toughness and hardness is seen as the holy grail, so thanks Rosie for providing another point of view around how we can use exercise to support ourselves in a more nurturing and caring way.
I’ve seen that too Helen – what I’ve noticed is how women have applied a way of training that resembles the way men have trained, as in becoming strong, lifting as much as possible and almost a strive to become invincible, and in both cases, both for men and women, we seem to have lost our focus of truly listening to our bodies. I workout as well and do heavy weights at times but I always listen as much as I can if my body is up for it and if it is needed. There’s nothing wrong with having a strong body but it’s also important to really listen to it and be aware if I’m pushing it to perform or flowing with it.
Yes Matts, I recognise this fight with exercise to become the same strength as a man, and not only with the fitness, but many things: like lifting up a growers bag.. to have a small example. And so for us women to truly find our strength, is within ourselves as women. And nothing else.
Inspiring Rosie, exercise as a way to connect more deeply with ourselves and getting fit in the process. Bringing the quality to our movements rather than focusing on the quantity is a great key we can bring to whatever we do in life. I love the feeling of being in my body.
When we change the purpose of whatever we are doing, like being in our body first and foremost, all that happens after that is a bonus. So in the case of exercise, make it about being in your body and being connected to the quality that you are moving in and then the getting fit part is just a by product.
Hi Rosie, the word exercise makes me cringe and there are types of exercise that I avoid. I too, was blessed with a naturally slim physique and so never got caught up in the cycle of weight loss through exercise. I love to walk and so my routine is to do stretches and then to walk and have found that it feels amazing in my body and supports me all day. You have stimulated me to ponder other ways of strengthening my body as I notice I am becoming weaker. Exercising with my body has and will increase my connection to me – something really worth considering.
This line for me is such a great reminder “The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity” I know in the past I have gotten into the momentum of the quantity of times I am exercising being the main focus. This has gotten me anxious and going into comparison with others, that I’m not ‘doing’ enough. I am now looking at the quality in which I do exercise in and not how often, so rereading this blog has been a wonderful reminder of that.
I agree Raegan, doing anything in life as in exercise, cooking, talking, moving, whatever it is, the most important ingredient is the quality first…. and not the quantity.
I love what you have shared here Rosie… “The quality not the quantity.’ Very powerful and worth ponder on.
This, Rosie I to have found, is the key ingredient to any form of exercise…”to move my body and feel how good it feels to be with my body, to be with me..” Exercising in this way makes a profound difference on everything. Thanks for sharing
We need to re-imprint how we exercise. It is not how many or how often but the quality of the movements when we do exercise. Like, Rosie, I know this to be true as I used to exercise so hard as I thought i needed to do it this way to make a difference. I can feel the difference now when I walk with myself and exercise using my body as the marker of how much I need to do. My body looks pretty amazing!
What a great blog about the fact that everything is about quality and not quantity – a principle that is foundational to not only how we exercise but in all that we do.
Having recently been away from home I have noticed how the commitment to exercise stays with you when it becomes part of your daily routine. Although I was unable to attend sessions at the gym making time for daily walks did the trick.
What I just got from what you shared Natasha is the fact that it really doesn’t matter what you do for exercise, it is just in the committment in taking time for you.
Thanks Rosie I really enjoyed reading your blog, I am feeling inspired to commit to exercise, in a more consistent way, being present and enjoying time spent with me, sounds great.
taking care of ourselves moves to a whole new level, where it is not just “ exercise”, but it is nurturing our awareness of our bodies in a very holistic way with a wonderful perspective that incorporates so much wisdom… Thank you Universal Medicine
Quality not quantity in exercise takes away the ‘getting it done’ and allows me to be with my body as I move so that I am aware when to stop or when to change to another exercise. Walking with myself is so very different to just going for a walk even if I take the same path. When I walk with me I am still with myself when I return home but if my mind is distracted while I walk then part of me is missing at the end of the walk.
And I just remembered, the other thing that I have recently changed in my exercising is to slow down and do less repetitions but hold them longer. I realised that I was getting into a pattern of doing lots, thinking that was good but what feels better for my body right now is to slow it down and hold, and feel. Better to do 5 slow sit ups and take my time rather than do 10 fast ones. Something worth playing around with and feeling the difference. The same could apply to walking, instead of walking far, just really stretch your legs and feel your muscles and even change the way you walk. I have found it great to mix things up rather than get stuck in a familiar, comfortable routine.
Love what you have shared here Rosie, I have been one for getting into the doing of exercise, to do the 10 fast sit ups instead of the 5 slow ones. I currently am feeling into each day what I need to do or feel to, walking most days. But I am quite inconsistent with doing weights, or making time and space for me to do this. I used to go to the gym and loved doing the weights, but felt I was getting into too much drive when I would go. So decided to so some things at home. I am yet to build that into my routine, so aiming to do so this week.
As I was reading the blog and the comments I was thinking that I too have always been slim and have often lacked regular commitment to exercise…and I was beating up on myself internally quite a bit, until I remembered that I have actually consistently committed to exercise (daily walking) for quite a few weeks now…I just hadn’t even stopped to appreciate this commitment to me. This made me ponder if others in the comments perhaps also exercise regularly, but because we may hold an ideal of what that looks like we discount what we already do?!
Yes good point Pernilla, we do have to appreciate what we already do and then build on that if we feel to.
I got a bit slack with my commitment to exercise last month and really felt the difference in my body so I re committed. I also decided to pay attention to the parts of my body that I ignore the most and to focus on them rather than skip them each time I exercise. The results are great, because I feel like I can feel parts of my body that have been dormant for way too long.
The other thing that I did was to increase my hand weights and use my muscles a bit more because I had become comfortable with the old one and it was not really asking my muscles to work anymore. Great to go past the comfort zone!
A warm welcome to be open to exercise in its true way. It makes so much more sense to fully feel what is going on in your body then not to! Also it is so much simpler to be with yourself and all that you are feeling , than pretending in any other way..
“The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation, but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me.”- a very important point you raise Rosie.
The quality of exercise gets permanent positive results.
And what I am discovering more and more Loretta, is that when you choose to exercise in a quality that really honours you and your body and how you feel at that given moment, it feels so so good that you want to keep on doing it. I feel great when I choose to honour me and how I feel and how I want to move so that makes me want to exercise more often.
Exercise has now become something that I love to do because of how I feel when I am doing it… so it is no longer something I do because of the results, but because of how I feel when moving.
I can feel such a big difference in how I feel on the days when I exercise and the days when I skip it.
Yes isn’t it amazing Jinya, how strongly the body communicates – I am learning to listen more and more and most of all listen and respond to my body’s messages much quicker these days than ever before.
Yes who needs double blind trials or scientific experiments when the results and evidence is so loud and clear in our bodies.
It’s lovely to feel what real commitment to exercise is here. Having been heavily involved in competitive sport in my teens and early twenties, training associated with it and a regular gym user at times I feel there is a huge misconception as these things being through commitment when in fact it feels that there is a force which develops a ‘drive’ behind doing these.
Absolutely Michael. I was the same and usually after exercise felt hyped up but exhausted at the same time. Exercising in connection brings a totally different quality to our bodies and usually after this I feel more energised and alert for whatever comes next.
Being in a woman’s body, feeling it and actually enjoying it is something that I have only been discovering in the last few years and I regret not getting to know myself and love myself earlier. Why on earth did I spend so much energy trying to be tough and being a tomboy when I am in fact naturally a woman. Exercising is a great way to spend time with your body and begin to love it all again no matter what.
Committing to ourselves for exercise is just so key here and love what you shared Rosie on so many fronts, connection to ourselves, quality over quantity, feeling that gentle exercise can and does invigorate the body, you don’t have to go really hard. I have enjoyed and still do, the gym and exercise, but I do find that I can still get into a drive sometimes, so committing to exercise being about connection and being with me is a really great way to reframe it all.
Reframing it only works if we re-live it and actually move that way and not just use the words to make it sound different. I often remind myself this as my mind can trick me with thoughts that I am exercising gently when in fact I have just got caught up in the thoughs of how many I have done or so lost in my mind that I can’t even feel my body.
I used to be a gym junkie. Interestingly I thought I was getting all the benefits of exercise that you mention Rosie but there was one very key element that I wasn’t really connected to, ME … it was everything else but! I have now discovered exercise to be as you say “meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me” and it is such a beautiful time … no pushing, simply feeling how amazing it feels to be in a woman’s body.
Meditation in movement – I love that… it is a great description for the focus that can be applied to the gentle but very present movements without need for pushing or straining and yet with great results. It is an awesome way to start the day and super powerful… seen by the support it gave you in your recovery, which was truly remarkable.
I love what you’ve shared here Rosie because it feels like your exercise routine has become about deepening your relationship with you and your body instead of how I used to see exercise like a horrible chore and being about how much weight I could lose so I might feel more attractive. These days my relationship with exercise has totally changed. I walk and do weights and stretches regularly simply because I enjoy the movements and connection with my body.
Building fitness as a way to re-connect with and honour my body feels awesome. I thought as a mother that I was always moving about and so did not have to work on my fitness – however this day to day activity is very different from time put aside for me to build my relationship with my body and to feel it grow in power, flow and strength.
I love how you shared this Sarah – especially when you say: “… time put aside for me to build my relationship with my body and to feel it grow in power, flow and strength.” I relate to this a lot as I am finding the more I build this into my daily rhythm the easier this flows and the body just starts to feel more and more awesome.
Awesome blog Rosie. I wonder how different it would be if this level of responsibility and self-care was offered as a way for patients to recover from surgery in hospitals during their rehabilitation? That the purpose of the exercises was to re-learn how to move again in connection to their bodies and not to just overcome the surgery.
Yes it would be great wouldn’t it Carola. Learning to reconnect with your body is so important especially considering we move all the time, everyday, therefore the more aware we are in each our movements, the more we can actually stay present with our bodies and not injure ourself in those moments where our mind is in one place and our body has been left someplace else with no care or regard. You know those moments when you twist an ankle or bump into something and think “where was I” or you instantly know that you were “Miles away”.
From my experience what I notice is I feel really good when I do things with my body, feeling it as I walk, being aware of how I am standing when I do the dishes, how I hang out the laundry etc. The way that I am able to get more present with the daily things, is by committing to feeling and getting to know my body through the exercise.
Your experience of not exercising because you were already a healthy body weight reflects a very common misconception or misuse of exercise. Many of us only exercise to lose weight or to look a certain way. I certainly used to only exercise so I could have a body that looked something like what the magazines presented as the ideal. But since I started exercising with Re-connect exercise, I have realised that this motivation has no commitment to me. It isn’t even about caring for my body. I can’t believe how different it is to exercise in a way that supports my wellbeing and is done just for me. Each time I exercise I do it because I am worth it and this feeds me back this message.
Quality not quantity … and spending time with me. It has been amazing for me too Rosie, to transform my relationship with exercise from a goal driven activity to a simple and flexible program that I have committed to which supports me to connect to myself, stretch and strengthen my body and honour my femaleness. It gives shape and structure to my day and inspires me to get up early and be with me. I had to let go of all the styles of yoga I was into, and the pilates, circuit training and boot camp! At first I wasn’t sure if I was really ‘doing anything’ or ‘going anywhere’ with such a gentle form of exercise, but I have been amazed to see the subtle changes in my body simply from the commitment I made and found it has offered me so much more energy and support for my day. I feel able and capable to deal with the demands of my day.
Rosie is it great how you have shared the possibility of shifting the mind set of exercise not just about training the body but “quality time with me”. I wonder whether if we promoted exercise this way more people would feel to exercise rather than be caught up in the guilt of not exercising
This is inspirational Rosie. I love exercising but find I stop doing it when it is just me. I walk a lot and am aware of making sure I do some activity in the day however there is a dedication to me that is missing if I am honest. So with your encouraging story in mind I will re dedicate myself to me.
I did twenty seven years of my adult life without owning a car whilst sailing around including five years when I lived in Maryborough Queensland. It meant doing a lot of walking but I enjoyed it, I was good at it and fast and whilst I got plenty of exercise, I never walked for exercise.
I have now had a car for six years, it’s almost a necessity in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales and now I walk for exercise, in nature, on the beach with my dog we both appreciate at least ten minutes twice a day, for me it is a meditation and for my dog, she likes to stick her nose into all the corners and under all the bushes and smell all the doggy smells.
That’s great Rosie. Commitment to self, has been for me quite a challenging thing, as there are years and years of the very opposite practiced. I find, for me, there is a real disconnect between wanting to exercise and committing to it. I love to exercise, but in truth, a big part of that is because I’m holding on to the outcome of what regular exercise promises – less weight, more toned = better body. And of course, the fact that it feels good to maintain your body – but this comes secondary.
I can see that this attitude alone is what stifles my commitment. The expectation I place on myself is not met by the ‘results’ or ‘outcome’ in the imaginary timeframe I’ve created, and hence, it’s much harder to continue as the dissapointment sets in followed by giving up.
But, what if it was purely about maintaining a vital and joyful body? Before this attitude can be adopted, I need to take a closer look at my self worth and why I feel my body isn’t enough as it is – why do I feel the need to change it. If I can dig a little deeper here and resolve the fact that I am who I am, and nothing is in fact wrong with me, then I feel my commitment to exercise would be far more sustainable.
Thank you Rosie for sharing your revelation on exercising, we have all fallen for many different beliefs and ideals around exercising , the truth is it can be a lovely way to feel your self in your body as you move , with the benefits of a vitality that is present with strength and fitness. To work out for me now – in the past it was no pain no gain – is to feel the joy and openness and freedom to be in my body , if that is not present I have got lost in the thoughts of exercising and my body then feels worn out and hurt. Funny the very thing in the past I thought was what it was all about.
So many great reevaluations what you share Rosie. In the past, exercise was for me just another point on my “to do list”. And today it is so much joy, to exercise and stay connected to myself. What a big difference.
understanding that as we nurture our bodies, we really nurture ourselves, and then this feeds back into our body, is the start of really appreciating, understanding, and establishing self-love which is essential for our evolution.
And so it goes around and around and I love how you say it feeds us back because it really does. And in doing so, we feel great and want to take care and nuruture our bodies even more.
Same as you Rosie Bason I have started Gentle Exercises recently because I could truly feel that my body was loosing its vitality. It was loosing its vitality because i was not engaging my body in its full expression but instead only allowed a shallow representation of it. I feel that the exercises do support me enormous and that my body really loves to work physically and to give expression to the livingness that lives inside. I can now feel that I have kept my body imprisoned by not appreciating the true quality my body brings in my life.
Ah yes, I love what you have shared here… ” I can now feel that I have kept my body imprisoned by not appreciating the true quality my body brings in my life” . I would just like to add, that to me it feels like we keep ourselves imprisioned by not using the body and exercising it as it can offer so much to us when we care for it and move with it instead of letting it rot and stagnate.
Inspiring to read about the attitude to exercising that you’ve taken. No reps, no push – just gentleness, quality and connection. It seems a much kinder, partnering approach to working with the body. Not letting the mind and all the ideals, beliefs, charts, programmes and metrics run the show. After all the body’s the one doing the work – surely it should have the primary say in what, when and how we use it?!
Rosie your blog made a great deal of sense. I used to exercise a lot, playing lots of sport and did quite a bit of running too. I would never go back to how I exercised or treated my body before as I was so disconnected from myself. Now I walk to keep myself fit, along with some gentle stretching. It is a great way to stay connected or re-connect to my self.
I have also been inspired by Re-connect exercise and presentations by Universal medicine. Regular exercise has become part of taking more loving care of myself. I too believed that I didn’t need to exercise as I was on my feet, on the move, the whole day at work, however this walking was very stop and start and did not develop cardio-pulmonary fitness at all. Although I have been taking regular walks I have started doing weights and exercises regularly at home – I used to think I had little time to do this however it only takes 10-20 mins of cardiac workout every day and I find my fitness quickly improving – and that amount of time is easy to fit in our day – it just takes dedication and commitment to ourselves – we are worth those few minutes every day!
I love commitment to quality. This is it , no matter how many exercises I do, when it is not done with me I go into automatic drive and do not enjoy. So different , when during exercising I feel my body and what it likes to do or how it likes to move.
Thank you Rosie for your line: “What I had got mixed up was the fact that I was a healthy body weight for my size, but I was definitely not fit.” it finally sunk in! To be fit means so much more when the exercise is be done WITH the body. Also what you said about: “rather my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.” Reading this I realize my old patterns of behavior with doing exercises and looking forward to develop a new approach from a connection to the body and not ignoring how I am truly feeling. This is what I did for a long time, ignoring what I feel, running, as to feel something else than what is in me. To develop exercises with the body instead of against it is a beautiful new access, I will start with.
I felt alive reading this blog! ”Now when I wake up in the morning, instead of lying in bed, I feel an impulse to get up and exercise, to move and feel how good it feels to be with my body, to be with me”. This is beautiful and just what I needed to do something about what I have been feeling to do for the past few weeks. Thank you Rosie for sharing your inspiring blog.
Yes I agree Sue. I attended some classes not too long ago and I too found that by being present and doing the exercises at a pace that suited my body was so refreshing. What surprised me was I didn’t get tired… very different to how I have exercised in the past when I have felt so exhausted afterwards!
Yes, this is how it is for me too. I feel more alive and vital after I exercise than before… even if I started off feeling really tired. Exercising with connection to your body gives your whole system a flush of oxygen as your blood circulates around your body so when you exercise without overdoing it, or pushing your body it feels awesome. Who wouldn’t want that?
Thanks Rosie, It took me a long time to get the old idea out of my head that I didn’t need to exercise as I exercise all day with my job. I do gardening on large estates and do endless walking and do heavy work for hours on end so why on earth would I need to do any extra? The thing I really noticed when I finally tried exercising before work was the enormous support I got from strengthening my core muscles and how by doing this the rest of me was under a lot less strain resulting in me finishing up the day less tired even though I had done more.
As I was reading your comment Kevin, I could picture you hard at work, and then when you wrote about exercising I could picture you supporting all the other areas of your body, that in turn support your body when you work…. and in that, you can see how important it is to exercise your “whole” body.
Hi Rosie, this certainly is an awesome blog. I really enjoy the feeling of exercise when I am doing it to feel great and move my body. When I have doe it in the past to “gain weight” or fit an ideal image with my body then it is very tiring and I don’t have any fun in it at all. I feel the true Benefit regular exercise has for our body. I have been walking everyday and it has given me great strength in my body.
It’s interesting how the fitness industry focuses on new fitness gimmicks, new programs, training diary’s, activity monitors, apps and other technology to help people increase their motivation to exercise regularly. But none of it seems to be working, as 1/3 of the population are still physically inactive, and 2/3 of the population are overweight or obese and it’s going up not down. This blog is clear evidence that the best way to develop motivation and commitment to exercise is to commit deeply to ourselves and looking after out body. So is it possible that the lack of motivation for people to exercise is in fact a lack of commitment to ourselves and that this is what needs to be addressed – our relationship with ourselves.
Yes, yes yes… I completely agree Danielle.
Looking at our self worth and self love = a relationship with self which can then lead to commitment to self which can include exercise as a way of caring for self which is easy, fun and very rewarding. And that all put together would have a massive effect on world wide health physically, and the physical activity and self love would have an effect on the emotional and mental wellbeing too.
Very inspiring blog Rosie, making exercise about committing to being with oneself and the quality and presence of the movements. Rather than trying to look a certain `way or achieve a mind driven goal.
Exercising in connection with my body is a completely different feeling from how I used to exercise. When I look back to all the drive, the hard pushing through exercise, what I actually felt at the end was the relief that it was over. Now at the end of exercise I feel the joy of connection which I can take into my day
Committing to exercise in a way that is honouring for how my body is feeling is a self-caring choice that supports me in being more of the awesomeness that I am.
Thank you for sharing Rosie. This is very supportive. I am still learning that exercise should be a about quality not quantity. I have overexercised for a long time and slowing down to connect whilst I exercise is challenging for me. I agree with you that exercising when I feel tired also gives me more energy for the day. This is all a work in progress for me.
I gave up exercise some years back because I felt like it was a punishment, but I now walk in the morning and at night, which I feel supports me and after reading this I am going to incorporate some other gentle exercises and see how it feels, without the pushing and the drive.
Yes Julie, you can leave the punishment out… and the drive and pushing as there is no where to go, but to be in your body with you in each movement. So simple.
I agree Kristy – consistency is the way – to build it into our rhythm makes it much easier.
Many of us perhaps do not realise the power of true exercise with our bodies and actually how important it is to support us in the day. I feel the depth of my strength and my body moving is such a beautiful foundation to have in my day.
Absolutely Joshua and exercising with this purpose becomes joyful.
Me too Joshua and you have expressed this here so beautifully: “I feel the depth of my strength and my body moving is such a beautiful foundation to have in my day.” I feel this too.
I only started an exercise program 2 weeks ago and before that I hadn’t done much exercise for 2 years. Now I can feel, that my body needs more attention and that there are some body parts, which I have to strengthen. Thanks for sharing your experiences Rosie, very powerful blog.
Glad to hear that reading this blog spurred you into action.
I love a bit of action!
I am actually looking forward to go to the gym. I make it into a party with myself, feeling into what exercises I want to do, connecting with people, doing cardio and weights, and always feeling very alive and energized when I leave the gym. For me it is not an “I have to” or something I must do, but really like you share Rosie, a commitment to me and time spent with myself.
I like how you describe it to be like a party with yourself Mariette. Exercising can be so much fun and you feel great for it!
Feeling the body to move as it moves while exercising is a true pleasure of feeling how powerful are we. It is a bit like allowing ourselves to realise how big is our potential if we choose to go there. The stronger we get, the more solid our foundation to keep moving forward.
Re-Connect exercise can now be found on Facebook… Well worth liking their page so you can see when the next in person or online exercise program is on.
Oh great thank you Rosie, I only just this and will check out, as that will greatly help getting it all on a more regular basis.
I find that a weekly class really supports me, like a re group or catch up and then inspires me to keep up the exercise during the week. I also just love it as I get together with friends and exercising is fun!
I feel inspired to re-look at my commitment to regular exercise, thanks Rosie.
Yes, totally agree, Reading this blog makes me want to put on my shoes and exercise in connection and with presence of me.. Its certainly medicine for the body exercising in this way, thank you for sharing and the inspiration
Rosie, reading this was such an amazing reminder to look at exercise in a different way. The importance of quality of quantity, that connecting with your body first and feeling the movements, not just pushing yourself to ‘get the exercise’ done or strain yourself. Plus what i also got from your blog, was the beautiful consistency you speak of, how you could feel it in your body when you missed a morning, it impacted you the rest of the day. This is also my experience, to feel it in your body when you miss the exercise, so building that consistency is really key.
Thank you Rosie for writing about the importance and benefits of a regular exercise program. That it doesn’t have to be a grueling work out, but just a commitment to the physical body. I am inspired.
This is really inspiring Rosie. I was one of those people exercising every day and absolutely punishing my body. I agree that it feels great to do whatever the body feels like at the time rather than doing the same routine regardless of how the body is feeling at that particular time. We never feel the same way on any two days so why would we push our bodies to do the same amount and type of exercise each day!
Thank you Rosie, for sharing so many key points that change the outcome of our relationship with how we exercise our bodies. For me exercising was regimented with the motto “no pain, no gain” and the gauge of repetition, quantity and tape measure. The comparison of conforming with the group I was exercising with was also very disconnecting to me. This old pattern is no longer in my belief system of how to exercise, which was never sustaining, it was exhausting and painfully hurtful. Disregarding of my body. The opposite of why I wanted to exercise in the first place. Great sharing Rosie.
Rosie, you are a great writer. I do a tiny bit of exercise and a proper walk each day but what you write made me think…
Thanks Christoph, there is no right or wrong way… just the way that works for you… or for me… but I have been learning lately to be more playful and try things out that I usually wouldn’t as I have been a bit too serious. It’s proving to be a lot of fun in more ways than one!
The impact of supportive exercise in my life has been huge. I have gotten to know and understand my body so much more through undertaking gentle exercise in conscious presence. I connect with the muscle that I wish to use, I avoid injury and ensure I stay with myself and do not get too racy or exhausted. It means that I am enthusiastic about returning to the gym rather than feeling it is a chore. It is part of my self care routine and I enjoy it.
Great point Samantha, because you don’t get exhausted from it, you actually get enthusiastic and enjoy returning to the gym to do more. I can relate to that as I am eager to exercise and don’t ever loathe it and in fact, if I don’t feel like exercising I just don’t because I only do it because I want to.
“the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation, but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me.”- I too have been working on this- quality vs quantity and my body thanks me for it.
Previously I used to me an aerobic junkie- believing I was healthy, because I was slim, but I had a hardened body.
I can relate to your reaction to the way fitness currently looks and is done. It seems we either throw ourselves into it or we completely avoid it. Either way our body loses out. We either become unfit or exercise in a way that is not respectful of our body and pushes it to do what we want. I loved your comment about doing just a few exercises but feeling every muscle. I love exercising like this too. Its like a fascinating science experiment feeling what happens with each movement.
Yes Fiona, and each day, our muscles will move differently…. so it is never the same boring workout, or just something you repeat over and over…. if you actually stop and feel, each day that you exercise can be a completely different science experiment.
I like the notion of it being a science experiment, then it becomes about how it feels and the results on the body and being. We all know the results of working the body hard with exercise, but to do a personal experiment of exercising in a different way, for a different purpose with a different approach and recording what happens to my being and body, sounds like something I am going to try out.
Great, I look forward to hearing about your results. Actually, within the commets right here, we have a lot of real live results of what exercising gently, in connection to you body really does. I love real life evidence.
Thanks for sharing Gill, you have inspired me to go for regular exercises. I have felt that my body wants to do exercises to deal with my new job, where I have to stand a lot.
Loved rereading this Rosie. Exercise is certainly a key ingredient to support in me to be present and feel vital.
Who would have though that exercise could be done in such a loving way! Love it Rosie. Thank you for sharing
Good one Rosie. I’ve joined a gym and love to exercise – it’s absolutely true that it wakes-up the body and energises it for the day when I do so in the morning. Quite a lovely timely reminder that it’s about being with me, not necessarily all the old reasons I had, like: physique, fitness levels, or escapism.
Committing to exercise, for the benefit of our body and strengthening the connection we have with ourselves is wonderful. The feeling of building from scratch by starting simply and gently is the only way I would want to exercise. Thanks for sharing Rosie!
I can feel after reading this how I have recently gotten into a bit of exercising for a goal of fitness instead of focusing on the quality of the exercise and really enjoying the feeling of my body in the movements, which I had started doing awhile back. It is amazing how just committing to a short period of exercise each day has such amazing impact on our overall health, vitality, and awareness. I have committed to walking every day for a couple months now and have noticed how much more energy I have, but also how my mental health is also affected positively. I use it as a time to honour me, walk alone and really feel different body parts which tends to eventually lead to an overall awareness of my body and sometimes even answers to challenging questions or problems I may have had just pop into my head without effort during my walks, which is a pleasant surprise. Eventually there also has been a feeling that my body is moving in more of a coordinated and smooth way the more I pay attention to it and don’t let my mind wander and get affected by all kinds of different thoughts or worries. It’s almost like those thoughts come in to one’s body and make it move in a wonky way.
“It’s almost like those thoughts come in to one’s body and make it move in a wonky way.”
I know what you mean here Michael. And the more we connect back to our bodies, in exercise, walking or even in Sacred movement, we let go of those thoughts and the bodies movements begin to flow and do not have such tight movements.
Thank you Rosie your article is a reminder that a deeper commitment to me starts with a deeper commitment to the body and exercise is one of these aspects. In further building the body each and every day, we are commiting more to everything that presents themselves to us daily. It sets the foundation of a solid support in our lives.
So much about exercise is about an outcome of getting fit or looking good. There’s nothing wrong with either, but it takes the fun out of feeling the mechanics of the body and staying present with it’s movements.
It’s true Jinya, not only is it not fun, doing exercise to look good or get fit means that you are always comparing yourself to someone else, there will always be someone who is fitter and looks more toned and so you are never really satisfied with where you are at. But if we exercise just for us, and the joy of how it feels, it takes all the comparison with others out of it. Beautiful.
Hi Gill,
It is amazing what I body does tell us.. like in your case, that you could build some more balancing exercises into your routine to support you more.
Thanks Rosie for reminding me to leave the head out of the equation when it comes to exercise as I often get caught up in mental over drive while I am exercising instead of staying with my body and listening to the messages it is sending me.
Oh yes, definitely leave the head out of the exercise time, that is part of the exercise! But in saying that, if you find yourself thinking about work or what to cook for breakfast, just bring your mind back to what you are doing in that moment, use the mind to focus on the exercise and bring awareness to how your body is feeling with each movement.
Exercising and going to the gym is like meditation. The moment I go into my mind, I can feel it instantly. Every time I go to the gym, it is a great marker for me to see how I am feeling and how my day has been. Sometimes I am easily distracted, looking at other people, thinking about things etc. Other times I can feel every move my body makes and I am in my body. Great learning for me, going to the gym…..and I get fit as well!
Gill that is so great and inspiring. Something to keep in mind when those thoughts come in that stop me wanting to commit more consistently to lovingly caring for my body.
Dear Rosie, your story has me wanting to return to the gym which I will in the coming days. The difference in exercising and feeling your body as you do it or instead checking out in the head and just counting or thinking about something else makes a massive difference. I have learnt to exercise to build presence in my body, and to bring greater awanress to the movements. I really in joy exercising in this was as I have found that I don’t punish and push myself like I used to.
Rosie, loved your blog so inspiring I am revisiting my exercise regime at the moment and making it a consistent part of my rhythm and feel so much better for it for all the reasons you have shared. You have inspired me to keep it up.Thank you
Awesome, I think that we may have started a connection back to our exercise, revolution with this blog. That is so worth celebrating!
I checked out the gym yesterday, where I am going to start tomorrow. I feel there is a deeper commitment I want to make to becoming more fit and strong, so this feels like a very loving choice. The girl that showed me around told me that most cardio machines have a tv/internet screen so I could bring my ear plugs. Really, I said, well, not for me, as this will be a moment to be with myself. There is already so much distraction in life. I am very much looking forward to this new adventure in the gym, my body is ready for it.
That is great that you have made that commitment to yourself Mariette. It will be a good exercise not to get distracted by all the activity in the gym. I found exercising at the gym quite challenging for me as I felt a lot of comparison and the music would often be so loud and intrusive in a way. I would feel myself going faster because of the music or getting anxious in a way. I do go at times, but find my connection with me is a lot easier at home. (hmmm, an in writing this, this applies to many things in life so perhaps practising to hold that connection to me at the gym, will also mean I am then able to hold it in all situations outside of my home!)
Before i was introduced to Universal Medicine my relationship with exercise had been one of push & drive, I could be quite bullying with myself and hence shut down to my body. I can relate to everything that Rosie has so brilliantly expressed – indeed exercise has become a welcome opportunity to connect with my body and bring an awareness to my movements that honours me entirely. This built partnership with my body is then carried through my day.
What I’m finding with exercise more and more is that it is a very personal thing and has to really be tailor made for the life you lead and the job you do. I reduced the size of my weights and was far more gentle with how I used them and found in the long run this didn’t suit my job as I am more tired at the end of the day than I was last year.
I agree Kevin, but for me it is not just tailor made to my life, but I tailor make it each day, depending how I am feeling or where I am in my cycle.
I have been enjoying everyone’s comments and just wanted to share that when I say gentle exercise, for me that does not mean moving really slowly because there are times when I exercise and I go for it. I mean, gentle as in stay with my body and be connected, but I often do big lunges, or use 1.5 kilos weights along with weights on my ankles and move quite fast to get my heart pumping, but never to a point that I am out of breath. (Well sometimes I over do it) but if I am present, that doesn’t happen because I do some faster, stronger moves, and then slow down and do some moves till my breath is back and I am ready for another round. I have found that if I get stuck with an ideal or belief in my head, that exercise should or should not be a certain way, then I can feel like something is missing, so it is a continuous exploration. Sometimes bringing in a bit more strength and power can actually shift that tired lazyness feeling that wanted me to just exercise slowly.
I’m really enjoying my commitment to a more consistent exercise routine, no rigidity in doing the same thing each day, just the commitment to get up and move and connect to my body by walking, exercising and stretching.
Thank you Rosie for sharing how exercise has changed for you based on the quality in how you are and how you do it.
That is a huge new way of looking at something I used to try and get done quickly and without any real connection or presence.
I’ve always been pretty fit, but much of this was either driven by needing to out compete others, or else to ‘look good’ neither of which sustained the me on the inside. As such I always used to find it hard to motivate myself. The difference in doing it to simply have a strong enough body to support myself in life has been life changing – there is a purpose to it, the exercise I do has changed from the areas that ‘look good’ to the areas that support me (a weak back for instance), and like you Rosie, I genuinely enjoy the feeling of the blood pumping through my body. I feel very alive!
Hey Rosie, that’s a beautiful sharing. Indeed after a long long phase of not doing any exercises as I did a lot of sport like handball, softball, dancing and the gym quite intensely beforehand – I now realise that either direction is not of value for my body and fitness. Either over-excersising nor not doing any exercise for me.
So yes, gentle exercise or a swim, listening to what and how my body wants to move is by all means a supportive way for my daily fitness and health. Thank you for sharing, it inspired me to start again. As this is what I feel for a certain time now.
Rosie I like the way you describe your exercise regime. A few years ago I took up gentle exercise and I haven’t look back. My time on the mat in the morning is very important and I am still learning how my body reacts to different moves and the mood I am in.
Brigitte, your response, has triggered my own reasons for why I was a gym junkie for years before my children. And now how when I choose to do gentle exercise, my body really loves it, but it has been a struggle to choose to maintain a constant rhythm with doing regular exercise, as for me, the last time I did regular on-going exercise was a long time ago. I can feel how I used it then to numb and distract myself and so have avoided looking into my lack of not wanting to do that over that time because I didn’t want to feel the disregard. I had convinced myself that I was travelling fine and one day I would start doing it regularly again but with no real intention of really going there with myself. There was a real feeling of holding back in going further with it.
A lot of things were tied up into why I kept going to the gym every week for quite a few years. Like how I looked to others and myself, there was pride in how well I could keep up with the aerobics instructor, how strong I thought I was becoming. How good it felt after I had done the exercise so often as, it gave me a buzz. It was also about pleasing my partner at the time as he was also into lots of exercise, oh, and it gave me a conversation topic at parties. But the truth of it is, it numbed me, hardened me, distracted me, and desensitized me to me, to feeling what was really going on for me and what I was avoiding. It was just another tool to avoid feeling my lack of self loving choices in my life, and hardening myself away from feeling the tender, sweet and naturally lovely woman that I am. I have read this blog before but obviously wasn’t ready to feel what was there within it for me, but interesting how I was actually drawn to respond to this particular article today, which proves, everything comes to us when we are ready to receive it.
Hi Rosie, I enjoyed reading your blog about the true joy of exercise and the words that especially stood out for me this morning were “committing to exercise and spending time with me”, causes me to recall all those folk who speed past me as I walk along the foreshore, coming in both directions, feet pounding louder and heavier as they pass me, while others with pain on their faces and a set jaw make me wonder are they really enjoying this, are they listening to their over stretched bodies – each one a greater reminder for me to listen to my body and be with me. Thank you for sharing your story.
A great reminder that the body loves to move. I know when I get moving my body loves it and I keep forgetting that. Thank you.
Great reminder Sarah – the body loves to move. It is designed to move.
Wow, Rosie. I could feel that as I was reading your blog I was totally disconnected from my self. I thought it was because I couldn’t relate to what you had written as I have always exercised. Always. From the time I was 8 or 9 I was in gymnastics. I then added swimming and diving into the equation and once out of high school I started running and doing aerobics…..in my 20’s often running 3 miles and doing two aerobics classes in one day. As I read a couple of the replies I realised that it wasn’t that I couldn’t relate to what you had written but rather that I did not want to feel what reading your blog was bringing up for me. The complete and utter disregard for my self and my body. But mostly, the way I was using exercise to numb myself from feeling this complete and utter disregard I have had for my body from a very early age. And here you are writing about how exercising is bringing you in touch with your body, your muscles and making you feel alive. Truly feeling in to what exercise has always been for me I am surprised, shocked even, to realise it has been an escape mechanism for me. What a revelation as I had the strong belief back then that I was taking care of my body! To now fully realising that it was the exact opposite. I feel now why I have had this block to start exercising again after not having done any for five years. Bringing the complete and utter disregard of the past to the fore is a big ouch! and a big moment to free myself of all that and to start to re-imprint a way of exercising that is wonderfully loving and all about self-care. Many many thanks for sharing your experience!
Thanks for sharing Brigitte. I love your honesty. I always find that the things I find hardest to read or look at are often the ones that have a message in them for me … revealing perhaps something I have been avoiding.
I love your words here Brigitte – “to re-imprint a way of exercising that is wonderfully loving and all about self-care.” Nominating that in itself Brigitte, your body would already be responding to your gentle re-connection with it.
Wow Rosie, did the doctors expect such a full recovery from your nerve damage? Your committment to your body and to exercise is an absolute inspiration. Thank you for sharing this.
It’s interesting you ask, as I was thinking that I should go visit the doctor at the hospital and give him some feedback. They told me it could take up to 2 years to recover. I did however see a nurse at the supermarket one day and she couldn’t believe it was me.
“The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation, but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me.”
A beautiful foundation for exercising. A great sharing of your experience Rosie that offers much inspiration. Thank you.
Thank you Rosie, I just re-read your blog to remind me how easy it is to do a little exercise on a regular basis and how very supportive it is for my body to carry me through my day.
Great Blog Rosie! I like the point you make about being energised rather than tired by exercise. This shall be a reminder to me to get back onto the swing of regular exercise!
This is another wake up call for me to follow my body’s clear want for more movement. I allow those intentions to come through of ‘I need to do something to lose weight’, which really cap my exercise experience. It is also then riddled with expectation. Rosie, I love how you say ‘my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.’ I am feeling inspired.
I’m finding that exercise is a great way to establish and develop a very close relationship with my body and practice of moving in conscious presence.
What a truly beautiful part of your relationship with yourself that you have made ‘exercise’ to be, Rosie. There is no self-abuse or unneeded ‘hard yards’ here, only love.
Truly and deeply inspiring, thank-you.
Your blog is a great reminder to return to my commitment to exercise, over the last few months, exercise has not been my priority, but I can feel the impact it has on my body strength and vitality.
I loved that you make exercise about quality and not quantity Rosie. I have found this has been a major factor in how my approach to exercise has changed. Gone are those days when I pushed myself hard to reach targets pretending at the end that I enjoyed the process when in fact what I really enjoyed was that it was over. It is lovely to exercise now with quality in all my movements and I enjoy every moment of it.
Returning to your blog Rosie is a very timely reminder for me as I have noticed a distinct lack of wanting to exercise lately, but I know that when I choose to do some gentle exercise and connect to my body, the feeling I have after confirms my wise choice to connect with me in that way. It’s also a good marker telling me I am resisting more of me.
“Committing to exercise and spending time with me” – I love the simplicity of what you have shared Rosie. Sometimes when we make ourselves so busy we lose sight of the simplicity of a shared moment of exercise with ourselves which can be like having a cup of tea with a loved friend. The quality of that moment and connection to our body can happen in any moment. Thank you for providing the opportunity to feel that for myself.
I love how you have reminded me how energising exercise can be. I used to love my morning routine but it has disappeared from my life somehow. I am very inconsistent with this kind of exercising. I do gentle exercise regularly but I feel now to bring in more aerobic type and perhaps incorporating weights too. Thanks for the inspiration.
I recently attended some exercise classes which have inspired me to do some simple exercises every morning. Already this is making such a difference to my day and how I feel in my body. I feel much more alive and ready to go!
What comes through Rosie’s writing is the sense of balance and harmony that is being brought to exercising, and this is what needs to be brought to the whole modality of physical fitness now.
Rosie I like the way that you’ve distinguished a healthy body weight from being fit and also explored what fitness and a commitment to exercise actually means. The greatest thing I find when I start to exercise is how I am with myself and how I feel after as by having the focus on a connection with myself I have so far always felt more alive and refreshed after an exercise session. At the same time I’ve had many experiences whereby my focus is on ticking a box and I come away feeling rushed and tired. Clearly it’s the way I approach exercise and not only the exercise that makes a big difference.
Yes, that seems very clear. It’s always great to explore different ways of exercising or doing anything in life… this way we can feel what does work for us and leaves us feeling vital and vibrant, or what obviously does not. What I also find great is that it is always changing as I change. So what might have worked for me a month ago, may not work for me today, so there is no set rule.
Great sharing how important commitment is. You inspire me to pick up exercises to become more fit. Thanks!
Dear Rosie thank You for sharing this with us. Your article feels really light and gentle…it inspired me to consider about my exercise and getting fit for life. I started feeling more energy through changing my diet and starting to be more aware of my movements. I’ve just had an amazing experience at the Universal Medicine retreat, let’s say many, and as I was dancing I felt so much joy and then I felt clearly, yeah there is so much more inside to express and it was clear that I need some exercise to get fitter. I will ponder on that. Thank You. With love Nadine
There are so many different ways for each of us. A trampete doesn’t interest me, but what I have been having fun with is lying on the floor and putting a ball under my bottom and lower back area. Then I balance and do all kinds of playful exercises with my legs. I really enjoy exercising with my ball actually, there are lots of ways you can play with it and exercise at the same time.
This reminds me Rosie of the way I would hold my children up on my feet while I lay on my back and we would play aeroplanes. It was fun, great exercise for my legs and I had to be very present and focus so as not to drop them or cause injury to myself.
Yes, a lot of fun! I used to do that too… now I do it with a ball and still have fun.
I was just thinking how serious we can get as adults and then we miss out on a lot of fun.
I too have found that committing to a regular exercise program that it supports me no end through my working week Rosie. I go to the gym before work some days and sometimes I waiver with ‘I’m tired’ or ‘I don’t feel like it’ but lately I’ve been giving into these thoughts and going anyway and just allowing myself to do a small amount or I go to the pool instead. Once I’m there, I start to feel how my body absolutely loves it, and I feel great during the day – all day.
Those naughty little thoughts are often so not true, I have them too, and when I ignore them and just start to exercise I feel so much better for it. Even after being so committed to my exercise and knowing so strongly how awesome it is and everything, those thoughts still try to stop me.
But they are just thoughts, and I am not letting them rule what I do anymore.
Yep, I get stung by naughty thoughts and actually allow them to stop me most days. For me, the thoughts are more like ‘you can’t connect to your body’ and ‘you’ll be stuck in your head the whole time’. I then allow this to generate fear in me and decide not to exercise because I do not want the struggle of taking on my mind. So the body loses out again.
‘But they are just thoughts, and I am not letting them rule what I do anymore’. Well-said Rosie.
It is great to be aware of these thoughts and how strong they are! I know exercise would be great for me but at the moment I am allowing these naughty thoughts to get in the way. It is all too easy to make an excuse that I’m tired when I know (and this blog confirms it) that exercise could support my body when I do feel sluggish and lethargic. I love the commitment not only in Rosie’s blog but in this comment too! ”But they are just thoughts, and I am not letting them rule what I do anymore”… it is very inspiring.
It is almost counter intuitive how when the body shuts down (being tired, or too sedentary) the last thing in the world we want to do is exercise. And yet the result of even a very small work out is to get everything moving.. bringing us back to life. So simple, and yet also so easily ignored.
Yes Simon, the idea of exercise at that point and this is only in your head – feels quite painful, but what is most painful is to not exercise because as soon as you start moving, everything changes.
Rosie, for many years I have worked as a waitress, pushing myself through long shifts, getting caught up in the demands of the environment and wanting to do a good job. I had not realised just how much I was running on nervous energy until my body told me so and I was stuck in bed completely exhausted and unable to move for weeks. With this physical collapse I was finally able to feel exactly what I was doing to my body and take responsibility for it. It has been a long recovery with a lot of issues to heal. But now I am back in the work place and feeling more alive and committed than ever before. Just felt to share that with you.
Shami, now that you have had a stop, and even though you are super active at work, it would be a great support for you to build a regular gentle exercise routine into your daily life as it will support you. It is so easy to get caught up in the fast paces of waitressing, but it is still a choice wether you subscribe to that nervous racy energy, or choose to stay connected to your body and not override it.
When I worked as a waitress, I had fellow staff ask me how they had to run around like chickens with their heads cut off, and how I could just go from one place to the next, not looked stressed, supervise the whole thing, and make the best tips. My secret was to stay connected, as best as I could to what I was doing in each moment and at each table, I would stop and connect to the people. It only takes a few seconds, and they love it, and it gave my body a chance to stop. Like a breathing stop.
I have to say, I just love reading everyone’s comments, I see it like I start with a blog, and from there so much more can be shared and so much inspiration is spread around the world for all of us to benefit from. It is beautiful. Thank you everyone.
The other thing I noticed from reading all the comments, that we often have great intentions, and we commit but we are not consistent. I am still working on this, and it shows in other areas of my life, not just in exercise. I guess if we are able to build it in one area, it will strengthen in other areas too.
Absolutely Rosie… I find it helps to put a building block into my daily rhythm and I can then build other things round that which are equally solid and so, bit by bit, I become more consistent.
I love this reminder this morning thank you Simon – today I’m building on yesterday
What a great way to start Rosie- by just choosing to do 4-5 sit ups etc. This completely takes the pressure of us of having to achieve a certain amount and or causing us to rush because time may be limited. Exercising with quality and presence is the way to go. Thanks for a great sharing!
Rosie this line really resonated for me,” it hasn’t been my focus or my intention: rather my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me”. It’s such a lovely thing to do to support and spend time with ourselves with exercise. Thank you for the inspiration.
Yes Kelly, “meditation in movement”. What a beautiful way to relate to exercise. The word ‘exercise’ always felt hard to me because the way I did exercise once was about tightening and hardening up parts of my body.
I have just reread your blog Rosie and am inspired to commit more to excercise on a regular basis, I find I am somewhat haphazard in my consistency to an exercise program.
Thank you for expressing and for sharing your experiences.
Hi Shirley, I wonder if… and it could be worth doing an experiment, like your own science project.
What happens if you committ more to your exercise – does that then support you to commit more in other areas of your life?
I think for me it really does because they more I take care of me and this body, the more I am able to take care of other things in my life.
Thanks for making laugh Ariana! I love how you just outed all those thoughts that can run through our minds!
I just shared this morning that I feel that my body is asking to become more fit and needs more strength and that it is time to commit to a deeper level of exercise. While sharing this, I did not feel a push or force at all, just a very loving way of sharing and actually looking forward to it as I am doing this for my body yet also to be of greater service to the world.
I love Mariette, how our body speaks to us if we’re listening and tells us that it needs to be stronger to support it more. Because I actually have a relationship with my body these days I can feel when it needs some support and so I can make the choice to care and nurture it instead of abusing it. Funny thing is what I once felt was caring for it now feels like abusing it as it really wants me to move it with care and presence through walking or weights and stretches instead of the jarring moves I once did.
I can so relate to what you share here. Even now I am still always refining the way I move. I know I have changed heaps in the way I exercise and can celebrate that but recently I can feel how heavy my legs are so am experimenting with moving more gently with them and since I have become aware of this, I notice that I often walk like an elephant and pound my legs instead of walking lightly. A work in progress!
Thank you Rosie for this beautiful reminder, that exercises are for oneself and bringing more vitality to the body. For a long time of my life I did exercises for body weight and also for to feel strong, and also as a form of escaping from what I did not want to feel, I also want to go for another quality of exercises and life!
I am inspired! I have been a little lazy recently regarding an exercise routine, but recently I decided to commit to just a few minutes in the morning before I go to work. It’s amazing how a few simple exercises with light weights, and some gentle stretches can support my body and lift my mood setting me up nicely for the day.
I’ve loved revisiting your article Rosie. It has led me to ponder on what is fitness. We can be physically fit, but that doesn’t make us fit for life. Being fit for life is so much more than being able to sustain exercise. Being fit for life includes exercise but also a fitness that allows us to carry ourselves in a way where we have enough energy to get us through the day without sugar or caffeine, we feel vital in our being, we express and don’t hold back, we have a deep and honouring relationship with ourselves and also with others.
Great article Rosie. I was a train very hard style man in all manner of sports etc. You name it I tried it and the gym was at least 6 times a week for me. That as you say has all changed and it’s not from an injury or illness. I just was tired of training so hard day after day and it just seemed endless. I would set a time or distance to run, a certain weight to lift and then when I made that time or weight I would want more and more and more. It was just a never ending cycle of never being content or happy with where I was. There was a constant push to do more, be more, lift more, and it just became exhausting and made absolutely no sense. I gave away exercise all together for a short time but eventually and with the support of Universal Medicine I found a different way to train. So I still train most days but I don’t train for as long and as you say I train for how it feels and to connect to the muscles I’m using. I like training in the mornings because it is like you are saying ‘good morning’ to all your muscles and getting them prepared for the day. I find it’s a great way to support me in my days and I do specific training, not to look good or to have big muscles but to support me in the work I do. I had never trained this way prior to Universal Medicine, it is gentler on my body and now at 42 I rest well and wake up easily with no back or knee pain. Thanks Rosie and thank you Universal Medicine.
Thanks for sharing Ray, what I get from your comment is how I have so often been on that more more more search and even when I would get to the goal, I would not be satisfied and would need to go to more. Like nothing is ever enough.
Glad that I have broken that pattern, although if I am honest, the moment that I am not aware, it can easily creep back in…. and in that moment, all I have to do is stop and question why would I need to do more. What is the purpose. What am I trying to prove… and at what cost?
Thank you Rosie for sharing your infinite wisdom once again. It is really inspirational to read about how you recovered after the nerve damage you experienced. The commitment you had to your body before and after is such a testament to how life can be if we choose it. You chose to be dedicated to your body and taking care of the amazing vessel that it is, and by virtue of that have experienced such a great recovery from your illness. We each know our choices can affect us, and your story is living proof of just how that can play out. Thanks again!
I agree Amelia. Rosie, your experience is absolute testament to the fact that our body has the capacity to recover from injury or illness if we look after it. The fact you’d been really taking care of yourself before your injury meant that your body was able to recover more easily from the injury. Very inspirational, thanks for sharing Rosie.
No surprise in reading this today Rosie, as I woke early and it was like my legs just couldn’t wait to move, to walk and flow and expand. Thank you for inspiring me in your writing and shared experience as I am appreciating more and more that movement is a vital part of my day to day rhythm as it is supporting me to stay connected with my body and to allow the flow of love that I am putting out in my day to return back through my legs, my whole circulatory system and support my continued choices to live vital and even more lovingly.
Beautiful sharing Cherise. You are pointing out that we don’t even have to wait for the time we set aside for exercise, but that it can be done with us just bringing presence to our walk and general everyday movements.
That is true, and what I find is the more I develop that connection in the space that I make for exercise, the easier it is to bring that same level of quality and connection to my movements outside of exercise.
So when I build it in exercise, its easy when I am not exercising.
Hi Rosie, I read your blog a little while ago and have found when I do my morning routine I am reminded to be very present with my body so I’m not doing the routine in automatic mode but in what does my body feel it needs today – less or more and honour it. Thanks
External expectations/automatic pilot are so often driven by goals and ideals – Exercising without expectations allows the partnership of body and mind to unfold naturally with more awareness and regard.
A meditation in movement – I love that Rosie and it captures how I now feel about my gentle exercises too. I find focusing on really feeling my body as I exercise has made a huge difference to my relationship to my body and to exercise. I’ve discovered that my body really likes to move, to exercise and that there is an incredible strength within me – not to lift weights so much – but a strength that enables me to fully engage with life and all the daily demands it brings without falling to pieces. So I see it as being fit for life and it’s the best kind of fit I’ve ever experienced.
Me too, I love the ‘meditation in movement’ way of exercising. This can also be very easily applied to our everyday general movements too- bringing presence and our divine quality to how we are and move in the day. A way for the body to feel expanded with every gesture or action or walk.
“my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.” This is such a different way to look at and experience exercise Rosie. Instead of all the drive and the expectations we put on exercise, we can simply use it as time to hang out with ourselves and spend time with our body.
‘…my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement’ – glorious words Rosie, describing the beauty inherent in an activity we have come to think of as purely functional. Exercise is in truth a way for us to expand our essence through movement.
Rosie I completely agree, my morning stretches/exercises are not for compromising on because of the backbone of consistency that they offer as a deepening commitment to myself. As you say it feels so good to feel and then move the body actually feeling the moves in the muscles, and getting the blood flowing. If I (ever) miss even one day from being on an aeroplane flight for example, it feels awful and I feel out of sync, but going straight back to stretching again feeling the rhythm, is so reviving and restorative. Absolutely love what you say here about connected exercise ” rather my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me”. Gorgeous.
Funny you should mention the plane Zofia. I developed a series of exercises for myself when I was doing more long haul flights… so now I go and find a little corner where I can touch my toes, rotate my hips etc. It helps enormously with the swelling you get from sitting down all that time, and brings my body back to life when it can feel a bit weird sitting down for 13 hours straight!
I really appreciated this article. I’ve been holding back from exercise because it brings up so much lethargy and joylessness at the thought of it, since my previous approach was not like this one, but about goals and forcing myself. I love how this has presented a different way to approach exercise, it’s easy to commit to spending time with myself as opposed to spending time pushing myself!
Yes Melinda, it really is the way we look at it… either spending time or pushing…. I know which one I prefer!
Exactly Melinda- you have so identified exercise in general here in saying ‘lethargy and joylessness at the thought of it’. This way that brings this feeling is from our thoughts- our thoughts of it needing to be a certain amount, a certain speed, for a certain amount of time etc etc, which are all from the head. Bringing movement and exercise to the body with presence and quality will have a Joyful and Vitalising feeling to it, as it is an honouring and connection we are choosing for ourselves and with ourselves.
Hi Rosie, your story has opened my eyes to another way of being through exercising that truely supports our bodies. My own exercise program has been irregular and as a result I have felt sluggish and low in energy at times. I am inspired to embark upon a mediation in movement to bring all aspects of myself into harmony. Thank-you.
Glad that this blog has been inspiring. It would be great to have more people write and share about their experience with exercise as a meditation in movement.
Awesome blog Rosie exposing the body’s true impulse for exercise. I love feeling how my body now asks for exercise – I also have never had an exercise routine but I now daily engage in stretches and strengthening exercises and it is an awesome connection to being with me and listening to what my body is asking for. Combined with walking, the vitality it provides my body is vital to my day. There is still room for a deeper commitment which I am continuously developing.
It is simple isn’t it!
Rosie, I have a healthy body weight and I am active in my day, ie. my job is not sedentary but I can feel from what you share here how supportive it would be for me to build an exercise program that I can do from home into my daily routine.
Yes, our work may keep us fit, but when you are working, it is hard to fully commit to being in your body and feeling all your muscles and what you do, so taking time for you to exercise is a beautiful thing to do for you and for your health.
As life becomes busier and there are more demands on our time, it is really important to look after the vehicle that carries us through those activities. Just as a car that is driven endlessly and run into the ground, our bodies will fail us if we don’t keep it in tip top condition. That means eating well, sleeping properly and exercising regularly. Physical activity is even more important in our increasingly sedentary lifestyles. It also develops a greater sense of self-worth and a deeper connection to our body – if it is done without causing it stress. I am appreciating the mechanics of my body more which encourages me to appreciate it and look after it with greater care.
Well said Jinya.
Me too Jinya. My ‘vehicle’ was in great need of some TLC in this regard and since making the decision to attend to it with regular exercise, I have reaped the benefits.
I agree Jinya. No matter how full my day is, I now make time for even a short walk before work or at lunchtime or I go to the gym before work. It makes such a difference to how I feel during my day. As you say, it goes hand-in-hand with all the other ways we look after ourselves, such as how well we sleep and eat.
Great comment Jinya I too am re-learning to appreciate my body and stop the abuse of it.
I agree Jinya, well said
I feel very inspired, Rosie. Thanks for sharing your experiences here with us all. I can relate to many points in your article, like thinking to not have to exercise because I have a normal body shape. In the past I used to go into the gym regularly to keep my body toned and looking good. Today I know that this was the wrong motivation because I have overdone many movements and over ridden the signs in my body when I used way too heavy weights to push me for always more to look good. When I go to the gym now, I allow my body to tell me how much weight it wants to use, I listen to what feels good when I move my muscles and enjoy even the very slow motion feeling every move in the muscles. This way of training is very intense even if it looks like doing not much and it helps me to stay toned and connected with my body.
Thanks Monika, I am enjoying experimenting with doing very slow smaller movements, and like you said, it may not look like you are doing anything at all but it can be pretty intense. I know in the past, I always wanted to go fast and listen to music or think about things when exercising, as a way of disconnecting from my body, but now I prefer the opposite… to slow down, to feel and to be with me.
Committing to a weekly program has really changed how I view exercise. I used to exercise for a while and then give up but over the last 3 months I have felt the benefits of the program I am on. I feel so much stronger in my body and this has helped me in my work place too. The exercises I am doing are not strenuous or difficult, but I feel the consistency of doing similar things once a week has given me a marker to build on. The great thing is I don’t feel exhausted after the class, in fact the opposite I feel energised and ready for the day.
It makes sense that if you exercise to connect to your body and for health, you have more blood flow to your organs, like giving your insides a wash of nutrients and oxygen and therefore feel energised. The opposite is when you exercise to look a certain way or push the body to achieve a certain number of sit ups etc etc, ignoring how the body actually feels and treating it like a machine, then naturally you would feel exhausted as you would not be listening and stopping when the body is tired and sore.
Your comment is a great reminder of how much more powerful a program of anything is over just haphazardly doing something without consistency and commitment. Thank you Alison.
Awesome Rosie. Yes when I feel my lack of commitment the only way to really move through it is to really focusing on committing.
What makes it difficult and creates more issues is not going through with what you have felt and know you have to do.
That is like avoiding the unavoidable!
You have explained the different way of exercising Rosie, so that it is nurturing and respectful towards the body. I too have discovered the deeper connection to my body that you write about. Sometimes when I stop and sit for a moment during the day my body asks for exercise as the next thing it would like to do. It is really refreshing, and then I can get on with the next things to do feeling stronger and more vital.
Yes Bernadette, and what I have noticed myself doing these days is a stretch here or there, or a short walk to take a break from sitting at the computer.
There are so many ways to move and exercise, and they can change everyday.
That’s lovely, Rosie. I can really feel you and your body working together and communicating what is needed. I have quite a physical job and I used to find that challenging, but now I love that it is a constant opportunity to deepen my connection with myself, so the quality in which I move can be refined all the time.
I love this Bernadette, how you listen to your body during the day and make the choice to do some exercise. It shows there is no ‘set time’ to do exercise but that it is about truly listening to our body and what it needs. In this way exercise can be fun and like you say, very refreshing.
I found this too Mariette – listening to the body what is needed at the time. I find set times also difficult and am much more inclined to go with the ‘flow’ of my body when it is time to move and stretch and exercise it. It feels much more natural and it comes then with ease and enjoyment feeling how the body responds.
For me there is no set time, but I find that it really supports me to exercise in the morning, and build exercise into part of my everyday rhythm rather than something that fits in if I feel to or if I have enough time. Having it as part of my routine and rhythm is my way of self love, my way of saying to myself that I am worth the daily commitment.
It’s a different approach than one of going like a bat out of hell on the treadmill or the weights! developing our connection and enjoyment of our bodies seems to be the key.
It feels like I have been stubbornly resisting to re-connect to some gentle exercise – and yet why would I resist something that I know will support me and feel so gorgeous in my body. Thank you Rosie for your inspiration to commit – again, and this time with consistency and love.
Hi Susan,
I have to stop and question, what would give me a thought to not want to exercise as I know how amazing it makes me feel, and I know what a great support it is for my day…. so if I find myself with thoughts that are against what I know is true, then I really make sure I exercise.
Still to this day, I have not had a bad experience… for example, my head is telling me not to exercise, but I do it anyway.. and the results are always great.
Great piece of advice Rosie. I find myself listening to my thoughts when my body is feeling tired and it is at these times that I am in most need of connecting with my body through exercise.
Awesome blog Rosie, I completely agree exercise is about a commitment to ourselves. I used to exercise in the opposite way, hard and tough. Now I make a commitment to walk everyday, and go to the gym or swim once a week – more if work allows. There is a real joy in commitment, being in my body and expressing this through the movements I make. I love the feeling of being in my body. Very different to exercising driven from my head, a goal or an achievement.
Thank you Rosie, my relationship with exercise has changed recently too and whilst I used to think I enjoyed exercising before, I realise this was not true. I always chose to exercise for an end result, to improve my running times, lose weight or to tone my body and when I exercised it was always a relief when I had finished. This is in complete contrast to how I exercise now. It is a joy to feel my body as I move and whether it is walking, swimming, stretching or doing cardio, the feeling I get each time as I exercise beats any of the feelings of achievement I used to get when I reached my target.
Rosie thank-you for sharing your experience of exercise and movement.
Before attending the work of Universal Medicine I had little relationship with my body, my exercise routine would be goal driven and often punishing. Today I have given myself permission to honour my body to be aware of this partnership and be present with the way in which I move.
I have always enjoyed exercise particularly walking and dance. Just lately I have let my exercise routine slip as I’ve been using the computer more. Your blog has inspired me to make quality exercise more of a priority, as I always feel great when I do. Even 5 or 10 minutes is better than nothing. Thanks for a great blog Rosie.
‘The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation’. This is so true, thanks for the reminder Rosie.
Thank you Rosie for your sharing. I was never a fan of gyms with its sweaty smells and the television screen blaring in a corner and I usually avoided exercising in that way. I love being outside though working and tending lovingly to plants, flowers and vegetables in the Summer. With Spring now with us, there is plenty of opportunity to admire nature’s beauty, breath beautiful air and move my body consciously present doing what needs to be done outside. It is of course “Meditation in movement” and it is beneficial for my energy levels and for keeping grounded and alive.
I love gardening too Maryline, but that is not my exercise. For me, when I am gardening I am moving and active and in nature and I love all of that, but I am too busy with what I am doing, so for me, it works best to make time to specifically exercise to be with me and my body. I have been experimenting different ways and this way works for me at the moment.
The way you describe your commitment Rosie feels very self loving. I have not had this ongoing commitment on a daily basis. I have enticed that i commit for a while then it gets lost for a while and then when I return the quality can be that of ‘catching up’ or a hardness in reaction to not staying committed. What you said about your exercise being a meditation in movement deeply inspired me. Thank you.
No need to beat ourselves up for our lack of commitment… that is just a waste of time… Best thing to do, is to just start again. There is no perfection, just connection.
Looking fit and actually being able to support your body in what it needs to do are 2 completely different things.
I got caught out the other week, I had to do a hike, walk for work – OMG I nearly died, I felt like I climbed Mt Everest but still have all my fingers and toes…
So it’s a great reflection. I love to exercise but I had made it about having to have to do it and took out the fun, then I didn’t do it anyway! Crazy huh…
I undertake regular, gentle supportive exercise and I enjoy doing it. I never push myself into exhaustion or become out of breath. I still get some cardiovasucaler work happening but make sure I am present, that I breathe in and out of my nose and am aware my body at all times. Making this choice has maintained my consistency, and meant that I do more exercise than I have ever done before. I am feeling the benefit of this commitment and it does really impact in a positive way on how my day goes. Thank you for another lovely blog.
Thank you for an inspiring sharing, Rosie and I am learning how energising exercise can be if I stay aware of my body throughout and focus my attention on how I am moving thus proving exercise to be a wonderful time to just be with myself.
” it wasn’t even about how much time I spent, but the quality of the time spent.” That is so super important, Rosie, I feel the current trend that pain equals gain, and building hard and fast, and pushing ourselves beyond the body’s limit are all very damaging to the body. But doing exercise automatically without feeling the body from inside is the most damaging of all. If we do listen we hear that the body wants us to be gentle, not hard on ourselves.
The power of committing to exercise for the benefit of my overall wellness has built a strength in me that I never had before when I exercised to extreme for performance. I now have a body that is so supportive of the rest of my daily life. So thanks for sharing your experience Rosie, I find it fascinating that exercising with connection to the quality meant you built strength quickly, it would be interesting to see such an approach studied in more depth for I am sure there is much to be gained by exercising in this way.
Thanks for another great blog Rosie, so interesting to read this now as last night I went to a womens talk that focused on the notion of being gentle and present when exercising. This certainly goes against everything I grew up believing about exercise! No pain no gain or so the saying goes. I am really looking forward to my next exercise walk WITH me.
It brings in a whole different feel to exercise as part of a commitment to yourself than exercising to loose weight. I now realise that exercising to keep my weight under control was so much effort and I had to push myself to do any exercise which felt begrudging and not loving what so ever. Thanks for the insight into looking at exercise differently, this has been very helpful.
This is very inspiring Rosie. For so long exercise has been promoted for weight loss and hot bodies, but really when done in the way you described, it is about connection to our own bodies, strengthening and keeping an overall level of fitness in order to be well. Totally different, and reading your blog has helped me to deepen my commitment to moving my body in a way that works for me too. Thank you.
Thank you, Rosie, for your lovely blog. I also have attended courses with Reconnect Exercise and it is so supportive to get an instruction how to move the body with awareness and feeling truly what is going on in the body.
To exercise to strengthen our body and to support ourselves is such a loving way to exercise. I always exercised because I did not accept my body and wanted to shape it and make it look according to what was socially accepted. It always came with a push and a drive, being really fanatic. It feels beautiful to actually exercise knowing that I am supporting myself and my body, without the need to change anything.
Mariette this has been my experience of exercise in the past too and I now understand why I never really enjoyed it as I wanted my body to look a certain way, judged by societies ideals as I did not accept how I’d allowed it to be by the choices I’d made. I also exercise to feel good, I was using it to achieve this, instead of looking at why I wasn’t feeling good in the first place. With this hardness exercising was done with an agenda, with a drive and push to get somewhere where I could momentarily feel good with no real enjoyment, moments of bliss perhaps in yoga but zero quality in the way I went about it. Now I want my body to be fit for the life I want to live and feel the pull each morning to stretch and honour the amazing body I have. Reading this blog and all the comments here is deeply inspiring, it makes me want to start right now!
Your comment Candida made me think of how in the past, I did not want to exercise because if I did, I would have to look at my past choices that got my body into the state it was in. So I just avoided it all. I am so glad I finally got over that. We have all made mistakes. No point using them as another choice not to start to take care of yourself.
I have done exercise irregularly all my life joining health clubs or gyms and then gradually stopping because either my knees would start to hurt or I got bored. Over the last 18 months I have been building my body up with stretches and swimming and now recently started a class using weights. I am really enjoying this, being aware it is about the quality of each movement and not how many or how fast I can do the exercise. This makes a huge difference to how I feel, not only in the class but throughout my day.
“A meditation in movement” – I love this Rosie, and appreciate as you do the opportunity with exercise to really connect to what my body is feeling and needing.
I love this too, ‘a meditation in movement’, committing to exercise and spending time with me allows me to connect with my body and listen to and respect what it is saying.
I love what you’ve shared here and relate to so much of what you say, particularly the part about looking healthy over actually being fit. I’ve been feeling the pull towards making exercise a regular part of my days in honour of my body and all that is required to do and I am inspired to do so after reading this. “My commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me”. I know this is how exercise can be and I look forward to exploring this.
Thank you for this awesome blog Rosie. Exercise is so highly laced with the idea of getting results, ticking boxes, getting into shape and making ourselves ‘better’ or ‘more’. What you’re sharing here and which I can very much ouch for myself, is that there is a different way to exercise, one that is about being in truth with what our body needs, and what we need to feel super solid in or bodies, feeling ourselves.
When we approach exercise from that perspective, it’s a completely different ball-game — exercise does become a beautiful meditation where we feel all our body come alive. Give me quality and connection in exercise any day.
I find that too Monica; sometimes I find the idea of exercise very off putting (particularly when I’m tired in the morning and don’t want to get up!) but without fail I always end up feeling better both during exercise and even more so after.
Thank you Rosie, this is very inspiring to me. I feel for a long time that I really want to exercise, and go into this believe that it has to be at least 30 minutes and at least a certain amount of movements in a set of muscles. I can feel how true it is that it is only about commiting to exercise – connect and then feel what the body wants to do. I am certainly going to experiment with this other way of exercising.
Thank you Rosie for inspiring me to take the time to start exercising gently and consistently. I have recently been suffering from a painful back and am aware that my slow recovery is in part down to my lack of supportive strengthening exercises before my injury.
Great blog and reminder to me,that a small amount of exercise can really change and support my day.. The days when I exercise for 10-20mins I feel amazing, it allows my cells to open and recharge with energy. I need to work on creating a routine to incorporate it more regularly in my week.
Rosie your blog made me think. I was a sportive woman my whole live but I was so sportive that it was not healthy for me – I did it with with the wrong intention. As I read your blog I can feel that it is time to change this wrong intention into a true intention. So you inspire me to this – Thank you so much
I stayed away from the gym because of the huffing, puffing, flying sweat and the dogged effort to have the perfect body. What a difference to exercise feeling into the movement as ‘a way for me to spend time with me’. As an elder my body tells me to nurture my body with gentle movement otherwise there is a direct message of pain and muscle spasm. As you say Rosie, listening to the body in exercise has a positive effect on mood and energy levels.
It is a pity that so many people are put off exercise because they correlate it with the extreme versions exemplified by the cross fit industry. True exercise should always be about connection to the body, and yet so much of exercise is based on just the opposite. It is about creating a painful experience where all we get to feel is the relief of the lactic acid and adrenaline, and I say relief, because this is what it brings. In its extreme form it is no different to alcohol or taking drugs, in that it serves to shield us from feeling the discomfort of the way we are living in our day to day lives. True exercise should not disconnect us in this way but to help us to become more aware of our body, and to assist us to realise that the way we move our body has a huge effect on our emotional and mental state of being. As Serge Benhayon has presented, the body is the marker of all truth.
Thanks, Adam, so true – “the way we move our body has a huge effect on our emotional and mental state of being.” With this principle as a starting point, exercise would become something very different and would be truly supportive for the body and the whole being.
Yes, imagine exercise classes that were advertised to support your mental and emotional wellbeing, rather than trying to get someone who is overweight to achieve a six pack in a few months.
“True exercise…… to assist us to realise that the way we move our body has a huge effect on our emotional and mental state of being”. I so agree with you Adam, exercise for me is using my body consciously and connecting to it in every physical work that I do.
Thanks Rosie,
I really love the way my body feels during stretching and exercise and you have totally inspired me to commit to this time for myself. It supports so much more than my body- it supports everything in my life.
I love the point you make amount exercise not being about quantity “but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me.” Now that’s quality time with yourself!
Yes Kathleen, how gorgeous is that.
Thank you Rosie, for the big reminder for me to slot REGULAR exercise into my daily rhythms, as you say, even 5 to 10 minutes per day. I too have done some of Danielle’s Re-Connect Exercises, and agree I feel awesome especially after a class. I have been away from home quite a lot over the past couple of months and need, now I am back home for some months, to relook at my daily rhythm. I also know I need to go back to very regular walking. I spent many years working very hard on the land, regrowing rainforest on a very steep slope. I was so used to lots of exercise then, especially walking up and down that slope. But since I left that way of life, I have had a problem in committing to the exercise that I actually know my body needs.
You have inspired me to go back to a daily (if possible) practice of the very beautiful gentle exercises that were to presented to me before. I loved doing these exercises before, doing them while really connecting to my body. Now is the time to return to that rhythm.
Seeing exercise as a commitment to spend time with oneself is a lovely way to look at it and the complete opposite of how I had often approached exercise. I too feel such a difference when I exercise vs when I don’t and as you say its the quality of the exercise that is key. Yet I can still find the excuse to not exercise, too tired, too much work, however I’ve always been glad I have exercised when I do – something to take note of!
Awesome blog Rosie, interesting timing for me reading this blog as I am feeling it is time to commit to exercise and this being a special time for me rather than something I ‘should’ do. I love the way you spoke about it being the ‘quality’ in the way you exercise that counts and not the quantity. Thanks for the inspiration – I am off to exercise now!
I can feel this too Anna, ‘ I am feeling it is time to commit to exercise and this being a special time for me rather than something I ‘should’ do.’ I have noticed in the past how hard and un-enjoyable it can be doing exercising because I think or have been told that I should, it feels very different and so lovely to go for a walk for me and go swimming and keep it playful and fun and enjoy this special time for me.
I felt the same Rosie about exercise, that I didn’t need to do too much because my body wasn’t overweight or needed toning. But that was all exterior and based on looks, I didn’t consider excersing to maintain a healthy and fit body internally. You have inspired me to start regular gentle exercise to keep my body fit, strong and healthy.
It is so true what you share Rosie and I have seen you go through these changes over time. The commitment to quality in exercise has allowed a very deep appreciation of the body and what you can bring to your day because of this commitment to you…we all benefit from this. It is totally fun exercising alongside you in the class, feeling the dedication and pure enjoyment of exercising.
This is inspiring Rosie, exercising to come to have time with you and connecting to your body, not to look in a certain way, just being fit to go on trough your day is also very important.
Great comment Benkt, I have always considered exercise to be a drag but now I see it in completely new light. It is about spending time to connect and looking after my body. It is about quality time for me which I have previously found difficult.
You have inspired me to start exercising consistently again Rosie, I remember how great my body felt when I did this.
Thankyou
Same here Mary -Louise, I am also inspired to commit to do some exercising, because lately, I have found myself saying, I have no time, which is not true, if you commit, you make the time, knowing how supportive it is to start your day. It is always a choice.
So true Rosie, a healthy exercise routine is more about a commitment to the consistency, quality and presence we hold in our body during exercise than it is about “pushing” to attain an outward oriented goal or some kind of hard core boot camp. You summed it up perfectly in saying exercising for you is “about quality not quantity… a meditation in movement”… Beautiful.
Apart from the fact that I loved hearing about your commitment to exercise and they way you have gone about it, I also really enjoyed the way you described it as being a time you get to spend with you. That felt really precious to me and a lovely way to be with exercise.
What you say, Rosie, is so true. I used to exercise every morning – just gently on a walking machine and then do some stretches and a few weights and then I stopped for all sorts of reasons and you know what my whole connection to myself and my rhythm fell apart. OK there was a whole lot else going on but I have worked out that the stop in exercise was one of the two main reasons for this. Plus what you say about being fit before something goes wrong – that is a real message.
Thanks Michael, it would be interesting if you could rewind, continue with the daily exercise even when heaps of things in life pop up for you to deal with and see how differently you are able to cope with them when you keep that connecting to yourself and that rhythm as a base or foundation from which you move forward from.
For me, it is this rhythm and connection that supports me, and I am learning more and more the importance of this before anything else. It is making a huge difference in how I am then able to go about my day and not let the issues become massive problems.
Loved reading your experience with exercising Rosie, and how you have made a commitment to you and your body and let go of ideals outside of you why it is ‘good’ to exercise. Exercise for me, was always about an end goal e.g. losing weight, toning, sport etc, and if I didn’t reach the desired result exercise would go out the window and my body would miss out again. What you have shared about exercise being a commitment to our bodies and connecting to what our bodies actually need, blows so many of the pushing and drive out of exercising.
So true Aimee, no more pushing and drive, this was always very exhausting in my body. I am so grateful to have found a true version of exercising and my body feels so refreshed and alive after the other way of training in respect to my body. Thanks to Serge Benhayon for sharing his way of living with everyone and showing a different way to exercising and living in connection with our own body which is the indicator of truth.
I too have just started a relationship with exercise over the last year, and have just now found what works for me and my body, and having committed in just the last two weeks I can say I am loving it, I feel very different after exercising and definitely supports my day.
Rosie this is a great blog, and I totally agree with you, exercise plays such a great part in looking after our bodies, I find it leaves me feeling so much more present and stronger, and more capable to deal with what happens in life.
Awesome Rosie! I’ve experienced the same thing with my (most recent) re-commitment to exercise. It feels like a part of my every day and I do feel like it gives me more energy and I am also feeling my body strengthen.
It’s great to realise that exercise doesn’t have to equal muscly and what you write Rosie, certainly throws the no pain, no game mantra out of the window. I too spend 15-20 minutes each morning carrying out some gentle exercise at home including stretching. I often feel so different afterwards with a tingly vital feeling. It definitely supports me to understand my body much more and the type of movements it likes and doesn’t like.
I haven’t been as consistent with my exercising as I would like of late, so reading your blog Rosie is inspiring me to commit to regular exercise as when I do choose to do it, it is as you say, very enjoyable to feel your body move and be present with yourself during this. So now I am committing to doing some exercise every day, feeling into what type of exercise I feel to do at the time and I am really starting to enjoy that time with me.
I am feeling inspired by Rosie’s blog and your comment to exercise every day. It is something I have never committed to doing every day. Now I am going to give it a go. Thank you.
Thanks Rosie for an interesting blog. I have always enjoyed exercise but have mostly aimed for a moderate level of fitness rather than being obsessed with fitness. I am finding over the years that I am learning to more and more follow my body and go with my natural rhythm. It’s a beautiful way to set up each day.
Great blog, Rosie. I love how you have described exercise as a moving meditation. i could really feel in your words the level of commitment you bring to yourself when you exercise and how gorgeous this feels in your body. I also like how you took things really slowly and were not preoccupied with how many exercises you could do, and made it all about being in connection with you. I love exercise, I have always loved moving my body and the feeling of the blood pumping through it. I used to overdo it all the time. After I pulled back from overdoing it, I was too scared to exercise at all. Gradually I reintroduced daily walking and now I’m playing with different movements and different intensities with weights to see how my body feels during each, and how it feels after also. It’s really fun to not get caught up in there being a certain way to go about it, or to do it for the outcomes of weight loss etc.
Love your sharing Rosie, the belief around fitness is so wrong and it is great to come to the understanding of what true fitness is. I never exercised and have to learn now step by step to build core body strength and I realize how unfit I am even though having been in very good shape all my life. It is beautiful to exercise from a true body connection and a self caring approach.
To feel the real difference between exercising for result to exercising to connect to your body has been life changing for me too Rosie. It has reminded me of the joy I felt as a kid running around in the rapture of my body in simple, fun movement – a far cry from thrashing it out in any gym class or yoga mat.
I too feel the loveliness of me when I exercise in a way that is totally supportive of my body.
The reason why we go to the gym in the first place is a real determinator when it comes to what we end up with. I used to do it to get buff but was left with a feeling of emptiness. To me it was easier to get a fit looking body than to really work out with a deep care of it. Learning as I go I do.
Rosie, thank you so much for this light and inspiring blog! I used to jokingly say that I exercised so much before I turned 35 that I don’t ever have to exercise again. Before 35 it was exercising to look good and I did love how I felt when I was regularly exercising. Now I can feel it’s not about how I look for anyone else to see, but for me to feel vital, energised and connected to my body. I would like to build up my strength again to support me in my job (being with young children) which is quite physical. Now to commit……….!!!
It really is amazing how when feeling tired or sluggish rest is often counter-productive – I really relate to exercising bringing more energy to the body – especially starting the day this way. I love your expression ‘moving mediation” – you have inspired me to pay even more attention to body when I exercise now. Thank you – Rosie
Thanks Rosie. I think many of us can fall into the trap of feeling healthy because our body shape and size tells us so, or because we eat healthily, etc. but that has nothing to do with our fitness levels. Learning to exercise day by day, listening to our bodies and letting them be the guide, is something we are rarely taught and so to feel what you have discovered for yourself feels amazing and very inspiring too.
Rosie, this is pure gold and what an inspiration to start exercising! I too have found that regular gentle exercise is so very beneficial. I love to start my day with a gentle walk just 10 minutes or so.
I love how you have expressed quality not quantity I still get lost on this but with regular commitment it is changing and I am defiantly noticing the benefits of staying present.
Thank you for your inspirational blog Rosie, the way you listen to your body and taking that time in your day as support for yourself and your body. Awesome.
I was never interested in exercise, I loved to walk and swim but I never made anything consistent. I never got comfortable in gym. I have over the last few years become much more interested in exercise, so much so that it has now become part of my work. This has been through getting to know my body and caring for it. As you say exercise undertaken in ‘quality’ not ‘quantity’ is the key and how present you are makes a huge difference to the ‘quality.’
Thank you Rosie for your beautiful supportive account of true exercise and the loving momentum and rhythm it supports. I have been learning how gentle movements and exercise being done with presence and feeling my body has been missing in my life before thinking it had to be hard and pushing and so not liking exercise. It feels very loving and supportive now and brings more tenderness,feeling and caring to my body and to how I live.
Hi Rosie, When I read your blog it really reminds me how great I feel when I honour my body with the amount of exercise it feels it needs on any given day, no excuses about time or energy just feel it and go for it, feeling how much. When I choose to ignore those signals to exercise I feel less energised and I totally agree it is about feeling and being with my body when I move, not off in tomorrows work or yesterdays lunch party!
Loved to read this blog this morning Rosie, lots for me to ponder on, lots of gems to take into my day, and this little gem feels perfect for today: ‘ but feeling into what feels right for me on each day’.
Rosie, I so know what you are describing. I love my exercise as well and really miss it if I miss it more than one day.. It is like holiday time with me 🙂
Great Rosie, you inspire me to keep going and deepen my commitment to myself and my health.
Thanks Rosie for this blog and I have to admit I avoided commenting as I thought I had nothing to say.
The Truth is me and exercise are not really best friends. It comes from school days of being forced and competing.
Throughout my adult life I could think of nothing worse than to be in a gym. However, I did try it for a short time and was surprised at the results of my body shape and how quick it gave me what I wanted.
Anyway, I got bored so that was the end.
Today I love walking, stretching and dancing. Walking is a commitment that is absolute and it’s everyday so that is now part of my foundation. Stretching and dancing needs to have the same commitment so thank you Rosie – your blog has got me inspired to get on with it and build this much needed practice into my daily living.
This is a timely blog for me Rosie, thank you. I never thought I had a problem committing to exercise as I went to the gym almost daily for thirty years until I developed stage 3 adrenal exhaustion. After a few years break from the gym I’m now in the process of rebuilding my body and have felt the commitment that that requires on a daily basis. It was easy for me to have an “appointment” with the gym because I always found it difficult to motivate myself to exercise alone but I realise now that I was just going through the motions a lot of the time and punishing my body. The difference for me now is to feel the real commitment to myself in having a gentle program I do in my home which means that I’m really with me as I do my exercise and each time I commit to this I feel so much better within myself and it’s now a part of my daily routine
So great to read your blog Rosie and feel that it really is quality over quantity when it comes to sustaining fitness and connection to our bodies. How beautiful to feel the pull and stretch of every muscle , this gives a deep appreciation of how amazing our bodies are when we can connect to it on this level. Deepening our appreciation and care for this amazing vehicle of expressions that teaches us so much about ourselves and how we are living. Super inspiring. Thank you.
Ah yes Anne-Marie, the pull and stretch of each muscle is so lovely to feel.
At times I catch myself wanting to move faster when in fact, there is more to be felt when I slow down and actually feel. I am experimenting with really feeling the intricateness of the workings of each part of my body, and what and where does each muscles have to work to move which area. Can be quite fascinating!
I agree Rosie. Super fascinating. I attended a great gentle exercise and body awareness exercise class today at the sound foundation and connected much deeper to my rib cage and my lungs. So beautiful to really feel how the rib cage supports the upper body and to deeply feel the exquisite expansion and contraction of my lungs. Amazing to feel.
True Rosie, it’s a whole different ballgame when we fully tune in, and learn so much about what is going on with the muscles like where we are holding tension what is tight or out of balance. I am recovering from some joint and nerve damage right now and your blog is hugely inspiring.. time to get some gentle exercise happening 🙂
Even the smallest of movements, can have a profound effect when healing joint and nerve damage. Never under estimate what you can do just by moving.
Exercise is an amazing way to affirm who you are, through the movement you create.
It is a simple way to enjoy yourself, and commit to what and who you can be.
Awesome blog Rosie and a real testament to what exercise can be for us in our lives. I can really feel how exercise for you is not a chore, or a must do to tick a box, or even for an outcome for you. But just a commitment to your body and spending time with you. Super inspiration, thank you.
Thank you Rosie for such an inspiring blog. It is very confirming that what we learn and experience from our connection with Universal Medicine is just so practical and real.
I think of all the times I have lost consistency with exercise, especially when I was going to a gym, because it got too hard. I was caught in the belief that it was about ‘putting the effort in.’ I didn’t let myself consider the idea of being connected with my body and feeling where I was truly at. I remember times in my late 30’s where I would feel guilty for not exercising when in reality I was tired after a big day at work and was on the first day of my period. Its wonderful that everyday people who don’t necessarily know Serge Benhayon or Universal Medicine can be inspired and freed up of some crazy ideals about exercise just from reading your experience.
Thanks Belinda Jane, today is one of those days where I feel to take my body with me in the most gentle of ways. I will go for a walk but I don’t feel to use weights or get the cardio going. For me, just a few stretches is going to be all I need.
This is still exercise, it’s just different and it is tailored to exactly what and where my body is at.
I have found that commitment to exercise is naturally there if I have a commitment to my own health and well-being. I love the way I feel during and after exercise, especially walking. One of the many ways that I support myself. In the past I used to exercise for body image and thus pushed my body to extremes. It’s so lovely to now listen to my body and move gently in a way that my body wants to.
Yes, Susan. Exercising without the slog is a joy! I love how my body feels afterwards… more open, supported and stronger. It’s like my spine becomes taller and I have more space between my ribs!
Thank you Rosie for this inspiring blog. It has shed light on exercise from a direction which I had not considered before – the possibility of deepening the connection with myself and supporting me – instead of reaching a goal through exercise.
YES! There is no goal, other than being with me and feeling my body more in whatever movements I choose to do, no matter how fast or slow. And I love to play around with all the different ways I can move, make up new exercises, feel and discover parts of my body that have been asleep for way way too long and most of all enjoy, it all.
I love what you share Rosie, how exercise is about the quality and not quantity. How it is to strengthen the body and not to create an image. It is changing the way we think what exercise is. I know I have slipped on my exercise routine and I can feel it in my body. However like you said it only takes a few minutes a day to focus on being present with the body and those few minutes are really so supportive to the health of the body. It is a great reminder for me to start gradually re-building my exercise routine.
I had never been the sporty type, I did not have the body or the mindset or see the point of it, other than in school as it was mandatory. As I got older, exercise as I saw it, there were the people that loved to run for miles, I would just take the car if it was that far away. The gym people was a vast cross section of people from old to young that enjoyed it but I was not one of them. I love my daily walks and an active life style. I can whole heartedly relate to your ‘committing to exercise and spending time with me’.
The confusion between fitness and body weight and size is a huge issue Rosie, well described in this blog. We have got exercise mixed up with staying “small” for women, building up to a huge size for men, and none of it has been about exercise for connection, and exercise for the joy of feeling a strong, supple body.
Thank you Rosie, because I am looking afresh at my own exercise commitment that has been less than a full commitment in recent times.
This is great Rosie, I was working out quite regularly but have let this drop away and feel inspired to get back to it in reading your blog. I totally agree about the quality not quantity approach and to continually keep checking in with how the body is feeling.
Making exercise about quality and connection really changes the ideals on what our exercise needs to be and look like. Thank you Rosie. You’ve inspired me to go for walk.
This is really inspiring, especially when you say you exercise to strengthen your body. I am terrible at exercise; I will start with good intentions and then it just falls away, but recently I have felt to commit to it on a daily basis … you have inspired me even more … I just need to put it into practice now.
I know for sure that I was never terrrible at exercise, what I was terrible about was taking time for me and to care for me… and committing to that. Once I gave myself permission to take time to exercise, and put it into my health plan, as a way to support my everyday living.. the exercise is easy.
Thanks Rosie this is an inspiring piece on the benefits of exercise being a way of spending quality time with one’s self rather than seeking external outcomes.
Love it Rosie – “exercise actually energises me and helps me through the day instead of the old theory in my head that it will just make me more tired. I often find quite the opposite”. You have very simply described that this excuse is just that – an excuse. I find the same; when I exercise (on a regular basis) I have more energy and actually seem to have more time to do things as I am more present and therefore more efficient when I complete tasks at home or at work
I am the same Jessica…I feel much more energised, alert and functioning much more with ease after exercise.
Hi Rosie, I find I come back to your blog when my commitment to my exercise is beginning to dwindle! I know that exercising with quality makes a difference to how I feel and my energy levels so thank you for the reminder.
I love the times when I allow myself to give full attention to hanging out with my body and my body loves it too. My exercise program now includes some time in the morning moving my body in whatever way it feels to move. Sometimes this is in a way that raises my heart rate, sometimes it’s floor work, sometimes it’s random dance moves, sometimes it’s weights, and usually a combination of all of these things. This approach is supporting me to break through the ideals and illusions we have been fed about exercise, and to develop an appreciation of how awesome my body is, which supports me ten-fold throughout my day.
Reading your blog – especially the part where you describe how feeling the blood pump in your body and the muscles moving makes you feel alive, as really inspired me and reminded me how much I love exercise and the feeling of it. Your blog has also shown me my own belief that I was fit because of X Y and Z, rather than realising that although my body is healthy I haven’t made a conscious effort to be fit and the support that this can be.
I love that too Rebecca – especially the part where you describe how “feeling the blood pump in your body and the muscles moving makes you feel alive”. What a difference with the way I used to exercise before. It was all about getting fit and building more muscles in my arms as I would look less skinny. Now I exercise to enjoy feeling my body move and the tingling feeling in my arms and legs when the blood starts to flow.
What you describe Rosie is that huge difference between the incidental exercise we may do for a job compared to exercising to care for ourselves. While exercising in a job may give us a level of fitness, it can never compare to the quality we can bring to exercise when it is in time set aside for us. You paint a very clear picture of just how healthy that commitment has been for you, it is great to read of your experience.
Exercise like this Rosie, is simple loving and fun and also confronting. But hey, it is totally worth making time to honour nourish and support you and your body, especially when one can realise how truly amazing their body is!
“…my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.” This line really stood out for me. I have also reconnected with exercising with Re-Connect Exercise classes online, for some time I let it lay and did exercise every once in a while. I really wanted to but felt I just had no time for it. For maybe two weeks now I have started again to gently exercise in the morning and I love it. The great thing is, it does not take any effort and in pondering on what has changed I realized it is my commitment to myself. Before I was very keen on doing anything for anyone apart from me! This has changed greatly through feeling I am really worth attention, care and exercise to support my body. Now exercise is part of my daily rhythm and it feels great. Thanks Rosie for sharing.
Lieke, I love how you got it and shared it in your comment!
“The great thing is, it does not take any effort and in pondering on what has changed I realized it is my commitment to myself. Before I was very keen on doing anything for anyone apart from me!”
Exercise is easy once we give ourselves permission to be with ourselves and care for ourselves, instead of putting every other person or chore on the top of the to do list… and the wonderful flow on effect is that the more we do actually care for ourselves, the more we are then able to care for and support those around us.
Rosie you are a wonderful inspiration to us all for taking care of ourselves. Whether committing to our everyday well being or re-building our bodies, there is a gentle and very supportive way to suit each of us and what we need. No one size fits all!
No one size fits all is so true. We are each individual and if we try to copy another, we miss out on really knowing and accepting our own uniqueness. No need for comparison or any of that, just accept and be yourself and fine tune what you need to do for you and only you.
So true, it is about honouring our body and where it is. What may be energising exercise for some maybe exhausting for others.
I like this Rosie, ‘my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.’ Gorgeous.
Hi Rosie, its true that we can be fooled by having a slim physique and thinking that that’s enough to be called fit. I love how you describe exercise – ‘exercise has become like a meditation in movement..’ what a great way to see it, and it’s inspiring how you adapt what you do to support how you are feeling at particular times of the month. A totally different way of approaching exercise.
Thank you Rosie for sharing this great blog. One area in life I really seem to lack commitment is in regards to exercise. Reading your blog has truly inspired me to look at this deeper and follow my own path to exercise. To help support my body in full.
I can so relate to feeling like I am fit because my weight is within a healthy range for my size. Your blog has given me much to consider ~ thank you Rosie.
I love this blog Rosie. This is so true – “The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation, but just about committing to exercise and spending time with me”. I also love feeling the gorgeousness of me through my body in movement as I exercise – a beautifully confirming and supportive way to start the day.
Hi everyone, thank you for all the comments.
I feel to share a little more since writing this blog.
I have been doing Re-Connect exercises lately and at one class recently we realised that we had people of all age groups from about 20 up to the oldest who was a few months off turning 70. It is oh so inspiring to see a 65 year old with hand weights, ankle weights and wrist weights on going for it.
What is so great about that, and what it showed me is that we are never too old or to young, and we do not have to do what others are doing, all we need to do is stop and feel what our body needs.
Thats right Rosie regular exercise is good for all
I have always exercised daily until a year ago when I started working on the computer so much that I no longer took the space to do it. Gradually my body got very sluggish and I found it harder to get out of my head and I even began to get depressed. Recently I have recommitted to putting exercise back into my rhythm and I am getting in touch with my body again and feeling the joy of moving again. I feel it is a vital part of taking care of myself and I save time by being clearer and more present with my work.
Excellent Article Rosie. Even doing 4 or 5 sit ups a day makes a difference. When you focus on the connection and presence with your body, the exercise feels like a very lovely thing to do. Thank you, you have inspired me to try committing to a more simple approach to exercise and begin to build strength in my body so it can support me in everything that I do.
This is great Rosie as what you are presenting is it is not just about a commitment to exercise but a commitment to yourself. I have found that this was the turning point for me. Once I made it about the commitment to myself, it became so easy to bring exercise into the daily rhythm of my life.
Yes, getting rid of the belief that exercise tires you out is key to being able to enjoy keeping fit and feeling the benefits of it. I have only recently connected to how much my body loves to move, stretch and swim and it has become a super important part of my day.
Thank you Rosie for the revelation that true exercise is all about connecting and being present in the body with a focus on the quality in which we perform the movements of exercise.
I have a lot of resistance in me to building exercise into my routine. ‘It’s about quality not quantity’ and that it being about ‘spending time with me’ makes me want to give it a go. Thanks Rosie.
I agree Laura, it’s time to let the love in. Exercise will grow our body of love so we are more and have more to share with humanity. I’m in!
Every time I exercise my body responds with a huge thank you as I feel so much steadier and able to deal with whatever my day brings. It is my body that continues to inspire me to make exercise an important part of my life.
I love what you are sharing here Vicky, that your inspiration to exercise comes from your own body.
Great point you make here Rosie, how being a healthy body weight does not mean fit! I’m pretty sure I may have used that one in the past along with the other one where my work has been quite physical so I’ve pretended that is my workout instead! Thank you for re-inspiring me to start exercising with connection more regularly again.
I love exercise in the way you describe, to make it about quality not quantity. I have done several exercise classes online with Re-Connect Exercise and it has changed my whole idea of exercising. And it changed the way I experience my body, I feel the joy of having a body and that it needs to move in a gentle loving way. It is wonderful to feel that when I am tired or feel a bit sick and start to exercise I connect back to my strength. It is what my body needs and just like you have shared Rosie I always feel energised afterwards. Gentle exercising has changed my whole perspective of how it is to work with my body.
Having tried various forms of exercise over the years I came to the conclusion that no exercise was best for me (due to the development of osteoarthritis in my neck and spine even walking on the beach had become painful) and everything else felt too hard on my body.
When I joined in an online exercise group with Danielle Pirera all that changed.
As we were encouraged to stay present and connect with our bodies and our breathing I felt able to work with myself to build strength instead of pushing hard until I collapsed in a heap!
I now choose to make exercising an essential part of my day and value this time I get to spend with myself.
Getting jiggy with True Movement also supports my overall commitment to exercise!
Awesome sharing re your exercise program. Lots of pearls of wisdom expressed.
Quality vs quantity of repetitions when exercising. Feeling into the body what is required re type of exercise, frequency, with no pushing or straining. And how we assume because someone looks healthy and slim, that they are fit – not so.
What a miracle you experienced following nerve injury to have fully recovered in only 6 months!
A credit to how you have nurtured your body with consistency and dedication. Very inspiring.
When I start an exercise session without a plan to do a certain amount and just listen to my body, there is a significant difference when I use to follow a set plan and target. Now I have a body guide to what it feels like I will do, but the moment I lift a weight it calls out loud and clear. The plan comes from the body not the mind.
I enjoy lifting weights, and now have a collection so I can play around with lighter or heavier ones based on how I feel. I never imagined using weights could be so fun. I even use leg weights and really love it.
The plan is to have no plan but an open heart!
Yes Monika, an open heart and an openness to be with your body in each moment.
I have also found that my moods are affected when I don’t commit to exercise… Even if that exercise is just a little bit I feel loads better when I have taken some time to be with my body. It feels so good to exercise and move when you don’t have the motive to change or better the way you look. It enables you to feel more free within the movements you are doing and gives you space to actually do the exercises that are supportive for you.
Great blog Rosie, I was an an avoider when it came to exercise, mainly because I couldn’t stand the regimented way exercise was done in groups, I couldn’t keep up so gave up basically, so I hadn’t been very fit though I was very active in my work.
I have recently begun doing the gentle exercise presented in the Re-connect exercise programme and have such a different attitude now its unbelievable! Makes me have a good chuckle at myself how different.
I am loving working to my own rhythm and capability and feeling where my body wants to go next, stretches or strengthening and going there. Its like I am an intrepid explorer of my own body, its health and fitness. A complete turnaround. Now I have so much more strength and energy and vitality in my body, and it was all done without force or push which amazes me. Quality not quantity is definitely the key here. Thank you for your confirmation of how I have been feeling, nice to appreciate it.
It sure is great to appreciate how exercise makes us feel! Why wouldn’t we want to feel awesome and want to share that with everyone.
It is a totally different intention that you describe here Rosie. A commitment to building and deepening the relationship with your body in the quality of tenderness and care without the initial focus achieving a fitness or weight outcome. Without the push and drive of trying to meet particular outcomes I find that I don’t tend to experience the injuries I did in the past and appreciate my body far more than just a piece of ‘machinery’ that I need to function well.
Yes Jenny, I love how you put it. Our bodies are not a piece of machinery like the ones at the gym, we need to feel into it to know when to stop or when to move and then how does our body actually want to move in any given moment.
I really notice the difference between getting fit with the purpose of supporting me in my life and what I do, as opposed to an old way of working out that was about how I look, or how I could compete. I spend a lot of time at the desk, and daily exercise makes an enormous difference to my day and how I feel. It has taken me a long time to really see that, and as you say Rosie – oftentimes it does not take much.
Lovely to read about your commitment to yourself and exercise Rosie and how that has supported you in your life. You have inspired me to recommit to a gentle exercise routine as I am recovering from a viral illness that has left me feeling very weak.
I am no master on the subject, but felt to share, that at times when we are sick, all we need to do, is not exercise and rest, or just do the smallest of movements to reconnect and be present in our bodies. Making exercise a part of your everyday living all the time, is what really supports, because it is there with you, even if you get sick and have to rest.
In the past I have often done things as a result of… because of…. instead of choosing to do things as a preparation and as a way to avoid getting sick in the first place. As a way of strengthening the body to support itself no matter what.
Thanks Rosie,
Cleaning the house used to be my committment to exercise. (The headless chicken). The difference now when I do stretches, movements and walks is, I am less disengaged from my body.
That made me laugh Wendy. So many of us have used work or cleaning or even playing with kids as our form of exercise which is so different to when we actually take the time to be with our body and with each movement.
Rosie, this is deeply inspiring, thank you.
I can relate to what you are sharing Rosie in regards to how you used to do exercise. I have all my life done exercise with a push attitude. the ‘No pain, no gain” type of thinking. If I had only done 49 laps instead of my expected 50 I would feel that I had failed, or been slack and would have to make up that lap the next day to feel ok about it. I never once thought about how my body was feeling and if I needed to be swimming at all. The only time I thought of how my body was feeling was to see if my muscles were sore, that meant I had had a good session. I have also been inspired by the teachings of Re-connect Exercise and have changed the way I look at exercise.
Wow Heidi, isn’t it amazing that we have overcome this push and no pain no gain – game to make way for joy and fun to move the body now with a much more gentle and honouring way of exercising for the body. I love it!
Great blog Rosie. I have had a similar experience with Re-Connect exercise. I worked as a cleaner and so I too thought I was fit and that I didn’t really need to exercise. I was fit and I did have muscle strength, but exercising to be with myself had an entirely different impact on my body and on the way I felt about my body. After a few months of committing to the exercise, I felt my body shape change slightly, most noticeably in my legs, and I began to have a lot more appreciation for my body. I also began to feel the power of my body, not in a strong-muscled kind of way, but power from a body that is more present and strong.
Isn’t it great when we start to connect to our bodies, and care for them with exercise, how we then actually have a completely different relationship with them. I know for me, I know I feel more comfortable when looking into a mirror than ever before. I actually enjoy what I see, and that has not always been the case. In the past, I would think my thighs were to big, or I could do with losing some weight off my tummy. The self critique on full volume.
I used to exercise like a maniac. Hours and hours of running, swimming, cycling and weights every week irrespective of how I felt and whether I was tired, ill or in the mood or not. I ate poorly and was alway unwell but in my mind I was super fit because I could compete in triathlons and endurance races.
And then one day out of the blue I just stopped because it wasn’t fun anymore and I could push my body the way I had been doing and that was it no exercise for me other than walking the dog for years.
Recently I have realised I need to care for my body as if it were a expensive car, right fuel, regular service and regular drives to keep the engine in top performance condition.
Now I go the gym, walk and swim and exercise how I feel to with respect for my body – the change in me is amazing and my body has responded by supporting me to be able to do my job with no strain or postural issues which had become the norm for me. In fact was so inspiried by the change in my attitude to exercise through the presentations of Universal Medicine that I shared my experience here: https://drrachelhall.wordpress.com/2015/04/23/exercise-for-health-and-wellbeing
Thanks for sharing the link here Rachel, I have read this in the past and it too inspired me to change my way of exercising.
What if we would start exercising from the beauty we already are? What if our kids would be taught how beautiful they are as they are? And then building exercise on that foundation? No sports class trauma anymore for anyone, I suppose! Great blog, Rosie.
I agree Felix, what an incredible way to teach children to exercise. In coming from the foundation that as kids they are innately beautiful it will remove the need to exercise in a way to achieve a desired figure, size, or fitness. And rather it would be an extension of that beauty and confirming of themselves, no more abusive workout routines!
Awesome Felix, I love it – exercising from the beauty we already are!
Yes Oliver and Felix! That’s a great place to exercise from. Makes me see how so many of us have exercised from the thought of being over weight, chubby, unfit or whatever instead of from the beauty we are that we want to love and support.
Yes knowing we are supporting a body that is already beautiful is the message our kids need to connect to first, building their foundations on self love and appreciation, rather than on exercise to change the outside but to build and confirm on the inside … That’s such a different approach.
I love what you share about exercising is about spending time with me, this makes it sound so lovely and sweet. For me when I see people exercising in the park where I go every morning, there is always this hardness around it, a pushing and a force. For me when I do some exercises, it just feels so lovely to be with me, do what feels good in the moment and to not have any expectation in what I have to do. It just feels great to support my body and I appreciate myself in spending this time.
Rosie, this is such an inspiring blog to read. I love how you have come back to walking again through lovingly committing to your body to simply be with you and enjoy every moment of it.
Thank you for sharing you.
Wow Rosie this is a great blog about true exercise.
Its great to read how your whole approach changed based on your commitment to yourself.
Very inspiring!
Rosie, I can so relate to what you are saying here. I am exercising very differently now but at times still feel the old energy coming in where I want to really push my body harder than it feels to go! I am really enjoying my body shape and tone which has come from a more gentle and loving exercise program which is truly about spending time more fully with me.
You inspire me to start exercising more to stay fit. I do some exercises each morning for my lower back and opening my shoulders. Still I feel I need some more fitness. Why? I recently had to climb many stairs and my heart was pounding. It gave me to insights. I was more aware of my body, my heart beating and felt alive. But I also was suprised that I felt ‘tired’. These stairs were not such a big deal. So for me a sign to pick up some exercising. After reading your blog it is clear: it is not about the amount of exercises but my presence when exercising.
Yes, and stairs are a great way to exercise. And getting the heart going a bit is a wonderful thing… pumping that blood around your system is what it is designed to do.
I love how you express in this playful inspiring way. You are Gold- Rosie! Thanks for sharing.
All the tests and numbers indicate that I have a ‘healthy’ body, but like you, I wouldn’t go as far as to say I was fit. I have never been into sports and hated my PE classes, but I know how beautiful it is to feel connected to and be in my body, and I feel very inspired by your sharing. Thank you, Rosie.
Your blog is very timely Rosie I have just started up an exercise routine and like your example of bringing presence and connection to your muscles, I will be more aware of this and feel the difference. Thank you.
Rosie you make a great point that it is the quality not quantity of exercise that counts, and being responsive to what the body needs at any given time. Before I was introduced to Re-connect Exercise I would drag myself to a class and often push myself to get through it, half an eye on the clock all the time. No fun, so after a few weeks I’d find excuses to not go. Now I simply allow myself to work at my own pace and it is so enjoyable it is a pleasure to work-out. I too love the feeling of the blood circulating in my body, and find it energising.
It makes so much sense to do our work out in our own pace, without pushing ourselves, this way we are inline with our body which is so much enjoying these movements in constant presence.
I have found that exercise in many forms takes on a whole different meaning once I come from a place of connection to my body. The walk is felt in the feet, are the toes tense? The gentle flowing yoga stretch I have adapted feels absolutely delicious on my body and also strengthening. Also those 1/2 kilo weights I am powering through with gentleness and presence. Just love my exercise routine and Rosie, great to read of your exercise experience.
Yes, once we are used to this mode of exercising it is a lot more fun.
Rosie, great article on an everyday subject. There is much stress and push behind exercise yet when we move the body from a place of gentleness and connection our body loves it and we feel wonderful afterwards.
I used to be someone who would try every new exercise class mainly because I wanted to lose weight or get fitter, but there was always a push and drive which left me feeling like exercise was a punishment. Recently I have taken up stretching in the morning, walking in my lunch break and walking at night and I am starting to feel the benefit of moving my body and how this feels without the push. It makes sense to make it about quality and not quantity and not adhere to outside expectations.
This was my experience too Julie… Exercise for me always came with a drive in order to obtain a certain outcome, which in my instance was to lose weight. There were many classes I would dread but I pushed myself to do them anyway in the “no pain, no gain” theory. I lived in the guilt of skipping classes and thinking that if I did so, that the consequences would be immediate and I would suddenly put on weight etc. I too have now come to the realisation that it’s about the quality of the exercise and simply connecting back to my body. I note when I sometimes go back into push or drive that I am not actually feeling my body and what it truly needs, and so for me, this is always a great marker and something which is a great tool to bring me back to quality and more conscious presence.
Great article Rosie, thanks for sharing your story on exercise. I have had a similar experience in that the more I commit to my own self-care, exercise easily becomes part of my routine. This is not as a have to do, but as something that I want to do, because when I exercise in connection, it feels lovely and even powerful in my body. Exercising in connection is an opportunity for me to stop, connect and truly feel where my body is at. I love then choosing to exercise in a way that I feel will support my body on that day.
Yes, I get the powerful part Donna. The more I have committed to exercising and to connecting to me, the more powerful I feel. Its hard to describe, but I really notice it now if I don’t exercise and how easy it is to give my power away.
Yes, I agree Rosie, it surely does. I am finding the days when I exercise focussing on power or strength, this quality then naturally carries through into my day. Other days when I feel to be more tender and even precious with myself, I can feel these qualities. It’s quite amazing how the quality that we choose to move in is then magnified through our body and I feel this each time I exercise. Feeling this has made me take much more responsibility in what quality I choose to exercise in.
I can totally relate to having that mindset of exercise = tiredness, which has come from the experience of exercise being governed by pushing, driving, forcing the exercise to happen. Likewise I have experienced that exercise can actually boost my energy levels when not done from that drive or push but to just go out for a walk with myself. And what if people avoid exercise because of a past experience of that push to be better,stronger,faster from young? I certainly hated Gym class and exercise at school, standing out in the cold and rain sometimes, the competition, the failure associated with not being the strongest or fastest etc. A surefire way to twist a child’s self worth.
The key note I feel to this blog is the title – “a commitment to ourselves”. If we don’t hold ourselves in any regard and exercise is supportive for the body why would we then exercise if we don’t care for ourselves? I am finding that the more I connect to the real me, the more willing I am to support myself – that includes exercise, even if it’s just stretching my legs every morning before getting out of bed and going for a daily walk. Thank you Rosie for sharing the link between commitment to ourselves (as Serge Benhayon has presented- we are already being enough as we naturally are without trying, pushing or driving) and the commitment to supporting our bodies with movement.
When we commit to an exercise programme that puts the quality of the movement first then magical things can happen. That has certainly also been my experience, being fit for life is the key and using exercise to support us in our everyday living is so important. Great to read of you experiences Rosie, I am sure there are many who are where you have been and can benefit from reading your story, committing to building a solid base of fitness is a foundation for all that we do.
I agree Stephen G – From a recent conversation with you I have been inspired to make exercise an important part of my day again!
Focussing on the quality of the movement also completely changes exercise. When I am fully present with the move, I only need to do a few reputation as the move is actually “harder”. It’s east to race through say bicep curls and do lots. But when you slow down, focus and become present with the move, much less are needed.
Indeed Stephen, exercise does provide a solid base of foundation for all aspects of our lives. It has been my experiance that the quality of the movement has the capability of either providing an energising boost to our days or can do quite the opposite we can drain the energy that we have through exercising in ways that aren’t true for our bodies
I’ve found the same thing Oliver – I can exercise in a way that rejuvenates and boosts my body’s energy, but on the other hand there is a way of doing it that is quite harsh and tiring.
Stephen G you mentioned ‘ fit for life’ which means considering every aspect of our daily lives both internally and externally… It makes me wonder if I’m doing so much to support my body with the way I live how could I dismiss the physical body that is fundamental in supporting the whole. That makes no sense!
Very inspiring Rosie. As I feel your commitment to exercise I can feel my lack of commitment. Time to start feeling what is really needed every day…
Rosie’s article is inspiring me to look at exercise again. my work is quite physical.and I’m active outside work too, so didn’t think I needed to exercise, but Rosie has highlighted that the exercise of physically connecting with my body helps to strengthen the deeper connection too. Thanks Rosie.
Gorgeous Rosie. I love your line, “my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me”. In the past I’ve definitely done exercise as a way to lose weight, and funnily enough, no matter how much I do, it doesn’t work very well. Recently I pondered on this, and began paying attention to the way I move when walking or doing exercises rather than just repeating in my head, ‘LOSE WEIGHT’. It makes quite a difference, and I would say that during my week the number of days where I exercise for me rather than weight loss is rising. I too relate to what you shared about exercise being energising, and the circulation and movement making you feel much less tired.. It really is incredible what it can do.
Yes I get that Jessica. Instead of “loosing weight” or counting how many sit ups or whatever it is that I am doing, I use the time to just keep bringing my mind back to what I am doing, how does that feel in my body, am I tensing this part or any other part of my body. Is my body actually tired or am I avoiding feeling something by wanting to quickly move onto another exercise or is it time to just stop and be still. My mind can go astray at times, so I just keep bringing it back to the movement and feeling into how my body feels like moving next. Sometimes I will just lie on my matt and do almost nothing, but that too is an exercise for me… my exercise to be still!
That’s a great observation Rosie ” lying still can be an exercise to be still” that’s one I can relate to… But seriously after reading your blog and the comments, I’m asking myself why am I holding back from committing to feeling the way you all have described, why would I not want to commit to my physical body to deepen the connection that supports my expression and light. They say ‘just do it’ and maybe the advertising this time has some wisdom!
Yes, that is a good question to ask yourself Merrillee. I often attend an exercise class with Re-Connect exercise in Goonellabah and wonder why do not more people attend. I just think they haven’t realised what they are missing out on and how good it feels to have a strong physical body to carry you through life.
Susie, this is a hugely important point, the reason for our exercise. There is a great opportunity for us all to experiment with our own exercise being aware of our motivations for doing it and noticing the effect this has on how we look and feel. If we are driven by outcomes like losing weight or gaining more muscle it actually seems more difficult to achieve these things, whereas if we exercise as a commitment to our bodies and our health then the other desired outcomes often just flow naturally.
Allowing any old desired outcomes to come as a bonus rather than the goal is the way to go, with no expectations.
I can really relate to what you express here Rosie. I too have been someone who has related exercise to the gym and being focused on body weight or to create a desired body shape. But what you have written has really got me feeling that it might be time to revisit the way I perceive exercise. Choosing the quality in which I move my body rather than focusing on a set outcome feels much more honouring and true for me. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you Rosie, this has been my experience too of returning to exercise in this way. Exercising and feeling a connection with my body and how it feels in the movements is completely different from the crazy way I used to push myself many years ago in aerobics classes. I find then that this quality and presence with movement can stay with me as I move through the day. This is amazing as I have come to realise exercise is not anything to do with what we think its about – i.e. to look good, loose weight etc but instead is a way of supporting myself and body in life as it strengthens my relationship with me.
How amazing Rosie to make a decision to exercise with quality rather than quantity. Being healthy and being fit are two different things, being fit does not always equate to being healthy. It feels like you have brought both health and fitness into a beautifully balanced expression in your body as evidenced by the way your body has healed the nerve damage, a condition which can takes years to heal. Bravo, a phenomenal achievement.
I was like you, Rosie, in that I felt I did not need to exercise because of my work and I did not enjoy it. However, since learning to feel what is supportive for my body rather than doing exercise from a belief of what would be good for it and me my whole relationship with my body has changed. Instead of a fight to make my body do something it does not want to do, exercise is now something that is a fun part of my life.
“I have also noticed that even on days when I may be feeling a bit tired, the exercise actually energises me and helps me through the day instead of the old theory in my head that it will just make me more tired”. I have felt the same Rosie and find that exercising when I feel tired re-energises me, as long as I adjust my movements according to how I’m feeling at the time: maybe more gentle, slower or less repetitions. I’ve found that daily exercise with me is a great way to re-connect to the body.
‘It really didn’t take much time to exercise each day, and it wasn’t even about how much time I spent, but the quality of the time spent.’ I love how you wrote this. I put off doing exercise and what truly supports me simply because I convince myself that ‘it takes too long’ when in reality it doesn’t have to take a long time at all. Love your blog thank you Rosie
Hi Anna S, somedays I don’t have time, but I make time for 5 or 10 minutes of exercise… and you can be playful too and do a few exercises while waiting in a queue or waiting for the kettle to boil… or even doing some pelvic floor exercises while driving. It can be fun finding new ways to sneak in another exercise!
I love this comment Rosie – I rarely make time just for me and find it easier to attend a weekly exercise class, which I love, but you are inspiring me to be playful and to exercise daily in different places around the house – and even in my car.
I used to just rely on the class, and a class is a good start but really if I am honest, I have to make these choices to be with my body and to exercise with or without a class. It comes back to my commitment to me. Now I enjoy both ways but it took a while to build that consistency.
I agree Anna, I have done the same thing, but in reality I know I can still do something supportive in 10 or 15 minutes that I might have spent on my computer. I have recommitted to exercise recently, but missed doing it yesterday and it was amazing to feel the difference in my energy levels and hunger levels and just my day in general. The benefits are so worth just a few minutes of your day.
This is lovely Rosie, ‘The most important thing I have experienced is that the more I commit to taking care of myself, and ensuring that my exercise routine is about quality and not quantity, the less it has become about meeting an external expectation’, I have recently begun swimming and it is great to read your article because I was finding that I wasn’t at times enjoying swimming because I had an idea of what i should be doing, how many lengths etc.. but I feel inspired by what you have written about the importance of quality and not necessarily quantity.
Rosie, I have found the same pleasure in exercise. i used to hate it as I didn’t want to push and overstrain my body. I didn’t want the hardness that came with it. Now just like you I am loving the time I spend with myself, feeling my muscles work and my vascular system working. “I didn’t start exercising this way to get fit or to lose weight, and although there are certainly side benefits to my exercising, it hasn’t been my focus or my intention: rather my commitment to exercise has become like a meditation in movement, a way for me to spend time with me.” These words sum up my experience completely.
Rosie what you have shared is so true . When exercise is governed from the outside then it is a harsh task master, rewarded by endorphins, a sense of personal achievement and perhaps a body that looks good. When I exercise from a connection to self then what I get is a much deeper level of connection and a deep feeling of self care that then feeds me back for much longer than any endorphin rush lasts.
I have also come to realise the importance of a regular exercise regime, like you I used to think exercising was well over rated and that I got enough from the work I did. How fantastic to find out this isn’t so and take out a new lease on life through adopting a gentle but regular fitness routine. I can also really notice the difference if I let it slip.
Yes Kevin, I now exercise for just 20 minutes a day and am surprised by the great positive effect such a small amount of time has on my mood and energy levels during the day. When I miss a day I really notice the difference.
I can feel the love that is build in the connection with our bodies when we exercise the way you describe. You make it clear to me Rosie Bason what it shows us if we think that when we have a tired body that exercise will make us more tired. For me this shows me that I am disconnected from my body and that I am not able to feel the natural need for exercise my body craves for. It is the loving connection with my body that makes me able to feel the joy of having a body, while by living disconnected from it I can experience my body as a burden, a part of me that stops me from having a comfortable life in which I choose to not being responsible for the body I live in.
A powerful point you present Rosie, that its the quality in which we do these things that counts. What would our world look like if we expanded this approach to the rest of life? Its gorgeous to feel that the presence and quality you bring to your exercise in also in what you write. Cool how it flows on this way.
Totally true Joseph, every thing we do has a flow on effect, and the days that I don’t exercise, play out so differently.
Rosie this blog has been so supportive in breaking those old ideas about exercising. How much is too much or too little? Having attended a number of the Re Connect Exercise classes I have found my core strength and general stability has improved immensely. This has helped me move more freely in my work place that can be very physical at times. Making that commitment to me has been a worthwhile project and my body says thank you every day.
The concept of too much or too little exercise has really held me back! Especially feeling like if I don’t spend half an hour doing exercise then it is not a ‘proper’ session. When exercise is made simply about connecting with ourselves, we can never have too short a time with this! And we will know when it is time to stop, as we are connected to the signals our body is telling us. Simple, and beautiful ~ whoever thought exercise could be like this?
It is interesting how a PE class or a certain period in your life can taint how you see and feel about exercise.
And if you don’t go back to re-imprint or even re visit exercise you could miss out on how great it can feel in your body.
We can make exercise such a serious endeavour when in actual fact it can be a light hearted fun complement to our natural way of being. A great blog Rosie, the picture at the top says it all.
Absolutely Matthew. I have only ever really known exercise to be intense in an effort to get visible results. But if I am being honest, that’s all I used exercise for – to see results.
But now I understand more and more that it can be consistent, gentle and supportive.
I am beginning to re-establish my relationship with exercise and how it can be a loving part of how I live.
I agree too Matthew, exercise can be light and fun and I must admit that for me this is what ensures that I want to exercise. If it was pushy, serious or tough I used to find lots of excuses to not participate in it but the natural movement and flow of the body is a wonderful and supportive feeling to experience. Using Connective Tissue Therapy exercises with small, gentle, fluid movements has supported me to get to know this flow in my own body and then to bring that to my walking or weights and expands the beauty I feel.
I have realised how serious I had made exercise too – I always disliked PE at school and knew I was not the ‘sporty’ type, hence I rejected most exercise for a long time. Then I went to the other extreme and was very driven to exercise and ‘see results’. This did not last long either as I was quickly burnt out, and those results were not what I truly needed. Now, also with the support of Re-Connect Exercise I am enjoying re-imprinting my relationship with my body and exercise. Hard it certainly does not need to be!
Developing a regular commitment to exercise makes such a difference to how I feel. I find the longer I avoid exercise, the more I don’t feel like exercising. It is partly that I lose fitness and vitality but I am finding a large part of it is also the disappointment of having made other things a priority, rather than me. Whereas when I do commit to exercise regularly I get to feel how lovely it is to care for me first and build a sense of being worth every bit of that care.
That is a great point Fiona, I find it easy to exercise even for just 5-10 minutes when I make it as important in my daily routine as brushing my teeth or eating because in fact, it is.
It is an important part of my self care routine.
yes it has become a vital ingredient to my overall wellbeing feeling vital!
It is an important part of our rhythm because we and our bodies are absolutely worth taking care of, and the quality of how we are when we brush our teeth is no different to that in which we drive our car or undertake exercise – it is all connected to our whole wellbeing.
So true Fiona, I can relate to the feeling of being disappointed of not having exercised and making other things more important. I find too that it affects not just my fitness but also how much I put other things before me throughout the day.
Yes Ariana it makes such a difference to stick to what I set out to do too. Commitment is the key as there can be literally a thousand of excuses in my mind why it would be more loving for myself to not do that certain thing but in the end these excuses, if I choose to go with them, are never leaving me feeling more vital and myself. Instead I feel dull and less vital, it is a comfort thing. Being comfortable is becoming less attractive as I learn what it feels like to feel amazing.
Love that line Lieke!
“Being comfortable is becoming less attractive as I learn what it feels like to feel amazing.”
Why settle for comfort?
I just re read your comment Fiona, and what stood out for me is that “disappointment” of having made other things a priority, rather than myself…. that is so true, and to avoid feeling the disappointment, we put off exercise even longer.
Rosie this is an inspiring article to feel the joyful relationship you have with your body in movement and exercise. In the past I exercised in a way that was hard or disconnected, to not feel my body or to not feel anything in my life that was out of balance, stressful or upsetting me, I even trained people to do the same. When I discovered that my body is actually a marker or a messenger, sharing with me what it needs to feel supported, cared for, healthy and well I realised there was another way of exercising, to feel my body, not numb it. This was all inspired by Universal Medicine and Serge Benhayon and now the way I work and share exercise groups is completely different, all to connect with and feel our body, to exercise in a gentle and honouring way. Thanks for starting this conversation as we need to share this way with everyone! It’s not only more supportive for our body but it is so much more enjoyable to do and builds confidence and self worth!
Thanks for sharing this, Danielle. I too used to exercise in a hard and disconnected way. It is no wonder that I dreaded it and that it did not support me in any way. You have helped me to approach exercise in a different way, and to move from what my body is feeling it needs rather than any imposed ideas.
I often share with my friends how awesome exercising is, and some look at me as if I am mad, but really it’s just because the way I exercise and the way exercising has been done mostly is very different. I have you Danielle to thank for inspiring me and showing me another fun way.
Rosie your relationship with exercise is inspiring. What you shared about the nerve pain affecting your ability to walk and how you recovered from this is nothing short of a miracle. I can feel your joy in the way you write about this that you have truly healed from this condition. Thank you for sharing.
Well said Daniella, when I exercise in a way that isn’t pushing my body, but rather listening to my body and exercising from my body I feel so much more energised for the day, with so much more time and space, and there is so much that my body can reflect to how I have been living. Exercise truly can be a great marker of what is going on in our lives
That is so true Daniele, this joyful way of exercising is actually feeding us back confidence and self worth! Amazing!
I agree Danielle, the joy is palpably felt in Rosie’s writing and in her experience. Even throughout injury and trauma in her body there was already a foundation of awareness and connection and this has supported her ‘joyful relationship’ to simply expand.
What a wonderful approach to exercising. I love the commitment to exercising and the joy that is expressed in this post.
I have also found the re-connect exercise classes have presented to me a different way to of being with me while doing my exercises. It makes exercising a totally different experience to the way I used to exercise. Before the re-connect exercise classes it never occurred to me to listen to what my body felt like on that day. In the past it was all about pushing my body to what I should do to stay fit and flexible. Much more respect for my body and fun in the way I exercise now.
There is such a huge consciousness around exercise that it is all about how you look – got to have the right exercise gear (changes depending on where you are exercising); got to be doing the right exercise, or weights, or machine; got to have the right muscles, in the right proportions and size; got to be the right weight… Its no surprise that people either become addicted to the hype and image or dread the slog.
So Rosie when you write about exercise being about how you feel and what will support you it makes total sense. You bring the enjoyment back to exercise.
I absolutely agree with you Alison, ‘ when you write about exercise being about how you feel and what will support you it makes total sense. You bring the enjoyment back to exercise.’ I got addicted to the hype, at the gym to how many weights I should be lifting and how many lifts I should be doing and trying to build on this every time and with yoga to how many movements I should be doing and for how long, I did these for a while but found they were totally unsustainable, it felt like really hard work trying to keep them up, so it feels lovely reading about how you feel what to do and when and that it is the quality that it is important not the quantity, beautiful!
True Alison. To make my exercise about enjoyment, deepens my relationship with my body, even if it is a brisk walk. I can feel all of my body committed to that activity, the body working as one. The more I feel my body, the more connected I am to myself and my inner being as well.
I agree Alison, going to the gym can be a nightmare simply because of the pressure of looking right and choosing the right machines, using them right and making sure your running as fast if not faster than the person next to you etc. I used to hate exercising because it felt like a chore, not something I was doing because I wanted to. Now I have developed a routine where I feel like I have missed out when I don’t exercise, and I really enjoy the concentrated period of time just focused on me and the way I am moving. And it doesn’t have to be at the gym, just using the floor space in my room in the morning before school.
I think there are a lot of people who hurt themselves in trying to get a six pack or look a certain way, but they are not even aware that they are hurting themselves. I know I have done this, not because I was trying to self harm, but quite the opposite, I was so disconnected from my body that I just could not feel and I had no awareness so it never occurred to me that I was actually damaging muscle tissue or causing my body to go into an inflammatory process.
Yes indeed, and all this effort and damage to our muscle tissue to look good. What a false set up but that is the normal in most of the gyms. When I watch guys doing weights it looks very exhausting to their bodies and puffing up the muscles doesn’t look healthy at all. As you say Rosie the damage in the muscle tissue and the inflammation the body creates of this way of exercising is not worth the effort. Letting the body find its own style of exercise is more fun and feels great in the body.
I would say that’s the nail on the head Rosie, awareness, it’s the key to being in tune with our bodies or else how would we ever know what felt right and supportive for us and what does not.
When you say Rosie, that you had no awareness so your exercise was damaging your body, it is obvious to me that most people who exercise for image, achievement or the temporary high it gives, lack any awareness of what is happening in their bodies. Young teens are having weekly chiropractic sessions for strains and tears in their ligaments and joints and think noting of it. Such abuse is worn as a sign of dedication to the team and of self discipline. Disconnection indeed.
Good point Bernadette, and getting your back fixed by the chiropractor is just as normal as hurting your body in the first place. It would be great if at school, the children we taught that the first place is to stop and be aware of your body and treat it with care and not like a machine. Yes there are ways to fix it if needed, but not make that the way it is. And that hurting the body, does not make you a good sports person.
Yes, I really do enjoy exercise and the way my body feels when I take the time to exercise with me.
Yes Rosie I couldn’t agree more. I love going for a walk along the river where I work every morning before work. Sometimes its just 10 or 15 minutes but it really does make me feel very energised. I can really feel how I am with my body and that’s a lovely way to start my day.
Thank you Rosie, especially sweet in how you respect your body each day in the movements that you make during your exercise routine, enjoying this time with yourself and as a part of you monthly cycle.
I really like what you are saying here Rosie about exercise being a meditation of movement and an opportunity to really connect with our bodies first and foremost rather than exercising with a push to be a certain weight or shape or strength level which is so often done without any connection to the body performing the task.
When we exercise connected with our body, it can be an opportunity for us to really focus on coming back to our body and to give ourselves the gift of this time to simply be with ourselves. What I have found is that by focussing on the quality that I move in, if I have been busy or racy, the way I feel can completely change. Exercising in connection with the body is a totally different way of exercising that has so many benefits.
So agree Donna, both are worlds apart! Exercising from our heads just hurts.
I like that term also – meditation of movement!
I agree Marianna, meditation of movement steps away from the idea that meditation is some emptying of the mind process to be done in silence for hours at a time. The quality of attention and presence we bring to movement in exercise can be a meditative state.
Very true Stephen.
Absolutely Stephen, when we commit to being with our bodies in movement we are committing to ourselves and committing to life.
A lovely sharing Rosie, and I totally agree with your words here, “I have also noticed that even on days when I may be feeling a bit tired, the exercise actually energises me”, as I have found the same. The times that my head will tell me it doesn’t feel like exercising, once I start and connect to my body, I do feel re-energised. There is so much power in connecting to and moving with our naturally gorgeous bodies. Love it.
Good point Julie, its in those moments I can find myself saying one thing while my body quietly gets on with what it needs. It seems quite ridiculous but true. I too have found that the more I gently exercise the more energy I have.
And it is so enjoyable too, that keeps the inspiration up to exercise.
So true Rosie, I find regular exercise gives me so much more energy and I feel so much better overall. It also gives me the opportunity to really connect to the inner knowing my body has.
Yes Joe, what I have found also, is the more gentle I am, the more I am able to become aware of parts of my body that I did not even know existed.. or at least I knew from knowledge but had not felt them. Building these areas slowly, feels like my whole body is now working together, rather than just segments of my body moving.
Thank you Rosie. This was great to sit and reflect with – I am feeling very inspired by what you have shared. I have been feeling for a while that my body has been asking me to do ‘more’ to help it strengthen and be more active. The way you talk about it as your commitment to quality as opposed to quantity of time spent makes so much sense – as ‘time’ has been something I have used to not fully commit to exercising in a way that feels completely true to my body. Thank you so much for this inspiration Rosie – I have a feeling my body will thank you too!
Yes Amelia, I was inspired too by Rosie’s reference to the quality, not the quantity in relation to our exercise routines. It makes sense and I certainly feel the connection so much more when I am truly present with every movement. Time to revisit my exercise routine!
I agree Jane, exercise is a great time to spend time with yourself and I really enjoy moving my body with me. Finding out what moves my body likes to do that day and making it fun and playful is such a joyful way to exercise.
This makes so much sense Mary. Our bodies are our vehicle of expression so exercise is one way of appreciating how much our body supports us in every moment. It is truly miraculous!
I like that approach also – it changes how much I enjoy the exercise of exercising!
Yes, I agree Amelia, my body has also been asking for “more exercise”, as it makes me and my body feel alive, vital, strong and ready for the day. I feel it is important to daily assess the intention of exercising due to experiencing the fine line between choosing to exercise out of “needing to lose weight” and “exercising to strengthen the body and build with presence”. In other words, exercising out of self-loathing or self-loving choices. Definitely something to guinea pig the body with, to discover to what extent the body can handle, and to build and keep this commitment. Thank you Rosie, this is definitely something to focus and make the time for.
Great blog, thank you Rosie – “Now when I wake up in the morning, instead of lying in bed, I feel an impulse to get up and exercise, to move my body and feel how good it feels to be with my body, to be with me.” – I am inspired, I can feel how beneficial this will be.
Love it Natalie! I am also inspired to exercise in the mornings to simply connect with my body and how I am feeling. A totally new way to exercise from the intense, sweaty, disconnected and painful way I used to push my body in the past
I recently committed to exercise regularly for this very purpose, that is to be with my body and to feel my body with me. I don’t think we tend to fully realise the power of such a relationship with our bodies but it is a very important relationship to have.
Wow how inspiring to read Rosie, thank you for sharing this reminder of the beauty of exercise and how it feels in your body .The benefits of regular exercise done with your own body and how it feels each day lovingly gently and with presence and grace. I can really feel these benefits and my body liking it from reading this.Very confirmative and lightening to read and I have also found the benefit of regular exercise in this gentle way .
The benefits of exercise are very well documented, but not as documented to exercise in a loving way, listening to your body. I know that it has taken me some time to really change the way i exercised, now i do listen and exercise regularly in a very confirming way.
I seem to keep coming across articles and blogs connecting exercise with true commitment…:) I can learn something here; Like you, I feel like I have used and confused having a healthy body weight for not needing to exercise. I feel inspired to change that belief and make a solid commitment to caring deeply for my body, after all, I don’t go anywhere without it!
I have fallen for this one over the years Suzanne, of having a healthy body weight and because my weight never fluctuated other than being pregnant, I perceived I was fit and healthy. As I’ve gotten older though, my past choices of running and pushing my body and not exercising, have really started to show and I’m feeling how weak my body is. I also feel inspired to change this around.
Thank you Suzanne and Aimee, I have fallen for this one too! Because I have remained slim and healthy and get by with just doing a little walking I have also been a little lazy when committing to exercise. All it takes is a few minutes each day and you have inspired me to get off my butt and start, and the added bonus to making this commitment to me, is with a little bit of exercise, especially if you make it fun, can lighten your mood as well, so well worth the effort.
Same here. I have always been slim with a body which looks like I exercise, while I don’t. So I haven’t paid much attention to work out/exercise. As I am getting older, deep in my forties now, I can feel my body needs more attention in this area ánd it is time to throw out the belief I don’t need it because of my weight and healthy body. I just followed a class with apparantly light exercises. But when I was doing them for a solid hour, I could feel my body was not ‘in shape’ and it was loving the exercises and the movements. Time for me get myself into exercising and indeed into a commitment.
Great to read everyone’s expression here as it has reflected the belief I too have held as someone who is slim. I never aspired to being ‘gym fit’ in the sense that so many do, but I do see more and more how important committing to exercise and our body actually supports us in our day and life. I feel inspired to begin a new relationship with my body and as Rosie shares connect with myself more through quality exercise. Thank you all for what you have shared it has definitely got me wanting to explore this connection to self more.
I now have a healthy bodyweight but have found that half an hour walk plus a small amount of exercises is all that I need. I was really surprised how little I needed once there were no emotions to get out of my body.
Yes me too Suzanne. I have always ‘done exercise’ for weight loss but now that my weight is stable and in a healthy range, part of me has gone ‘well that’s covered now’ and as you and Rosie say, it is not strengthening my body or making it fit. Thanks for the reminder and inspiration.
I have done the same Suzanne, Sarah and others, because I am slim and not overweight I don’t really exercise, but when I do I feel amazing, I feel much more vital and notice how I feel more lighthearted and focussed. What you have written shows me that exercise isn’t just for people who are overweight, it is for everyone and is very supportive as part of a daily/weekly rhythm, this makes me ponder on how much I exercise (not very much), thank you.
Yes Rebecca, exercise is really about appreciating and supporting the vehicle through which we express our quality and self responsibility. Our body supports us every nanosecond with it’s involuntary functions and we are in a committed partnership with our body when we too care for it to maintain this quality of expression.
Wise words Bernadette, I like the way you say that we are in a committed partnership with our body. It is the way we live this commitment every day, that makes a huge difference to the quality we live our lives. Proof for this is the huge amount of vitality and joy- consistently.
Beautifully said Bernadette – I can feel the depth of wisdom in your expression and love where you say: “…committed partnership with our body when we too care for it to maintain this quality of expression.” This resonates deeply with me too as I am developing this partnership more and more.
Like wise what a great story
Yes Suzanne we don’t go anywhere without our bodies and it is our vehicle for life. Why not look after it lovingly so, as it helps us travel on our journey through life. Thank you.