I have lately observed that there are certain times when my exercise rhythm is off or non-existent, and when I get so caught up in the ‘busyness’ of my day and the many things that I feel I’m responsible for or that need completing (ie. work, family etc.), that my exercise routine seems to be one of the first things that gets neglected.
I noticed that the busier I was, the more I was neglecting my exercise rhythm and routine… and the longer the gaps were between exercising. To add to this, I was also feeling more tired – which seemed to exacerbate the desire to even do any exercise in the first place, even if I did have time!
I was recently offered the opportunity to join a 4 week online exercise program offered by Danielle Pirera (Re-Connect Exercise), and even though I’ve enjoyed attending these classes in the past, my first response was “I haven’t got time!” There was no pressure to commit either way, however I was presented with the possibility that the exercise classes would actually be an opportunity to support me with everything else I was doing. I could feel that deep down this was absolutely true and that neglecting my exercise rhythm was neither feeling right nor supporting me in my day, so it became an easy choice to join the online program and make a specific commitment to completing one 45 min exercise group class each week.
What I have found most supportive is that the exercise program is presented in a way that encourages connection with my body – feeling how I want to exercise on each particular day – which I’ve found varies from week to week.
The exercise program has not been about doing the exercises a certain way, at a certain pace or level of intensity or how many reps or even doing the exercise the same way as Danielle, the presenter. In fact I’ve felt encouraged to simply feel my body moving, and to feel what’s right in every exercise. Led by example, the focus has not been on the technique of the exercise, but simply staying connected to my body and the quality of the movements.
In this, I’m learning more and more that exercise is not about what I do or how many or for how long, but ‘how’ I do it. And the other thing I’m learning is to not make my exercise routine so serious (!) …. to keep it light and playful.
With each exercise group I’ve felt how important it is to do what feels right for me in that particular session. By being encouraged to focus on this and committing to the exercise group every week, I’ve also found that my exercise rhythm outside of the classes is much more accessible and realistic. For example, if I had felt pressured or an expectation that I had to do ½ hour’s exercise every day, I would probably consider skipping exercise altogether! However for me, committing to 10-15 minutes, 2 times a week is something that is manageable and a great place for me to start.
This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.
I have found these exercise groups provide a true inspiration of a connected way of exercising, supported by the fact that they are taught by example. For example, it’s not uncommon for Danielle to express that her body feels a bit stiff and sore on that particular day and that she is going to move a little slower or not stretch so high, while at the same time providing support and suggestions for others to move faster or make their movements larger if that’s what they feel in their body.
In moments like these, I am being offered the opportunity and inspiration to honour my own body in exactly the same way, whether it’s to take the exercise more gently or increase to an intensity I feel is right for me. Exercising this way is a totally different way of exercising than I have ever experienced before. To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.
I am still establishing the depth of the connection with my body, but am now starting to feel more of a quality and presence in my exercise routine and exercise rhythm.
With each exercise class I am learning how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result.
As I commit to my exercise rhythm I am experiencing more and more how this supports me in all of the other things I need to do in a day. I have more energy and am feeling less tired, supported by my exercise routine that is teaching me to connect to my body and be more present with Me.
By Angela Perin, aged 48, Brisbane
Regular gentle exercise has been amazing for my energy levels and the enjoyment I feel in work. Because I am not drained by my work I am more consistently content in my work. A wonderful feeling and great reflection for others.
Some massive big changes have happened in my life recently and I know I have kept steady, strong and lighthearted because I have certain foundations in place – one of them is exercise.
“What I have found most supportive is that the exercise program is presented in a way that encourages connection with my body – feeling how I want to exercise on each particular day – which I’ve found varies from week to week.” So supportive to reread your blog Angela, as my exercise routine has faded whilst I’ve been travelling for a while.
The amount of clarity, focus, energy and purpose i feel from exercising is soo worth it.
My body is loving exercise, I can feel how so very supportive it is for me.
After committing for sometime to a short exercise program I feel ready to take it to the next step – always upping my game – not pushing too hard.
I’m finding that when I exercise before I start my working day I feel even more ready to deal with the day ahead, more energised, more awake and more positive.
I joined the gym last year and would be a regular visitor. Then I got busy and noticed my attendance, energy and willingness to return falter. I’ve started going again and it feels amazing to do so. For me now it’s about appreciating how it feels when I do do it to keep the consistency.
Absolutely Angela, when working out with a focus on our connection makes the rest of life more vital and allows a focus to come in to stay in the connection that we have developed during our exercises.
An exercise class that focuses on the quality of the movement is an inspiration to be aware of the quality of every movement.
Committing to an exercise regular basis, supports me to be more present and commited to life. My body feels its activation and responds generously with more flexibility, joy and willingness in the development of my daily activities. As I’m more connected to my body, I can notice clearer about its limits and being more caring with it. It’s really nurturing to have a loving exercise routine..
Honouring what we feel in our bodies and ditching the pictures about how exercise should look is revealing and very freeing. It supports me to be more committed to exercise for me but I am still shocked about how my commitment can waver when I allow myself to get taken over with thinking that other things are more important despite knowing that exercise supports me in everything else that I am doing in my day.
Building a regular exercise rhythm is such a simple and practical thing that supports us in so many areas: better connection with our body = better connection to ourselves, what and how we feel, and better able to deal with, accept and embrace everything in life that comes towards us.
Whats been amazing to note is that ‘regular’ does not determine the length or intensity of the exercise. From experience regular gentle exercise is more supportive than regular crushing exercise.
The thing I love about exercise is it really helps me focus, I’ve been experimenting a lot recently with it and tend to exercise just before bed (it’s the only free time), even when I’m tired it refocuses and re-energises me ready for the next day. Plus I love the feeling of my body building and becoming stronger.
Having recently re-committed to the gym, I’m already feeling the benefits – more connected to my body, more ‘in’ and ‘with’ my body instead of off in my head day-dreaming. This has led to feeling more present with myself and others – more open and confident, and more aware of how I’m feeling, moment to moment. I find myself better able to make decisions because I can feel more acutely the exactness of what to do and when/how to do it, instead of relying on the pre-programmed ‘should dos’.
This Is lovely to read Bryony, and I am sure is connected to how you are when you exercise, being connected with your body, honouring yourself, and the quality with which you exercise in.
Yes, it is the commitment and connection to self that is important, along with feeling and honouring our body all the time, ‘In fact I’ve felt encouraged to simply feel my body moving, and to feel what’s right in every exercise. Led by example, the focus has not been on the technique of the exercise, but simply staying connected to my body and the quality of the movements.’
Rhythm is everything, and when we feel the rhythm in our movements and when we do our movements, our lifestyles flow in a different way
Excercise and self care are the quickest things to drop when I get busy- the thoughts of ‘I don’t have time for this!’ flood in as I work harder and faster to keep up. But what’s been shown to me lately, repeatedly by my own body, is that this disregarding way of working is impossible to sustain. I get tired and cranky and end up doing less work than before because I’m reacting so much to how terrible I feel! So basic self care has to still be part of my day, moment to moment, not defined by any picture of what this looks like but simply feeling what’s needed at any moment, and listening to that.
I love coming back to this blog as it offers us a very real reminder that; without the vitality and well-being of our body and a loving connection to our body, it is not possible to be part of life with the fullness of who we are as such to be able to bring our all with quality presence to all we do.
it is so different when we listen to our body, and then respond, and then exercise rather than to feel the effects of just going with what we think we should do.
Yes when we allow the body to lead the way then we let go of having a goal that we have to achieve.
It really is extraordinary how we can neglect that which we know supports us so deeply
It is interesting the resistance we can feel to things that truly support us. When we are going for something that is comfort seeking nothing will get in our way, yet when we go for that which nurtures or builds us there can at times be many reasons that limit us from going there.
” however I was presented with the possibility that the exercise classes would actually be an opportunity to support me with everything else I was doing. ”
I have fond this to be true that excise is required by the body to maintain gentleness , suppleness and harmonious flow in the body which supports everyday activity.
Keeping my exercise light and playful has certainly supported me in all sorts of ways, and certainly makes the prospect of it less daunting and more inspirational.
This morning I was feeling how tight and ‘wound up’ my body was and so I started to do some stretches and it provided an amazing way to feel more energy and release blockages and areas of stagnation in my body.
You refer to Danielle as a presenter and not an instructor and this says it all to me as it removes the imposition of being told what to do and places the responsibility with the one receiving the presentation.
What a gorgeous difference to connect to the body during exercise. I have always been taught to focus on something else and push through the session. It was about how long and hard we exercised not how our bodies felt. What a joy to explore how this can feel in a loving way that does not push our bodies but actually supports them.
This is a great point HM, for it’s true that we generally are taught to be focused on the outcome when we exercise – the body we ‘want’ to have or look like. With this we totally negate our connection our body and the joy it is to feel the delicious sexiness when we move with this connection.
I know that when I exercise with my body it loves the movement. However I still let the routine drop off the planet if I neglect myself in either areas of life. For example I become tired from not expressing how I feel at work, hit the snooze button, no time to exercise as I rush to get ready for work. It makes it harder the next morning to recommit. Even if I did do 10-15 minutes twice a week rather than expecting and pushing myself to do it every day I know my body would love to move.
So great to read this again and be reminded of how supportive it is to our whole day the simple movement and honouring of our bodies.
Exercise I have made a simple routine for me also – it sets a foundation to work from. When I find I’m busy I commit to 2 x sessions of 15mins (same as Angela as suggested). It’s very attainable. Starting from this simple rhythm and how it supports my connection to my body keeps me committed. As Angela confirms – “This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.”
I recently did a stretching exercise class where the instructor supported me to let go of the tensions in my body and really open up, it was amazing to feel how much taller and expanded I felt after the class, I didn’t come out exhausted but more connected and more open in my body, it was amazing.
It does make sense that on different days we need different things. Its like each day we may need different food, this is no different. The way we exercise can be determined by how we feel in that moment. Some days I like to go for a fast walk, other days I need a slower walk.
Connecting to my body and feeling what would support it at that time takes responsibility to a whole new level whilst being so much more fun as I focus on the quality and not the quantity and enjoy exploring my relationship with my body and exercise.
Thank you for the pertinent reminder that it is always about the quality that we are exercising in. I have committed to doing certain exercises every day to support myself at home and at work and have been shocked at how hard I have found it to stop and do them at work which is really exposing how often I put other things before my own well being to the detriment of all.
Connecting with ourselves, knowing how we feel knowing our bodies.. all essential steps to truly knowing ourselves
When I stop doing exercises, which I did, I feel so much weaker as if I am not capable any longer to do my job and all other things in life. In a way I say to myself I cannot cope with the world, I quit. The moment I make a new commitment to support my body in exercising in a rhythm, I feel more connected and less tired. I am rebuilding this rhythm at the moment and that’s truly something to appreciate and to feel the differences not only in my body but in life in general
What stands out is that no matter our current relationship with exercise it can certainly be deepend, expanded upon and done in a way that supports our body from a deep caring and not only a need to get fit or bulk up or loose weight.
I’ve recently started exercising again regularly and I’m quite surprised I found it unnecessary to exercise for so long previous to that! I love that every week I’m feeling stronger in my body and more and more committed to my life and to my work, and I know I’m preparing my body to be able to do everything it needs to – it’s a great feeling.
When it comes to exercise, we can easily either under or over do it – listening to our body helps bring it into balance.
I love how exercise is a continually new experience, and that understanding the purpose of exercise has changed for me over time. Even yesterday I could feel the benefit in just gently getting oxygen flowing through my system and how this lightened and opened up my muscles and connective tissue. Incredible to break down my old beliefs where I used to push myself to achieve faster, stronger fitter. I now recognise the importance of exercise at the level I feel everyday.
Thank you Angela, for re-defining how exercise can support us and our connection to our bodies, and how choosing to exercise with this intention is actually foundational for establishing our self-caring and self-loving rhythm.
Our bodies love to move and when we stop, feel and connect to our every movement we begin to see how we have our own natural flow and rhythm that feels supportive for us. I too enjoy making the space to have an exercise program that not only is adaptable to how I feel but also truly supportive for my life and how I live it.
It really is a different feeling when we let go of any and all driven-ness in our exercise, and just let ourselves be present as we work out.
It’s become startlingly clear to me that regular exercise is a non-negotiable part of my life. For a year or so I was incredibly consistent, 3 days a week – my health and strength improved out of sight, and then as things got ‘intense’ I let the exercise go, planning to pick it up again when things got ‘slow’. Guess what? That time never came, there was no relaxed rainy day and I just found my strength and vitality draining away. Then it starts to seem it’s ‘too hard’ to resume what you were doing before – but as you show Angela it’s simply not true. There’s always an opportunity to return to Loving your body and you.
I know how important 10 minutes of exercise is a day and the development of what your body needs to support its activity for the day, I always walk first thing in the morning but plateaued on that before starting exercising about 2 years ago, and I am yet to commit to consistently doing exercise which is just very interesting to note. What I have noticed is that for me it seems to be about becoming comfortable and at ease with feeling very strong and powerful, it is this that stops me from unequivocally committing to exercise of just 10mins a day. I see it, I can name it now it is time to renounce it!
Realising that it is movement and a way to move my body rather than a ‘to do’ exercise changes how I feel while I move.
What a relief it actually is, to be presented with a way of exercising that is about you and your relationship with your own body first and foremost – not about ‘handing your body over’ to be the slave of endless ‘more’, ‘not enough’, ‘push harder’, ‘and then yet harder’…
We as a society have created exercise to be a self-abusive paradigm – that as you’ve shared here Angela, will OF COURSE put many, many people off going anywhere near it. Thus robbing us of the great benefits and needed deep care for our bodies and wellbeing that exercise can indeed bring to us, when founded in a way that is as honouring as you describe.
Great work here by Danielle Pirera in forging this way forward for us all.
A great blog for me to read today as some how along the way I have forgotten to exercise, I attended Danielle’s classes sometime ago and really loved the freedom to explore my body and how it felt with no pushing or goal reaching whatsoever, so here I go back to my exercise routine, I know I will love it.
Great article- I’m off for a walk
For 10 years now I have been doing Daniels exercises every day… They have become a part of me… I had become a part of me and I am incredibly grateful… I have no idea if I would even be able to walk now if it was not for this ongoing reconnection with myself
Connection is a completely different way to look at exercise. No other exercise class or gym instructor or personal trainer I’ve had has ever made it about connection to the body. It’s always been about pushing the body to make it be what you want it to be. And, what that want is, is usually a picture or image about what health and fitness should look like. But is that really the goal for the body?
I have been finding that more that I commit to exercise, and gentle exercise, the more I deepen my relationship with my body, I have a deeper whole body intelligence. I do not force it, push it, but invite it and work with it and this brings a deeper relationship that supports the whole of my life.
Ah Angela I can absolutely relate. It’s a vicious cycle we can get into, we stop what supports us in life and then feel worse, and so like quicksand it can feel like the only way forward is to give up more. If we see our exercise as just a check-in to have fun, to experiment with our body, it takes away the ideas that you need to ‘get somewhere’. This leaves us free to play and have fun and enjoy moving, stretching, pulling and lifting. I’m off to the gym right now so what a great blog to read. Thank you.
I am realising too that it is the quality that I bring to everything I do that counts.
understanding and experiencing the importance of rhythm and ritual in our lives is deeply healing and can profoundly change and enhance our lives
Great to read this today as my exercise programme has fallen away and I am also more tired these days. You have reminded me that gentle exercise can be very nurturing to the body and actually revitalise it. Well worth bringing back especially at christmas where there is a huge consciousness of over indulgence and checking out.
Angela I totally agree, it never worked for me trying to be too dictatorial about setting aside time for training, because for me if that time past and I didn’t manage to make the exact time I thought I would, by trying to fit it in later it become a half-hearted effort. I totally get what you mean by connecting to your body, as it’s not about how much you do, it is about how your body feels.
“In this, I’m learning more and more that exercise is not about what I do or how many or for how long, but ‘how’ I do it” This is huge Angela and completely turns everything we know about exercise on its head.
“I noticed that the busier I was, the more I was neglecting my exercise rhythm and routine…” This is the same for me. Time to resurrect my daily playful exercising….. And stop using busy-ness as an excuse.
Very cool Angela. I’ve recently bought a yearly swim pass at my local pool. There were a few options to go with, either pay per visit (which I felt was way too expensive), get a membership that made financial sense if I went a min of 3 times a week, or buy a 60 pass card, which meant each visit was at quite a reduced rate, and there were 18 months with which I had to use it up in. This last option was definitely the best one for me. In the past I would have gone for the membership and then pushed myself to go a minimum of 3 times a week and then aim for 4 to get my money’s worth – ultimately setting myself up to fail due to the pressure I would have put on myself.
It’s so awesome to get to know yourself and realise that all this pressure we create is our own doing. I feel so much more relaxed about going for a swim now and not making it about something I ‘have’ to do, but rather something that will support me in my day and week.
Whatever exercise we partake in, walking, stretching, or regular exercise the key I am finding is to stay connected to our body and honour what it is lovingly communicating with us all the time. If one day I walk a bit too far, or for too long my body takes a few days to recover from this, while this may seem extreme for many, it is where my body is at and important that I honour this.
There is no doubt that my body appreciates the commitment I bring with a walk each morning, it sets the day as I see so many loving confirmations along the way. Now I also know my body would like to do some weight bearing exercise, but for some reason going to the gym is an obsticle I have put before me, when in truth I could do the 10min twice a week easily. It appears I am avoiding more than the gym which is a game I have used for a long time, as I know the joy I feel in connecting and committing to my body.
My exercise routine has recently slipped for the same reason you describe Angela. I have got caught up in the busyness of my working day and feel there is no time to squeeze in exercise. The fact is I know it supports my body in so many ways and that I actually feel more vital when I make it a part of my routine. I’m not waiting to go to the gym. You have inspired me to do some exercise right here at home this morning.
As a ‘structured exercise’ avoider, whilst knowing how much my body longed for it, I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed Danielles program. This was because of the space she allows for you to establish a deep connection with your body first and from there, an awareness of your body and therefore the freedom to take the exercise in whichever way you feel is right for you at the time. It is never regimented and often very playful which is why I enjoy it.
Danielle Pirera introduced to me a series of exercises that have been the foundation of my morning ritual for many years now… These exercises set me up for the day and I’m deeply grateful that she continues to offer this awareness of reconnecting with the body to the world.
Love this Angela,
I have recently had a baby and felt to stop exercising a month before I had her. She is now 3 months old and my body is itching to exercise once more. So i have been doing gentle exercise each morning and it feels great especially when needing to handle a baby all day. I’ve loved just doing exercise from listening to my body rather than forcing myself to do so.
Thank you Angela for inspiring and prompting me to recommit to a gentle and regular exercise rhythm.
I can absolutely relate to pushing exercising aside when the diary overflows and yet cannot deny the repercussions of such an unloving choice. It is indeed deeply supportive to make the time as part of a consistent rhythm, especially when life gets busy.
You’ve reminded me how much pressure I put on myself when it comes to exercise. Never do I consider that perhaps starting out with 10 mins twice a week could be the beginning of a foundation that I can then build from. I have this idea that exercise means a minimum of 30 mins and a standard time of 60 minutes. No wonder I fail at my own game, because I’m setting a target, some sort of end goal, which then ultimately leads to failure. Perhaps it’s not about an end goal. Perhaps it’s about ongoing support for my body that will never ever end and therefore the pressure to do things a certain way is actually not realistic and or necessary.
Oh dear Angela! The first 2 paragraphs describes EXACTLY how my inconsistency with exercise develops everytime. It’s amazing how one thing leads to another.
Often the hardest thing about exercising is getting started, I find once I commit to it that it tends to flow quite nicely, and having a structure is also important for me as it allows me to follow on from one exercise to the next. I can feel to keep developing the power of exercising is to be constantly building that awareness of how the body is in every movement. And as Angela shares not needing to be doing more of going faster or bigger, but accepting that each day my body may feel differently and need a slightly different approach.
Connection and commitment, and exercise whilst honouring our bodies are wonderful foundations upon which to build our lives.
I am building a consistent exercise program into my rhythm everyday, some days I only have 10 mins or so to exercise or stretch but I have noticed how this commitment supports my body and energy levels.
I only have a few words to say here, first SIGN ME UP and second thank you for taking the time out of your day to share such a detailed account of what this program offers. I feel so inspired to get back on the exercise train, which I always feel to busy to ride.
‘This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.’ Time – that really traps me. But the thought of committing to 10-15 minutes just a couple of times a week seems so amazingly simple and so easy to build from once I feel it’s time. Rather than being trapped into believing I need to spend 45minutes per day – then I just get overwhelmed and dissapointed when I don’t achieve that goal.
I haven’t even finished reading the article yet because this line is summing up my experience, repeated experience ‘…and the longer the gaps were between exercising. To add to this, I was also feeling more tired – which seemed to exacerbate the desire to even do any exercise in the first place,…’
I have had the same story, it’s just an endless cycle of off again on again.
There has been an obvious lack of commitment to me as I offer all my energy to things happening outside of me, such as work, which as a result often means that I am also being inconsistant at work, because when I lack exercise, I like energy and so up down like a yoyo I go.
Some great exercising tips here that anyone can follow – stay connected to your body and focus on the how of what you’re doing. In other words, the quality of the movement, not the body as machine or automaton, but holding it in respect and exercising with it in partnership.
Danielle doesn’t just tune into your body and help you reconfigure, she tunes into the deeper levels of you that YOU didn’t even know about, helping you to unravel old paradigms of self image and self worth that are there to sabotage all our attempts at reconnecting to our bodies.
Awesome blog Angela. I was drawn to reading this because I have been feeling to exercise more but finding it difficult to commit to regular exercise. This I realise is because I am making this into a bigger deal than it is, similar to you I tend to go into thinking I don’t have the time but by me thinking too much about it I have already wasted so much time. It feels so lovely to exercise when I feel to instead of thinking I should. You’ve inspired me to take a different approach to exercise, thank you Angela.
Angela thank you for the inspiration on exercising , it means different things to different people. For myself gentle stretches and walking most mornings help me with my day! Exercise can be done at anytime of the day by just taking a few minutes to stretch our legs and arm , shoulders and neck.
The body loves movement even though there are times when the need is to go slowly. Everything feel so open and full once I have warmed up with some gentle exercise. Thanks Angela for the gentle nudge to commit my body to quality rather than quantity.
What you share about exercise Angela can easily apply to so much else. It is fascinating to me that there are these things in life we know harm us, but we consistently and regularly do, and there are those things we know help us, which we let go of and drop at the merest upset. It is taken me a while to understand how these approaches play out in my life and hold my hand in both scenarios to stay with what I know is true. Thanks for the inspiration today to keep exercising my choice to connect. This is where I find true strength.
I love your sharing Angela of making exercise light and playful.
I have always approached exercise with a goal, wanting to get to an end result of a smaller bottom, stomach muscles or lean arms, and I would take that goal into each class and use it to drive me through.
I did not see exercise as a regular support but a chore to meet my expectations of how society wanted me to look.
I didn’t want to see how draining this was on my body. Everything was measured and controlled, when in fact this is the last thing my body responds too. I am recently pregnant and mixing up my exercise each day based on how I feel not what boxes I have to tick, and it has changed my relationship with exercise dramatically. Even though I am not controlling or pushing my body, I’ve noticed my body is actually relaxing and opening up. That I am not as tense and that I let go of the idea that if i didn’t push myself then I would somehow get very fat. None of this is true and my body actually responds better to exercise that is felt from the body not the head. Makes sense I know, but for so many years my head tried to block that relationship that has always been there, waiting to blossom.
Reconnection with ourselves in any form is always extremely beneficial, and building a relationship with our body a rhythm of daily gentle exercise is something that nurture us for the rest of our lives.
Thanks Angela for the reminder to take notice of my body and the messages it is sending me each and every time I am exercising. As I exercise these days I have been making a strong commitment to staying as present as possible with my body and to feel what each movement does – is it pulling and straining or does it feel like there is a flow with the way my body naturally wants to move. I find it hard to keep focused as I am used to my mind wanting to run off with a million other unrelated thoughts but it is becoming more consistent over time.
“This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” This line is true for me too Angela, as I recently started an exercise program for myself and that is exactly true for me. I am finding that I am listening to my body more and how it feels, rather than just wanting to do repetitions to get it done. The quality that I am in even for just one exercise far outweighs doing the whole series with no presence or true feel of my body.
“This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” This has been a real revelation for me in terms of how I approach exercise. Committing to anything provides a truly beautiful foundation for life and that is wonderful to feel. Thank you Angela.
Angela I love how you shared that ” it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” This has been the focus on my exercise routine. Making it part of my foundation just like, resting, sleeping and eating is what allows me time to spend quality time with me. Your blog has shown that there is another way to approach exercise that is not driven by looking a certain way or weight loss.
Well said Sue and when anything is made simple it is far more do-able and as a consequence the quality of all we do naturally goes up.
I have also found that nothing supports me more than a regular exercise routine, for me it has nothing to do with number of reps it is all about building a connection with my body and that means quality of movement and posture as I move, the support this gives me throughout the day is tremendous. Thank you Angela.
I agree Angela, for me the first thing that goes is exercise as well when I get very busy. For a long time this was fine but a couple of days ago I felt impulsed to start exercising again. It feels amazing and it is totally different again from how I exercised a month ago, it is way more playful and I fully enjoy it – making it playful and finding moves my body likes to is the reason for all this joy. Another reason for the joy is that I am feeling so much more at ease with myself and I find exercise really reflects the way I have been with myself.
Well well beautiful said and brought from your own experience. You brought to the table: that exercise is fun, that it is no drag or serious business, that our body knows what it needs and can and can not do, that it is not about ‘ticking boxes’, that it is not about a result etc etc. This is real tangible stuff, not only does it makes sense when you shared these factors, but actually it made me feel more able to breathe and give myself ‘space’ to feel what exercise actually means to me, and how I have been playing it down. Or actually how I have been playing down that my own body needs to exercise! Thank you Danielle.
I’m still breaking through the wall in my mind that exercises are there to shape the body. There’s a deep resistance against this consciousness – knowing in fact how good I feel when having taken myself the space to let my body exercise. I have had many accidents and that had caused a lot of pain doing any form of sport. The beauty of the movement coming from the inside – just to strengthen and stretch where and what’s needed: that’s true movement for my body. And my work is to simply keep claiming this strength. That’s the part that needs the workout 🙂
committing to any sort of supported rhythm in our lives is essential for building a foundation of reconnection with who we truly are… It is so easy to drive and push our bodies… Imagine if we put the way our body was feeling first and worked around this, and built up rhythms and exercises accordingly
I havent been to the gym in a while so your blog is a good reminder of the importance of regular exercise and I like you Angela have thouroughly enjoyed Danielles exercise classes
Thank you Angela, I really enjoyed reading your blog, and I am inspired to take up exercise once again, I have loved Danielle’s classes, and how she is so intone with what her body needs at any time. I love this line.
“This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount”
Yes Angela its like we have our relationship with exercise upside down. I can completely relate to this cycle of feeling ‘too tired’ for exercise, yet when I exercise gently there’s a feeling that comes of being vital and alive. What if, what we do in our exercise classes is not the key but the choice to offer ourselves this connection to our body and how we are feeling is the main thing? Living this way exercises our power to make all of life’s events a healing session.
Honouring how we feel is an essential building block or foundation of self love, and it is upon this that we can evolve, or come to realize who we truly are, and what we are meant to be doing in this world.
Just the perfect moment to read this blog. I have been really busy last two weeks and the first thing that I skipped was going to the gym. Yesterday I could really feel in my body how much I missed this and I also felt a bit slobby. So I committed again and went to the gym. It felt wonderful. I have committed myself for the next two weeks to go regularty to the gym, even if it is for 20 minutes. Like you say, it is not in the amount of time, but in the quality.
Thank you Angela for sharing your experience, you have reminded me, of how lovely it is to exercise in a way that honours where my body is at, on any given day. I have done Danielle’s classes and found them amazing. Your blog has prompted me to again start exercising and really enjoy being with my body that this way of exercising brings.
It is so true that as soon as the rhythm or order in one’s day gets messed up, exercise can be the first thing to be let go of. The drive to get something done means disconnecting from one’s body and therefore its needs are not acknowledged or attended to. The natural urge to exercise regularly gets covered over. Over exercising can also cover over this natural urge, which is always to be gentle in exercise as a way to care for the body. I have found the way back is not to try to force exercise back into place in my life, but to use the fact that I am not doing it regularly as a signal that I have disconnected and chosen to not feel what is going on for me for some reason. So it is a time to re-connect, check in and acknowledge what is going on – seek help to feel it if not clear for myself, at which time Universal medicine healing sessions have been so supportive. The point is, the natural urge that has been buried, needs to be re-established so when I do go back to exercise, it is from that urge and not from my head.
To move simply for the joy of moving, giving the body what it loves, not what we think it wants, having that relationship with our body as if its our best friend. I’m learning I can be my body’s best friend. Danielle was for me too, pivotal support in my re-connection to this knowing I’d long ago shoved in my back pocket.
This is a great reminder of the power of exercising in a way that goes against the ‘push it till it hurts’ mentality and focuses on gentle connected movements in honour of what feels true for you and your body at that time. Getting to know your body in this way is very supportive and a great way to build a steady quality and presence in ourselves to take out into our day.
Angela, I so agree with you when you say “is not about what I do or how many or for how long, but ‘how’ I do it”. I also had the opportunity to attend classes with an esoteric practitioner. I learned that my body does feel different on certain days, that it is ok to go slower sometimes, that my body dictates what I should do, not the instructor, that it is all about feeling what I really need. I now have a very different exercise routine than a few years back, one that pays attention to my body and a body that enjoys the care given to it.
Your exercise class Angela sounds like a perfect way to tune into what the body wants each day , and at the same time feels like the body responds just as well to this way of exercising, if not better, than being pushed or managed by numbers and goals. Thank you for your sharing.
Thank you Danielle for this powerful piece of writing. You have exposed an addiction that indeed dominates our society. How from a young age we learn how to ‘de-form’ ourselves to gain recognition, to fit in, to be identified. I am constantly learning and observing how this plays out when we leave who we are, as we then create who we are not only to fill the emptiness from leaving ourselves in the first place. When we are honest with ourselves about our need to be recognised we will begin to return to who we truly are and be our already beautiful selves.
Moving from sporadic exercise to a well established daily rhythm has been a profound shift for me that was facilitated by Danielle Pirera, for which I an my body are forever grateful
It would seem that when we bring trying into anything we do it brings us to an idea that is outside our bodies where we are pushing ourselves. When we bring exercise back to what we feel is deeply honouring to our body and what feels good and playful we are more likely to continue with this than something we have to push ourselves to do. Exercise becomes a natural rhythm rather than a burden.
I have never come across an exercise class where we are to connect and feel our body first. It is indeed unheard of to exercise in this manner and is in stark contrast to the hard, pushing, completely ignoring and shut down of the body often to get somewhere eg. lose weight which I could never keep up as I simply didn’t enjoy it. Thank you Angela for showing us another way to exercise which truly honours and supports our body.
‘To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.’ Thanks for sharing Angela. It sounds so beautiful. While we were doing a certain exercise in the gym I work out at, the trainer gave us the advice to think about our grocery list in order to keep going and not give up. True story. I still go to these excercise classes with my earplugs in to keep most of the music out and making sure I stay in touch with my body, keeping my own pace and refraining from exercises that don’t feel right. I feel that being part of the group is very important as I express what does not feel right to me and share how I honour my body which is very different then what they are used to. I prefer this connection with the group to exercising on my own but someday the music and the fast pace might become to much for me.
Your point about the instructor suggesting the class think about something else instead of the actual exercise made me think about the way I used to exercise, which was always to think about something else (anything else!) other than the actual exercise itself. I hadn’t really considered at the time, but it seemed this was the only way I could actually complete the exercise. I realise now this pattern of distraction was actually how I approached most activities I did, rarely with my body and usually in my head thinking about something else. Being present with my body definitely feels so much different, and is something I can now apply not only to exercise, but everything I do.
Thank you Angela. Using exercise to feel my body rather than pushing through to achieve some perceived fitness goal changes how I feel after the exercise. When I am driving myself to complete the task I feel tired and ready for a rest but when I exercise gently feeling my body then I am re-energised with no need to sit down and recover – the exercise is the recovery. I have just signed on for an online exercise class as it will be fun to share the activity with others.
Thank you Angela for this sharing on exercise and the importance of it for oneself and ones routine which i also find . As I started to read this I appreciated that I have also just started a 4 week exercise routine with Danielle online and the commitment to this feels so lovely and highlighted by your blog , it made me smile. Beautiful in every way the support and love for ones body to be committed to life.
Thank you Angela for your insight of exercise. It is an unheard concept in the fitness industry to commit to yourself first and move to your bodies consideration at the moment. My mind is in shock, but my body is saying thank you, finally some common sense prevails.
Appreciating what happened to my body when the push and drive to achieve an outcome in exercise is not there, is so easily felt when I exercise with myself focusing on my breath and the quality the exercise being done. The ‘wanting to achieve’ or outcome driven routines, would harden my body, and did not support me in my every day Livingness. When I removed these, my body became more energised. So, by simply connecting to myself with my focus on my breath first and then the quality in which I am doing my exercise routine, I have more natural energy during my day’s activities, and I also sleep better, which means I awaken more refreshed.
For the last two weeks I have committed to exercising everyday. Wow, what a difference that has made to my body and to my energy levels, to my confidence in myself and in my body. It has been remarkable and at first it did hurt, my arms killed when I did my cardio exercises, but it was for a short time and I was with my body; burn isn’t the bad guy it’s the disconnection that causes havock as far as I can tell. I did spend quite a few months just focussing on gentle exercise but although this was a good foundation to re-establish my relationship with exercise – having previously been very competitive – I found having a routine and going for a bit longer actually energised my body in a way that supported my commitment to my daily tasks that was missing before. I now am close to saying that I actually love exercise… wow that has never happened before!
This is inspiring vanessamchardy (!) and just re-iterates to me how complicated and difficult we can sometimes make things (including exercise!) for ourselves, but when we keep it super simple and bring it back to quality and connection with ourselves and our body, the results can be amazing – not only physically, but in how we feel about ourselves in general.
What a great question Shami! And to add further – what is really guiding (or driving as the case may be) us through our various activities and what source of energy are we choosing to connect to, not only with exercise, but with everything we do….
Hi Angela, something I have noticed lately is that when I do not give myself the time to exercise I start to feel more tired in the day, and for this I reach for sugar to give me a boost to carry me through until bed time. So this makes me question where does a sense of vitality come from and what is the source of living energy? Because if I feel vital from completing an exercise routine that is all about re-connection with my body, and tired with out it in my day, then doesn’t this show that there is a great source of energy already present within our bodies and all we have to actually do is connect to it?
Allowing for that important gentle exercise there is certainly a greater flow to my day. (more flexibility – pun intended). A lovely sharing with us all Angela.
I used tiredness as an excuse for not including exercise a space in my day – once I ‘clocked’ what I was doing a ‘space’ was there all along – whether its 15 minutes or 1 hour it is my quality of connection during that time whilst exercising that is making the difference and wow! my body is feeling much lighter. A lovely sharing with us all Angela thank you.
I’ve done this as well Marion, using tiredness as an excuse! However the interesting thing I’ve noticed is that when I ‘am’ using tiredness as an ‘excuse’, I actually feel worse for not exercising than I do if I actually had done some exercise. So the key for me is the type of exercise I choose to do in these instances, and sometimes this might mean more gentle exercise, or taking it slower etc. or perhaps focussing more on stretching etc. rather than avoiding it altogether…
When I am tired or ill I still keep my regular exercise time but in respect to my body I make it really gentle. just because I am tired does not mean I could not use the re-connection time.
Exercise is movement. Like every movement we have to do it taking into account where we are, what we feel to do, how we do it, how do we feel while doing it. Of course, we can always set our attention to the wished results and measure where we are in relation to where we want to go -a sort of constant competition with oneself. Two very different ways of exercising and two different conceptions of beauty. The latter way requires to leave yourself in the gym’s locker -so to speak- though.
So true Sue. When we make exercise about how we do it and not what we do its so much easier and more enjoyable!
It is no coincidence that one of the first things we let go of, when we are feeling too busy or some other way ‘out of sorts’ is our exercise rhythm. The reason I understand is because being out of sorts means we have disconnected from our bodies. The urge to exercise which is based on at least a degree of body connection would therefore be absent ( there may be a few exceptions to this – such as people who exercise so extremely that they have to do it totally disconnected because of the pain they would otherwise feel – but most people are no where near this category). I agree with the message in this blog that when we understand how important our connection to ourselves is before we do anything and how our quality of life is enhanced when we take that connection into any activity, then exercise takes on a playful and spontaneous quality, as one way to strengthen that connection.
I have not personally participated in Danielle’s on-line exercise class. But I have done her exercise classes before in person. Definitely loved exercising where you don’t have to stick to a specific set of exercises for a certain amount of repetitions, in a set time frame. Tailoring your exercise regime according to your day’s schedule and how your body feels takes the pressure off doing exercise for fitness. Feeling each movement and focusing on connection to the whole body leaves your body feeling spacious and vital, instead of drained and exhausted when doing conventional exercises in a gym.
Like you Angela I have loved participating in Danielle’s on-line exercise classes; she presents in such a refreshingly real and honest way which I would say is such a rarity in the fitness industry. Her honesty about how her body is feeling and the subsequent adjustments to her movements leaves you feeling in no way guilty if you can’t keep up – she actually doesn’t expect you to, but instead continually encourages you to honour how your body is feeling at every step of the way. Now, this is exercise that my body loves.
I have had similar revelations Angela. Exercise is often the first thing to go when I feel pushed for time, yet is something that I value and love to do. Exercise, even for 10 minutes supports me to feel productive, connected and vital through my day.
And adding to that Fiona I would say that it’s the lack of exercise that leaves us feeling we don’t have the time for it.
Too true Matts. It’s ridiculous when we think about it… the very thing we think we don’t have time for is the very thing that can often provide the space for us to do everything else!
Danielle’s classes are a great support. The way she exercises, asking one to listen to their own body is pretty much unheard of in exercise land… Usually it’s ‘you have to push past it’ or, literally ‘don’t listen to it you can do more’ when I exercise for my body it feels good and I have fun, and so I want to do it more and more ! I can’t stress enough how amazing Danielle’s classes are.
Danielle Pirera’s Re-Connect Exercise classes and sessions are an essential part of redeveloping our connection with ourselves and our bodies. If we take the time to establish a rhythm of exercise in this way when younger, as we grow older our bodies will be extremely grateful, it makes such a difference.
I have started going to the gym again and I just love it. I used to go with so such a drive and need to get a result. Now I am going with joy and looking forward to it, also because I am realizing I am not just doing it for me, but in service of the work that needs to be done.
Thanks Angela, great to be at a place where my body really wants to exercise and how important it is not only about health but about vitality, wellbeing, clear thinking, joy, and all the attributes that make a great life. Exercise is truly one of the staples and easily achieved if we honour our bodies during exercise.
Awesome blog, thank you Angela for sharing your insights and experience with building an exercise routine. I feel I have so many old ingrained habits, patterns and beliefs about the way exercise, it’s like I go on auto pilot and exercise every day the same, ignoring when my body needs more gentle exercise when it’s tied, or more aerobic when I’m full of energy to express.
Thanks Angela for reminding me to observe the quality of how I go about my exercise routines. I find my day gets off to a solid start if I do some form of exercise in the mornings. I love my walks in nature or a swim in the pool etc. I feel so much more connected and solid afterwards.
Thank you, Angela. I have never been able to commit to exercise regularly, it’s always been sporadic and it always felt like a bit of a chore. I can feel how honouring the way the body feels, and not getting caught in the self-imposed target would be a great support in making exercise (or anything for that matter) to really become a part of my life that I can build an on-going relationship with, and commit to.
Hi Angela, I especially liked reading about how open and flexible exercising can be. To start with what is realistic sounds wonderful. I tend to set a bigger expectation than what myself or my life can honestly handle, so I like what you said about starting with maybe twice a week for 10-15 minutes, this feels achievable and a great place to start and grow from.
I can feel how a loving commitment to exercise feels so different to putting pressure on myself or having an expectation beforehand of how my exercise for the week ahead will look. When I exercise with my body in connection it feels amazing. By contrast, when I begin to push a bit to get more done it feels awful and I want to stop. Exercising in connection and having a loving commitment is definitely the way to go.
Hello Angela, a truly ground breaking article when it comes to exercise. We are no longer talking about anything other than quality and the consistency of that quality, I love it and this is my experience too. Anyone can train hard or push themselves but it takes much more to stay in a quality that supports you in a moment that you are ‘doing’ anything. Danielle Pirera would have to be considered a pioneer in this field and where do you see a woman like this or man speaking about exercise this way or leading exercise this way. This is a true gem for me and blows the lid on every myth about exercise. Thank you Angela and thank you Danielle Pirera.
I totally agree Angela. The way Danielle Pirera presents her exercise classes is completely unheard of and simply an awesome experience. I love her classes because they are so fun, enjoyable and tailored to me and my body, even though there is a group of us.
It is great to share this way of exercising with others. Often people ask me in the pool ‘how many lengths are you swimming today?’ or in the gym ‘how long did you spend training?’ To chat with people about connection first and not worrying about numbers gives them an opportunity to consider a different way to approach their own exercise.
This was great to read again today Angela. As it is raining outside, my usual routine of going for a walk has gone out the window! I too have done the simply awesome online exercise programs offered by Danielle so I know I have all the tools I need to exercise indoors and in a way that feels true for my body. It’s amazing though that I still have some resistance to doing this – which I can feel is partially resistant to taking that time to really reconnect with myself and my body. I can also definitely relate to the ‘time pressure’ thing as a reason for not having space to exercise. I look forward to making the space this morning, and seeing what unfolds. Thank you Angela.
Honouring the body throughout exercising is essential, yet often a missed point in exercise classes. I remember when I did stretching classes many years ago, I was preoccupied with how long the exercise took. More busy with the time and my watch than my body. What a difference with now. Just feeling what is needed both the kind of exercise as the length or intensity. A total turn around and great for my body.
Me too, I was going To The gym as a burden of something I have to do to stay attractive. When I go to the gym now, I am enjoying my exercises because the gentle exercises I choose for me are feeling great in my body.
So true Angela what you share about exercise, and was the same nut that got cracked open for me having exercised a lot in the past, but never in a way that actually honoured my body, and how it might be feeling at that time of exercise pending on how my day had gone – and then adjusting movements accordingly. I just used to push through with the exercise even when I felt ill or tired, and didn’t really want to do it. I exercised more in fear of losing discipline if i missed my slot. Your words: “staying connected to my body and the quality of the movements” – is what makes exercise today so different, and such a nurturing activity that is looked forward to with complete joy, no longer regarded a chore or something to put off from being too busy. When we make time for connected-exercise, we make space to honour ourselves and our body.
Exercise can often be the first thing to drop off when we are busy but what I find is how much more efficient at tasks I am when I commit and make room for exercise in my daily life. There can be a kind of force that stops us from exercising but it is rare once we start for us not to get so much out of it. The times I have resisted exercise and then started doing it I have wondered why there was so much resistance there in the first place as it has always been so supportive.
Angela, as a yoga teacher I spent the first 10 years teaching in a way that encouraged people to try and do as I did, which was to take my body to it’s maximum in every pose. How harmful for me but in particular for the people in the class who were less flexible and less strong ! I now get people to re-connect to their bodies first and then to exercise from that held connection. I bring a pillow and blanket to my classes and encourage people to simply lie still if that feels more honouring than moving.
I love excercise, but for some reason I find myself often making excuses that I don’t have time….even though I always have time.
I recently started a new job after being semi unemployed for a loooooong period of time. In that period of time, I had more time than I knew what to do with and yet my commitment to exercise was the worst it has ever been.
Since starting this new job, I have far less time in the day, but am impressed at my commitment to squeezing it in.
I have let go of the need for exercise to be an hour long. After years and years of going to the gym or playing netball, I held this very strong belief that exercise needs to be at least an hour, or its not exercise. Rubbish!
It just so happens that I find myself more often than not, setting aside an hour, but the difference is that if I am running late or don’t have a full hour to spare, then half an hour is also good, as is 10-20 minutes. As you say Angela, it’s more about the commitmment to exercise than the actual time spent. Letting go of a timeframe has been the most helpful thing.
Great to read your blog Angela and to be reminded how supporting our body with regular gentle exercise supports us in so many different ways.
I can relate to what you write. I have my daily morning exercises, a set of them. Lately I have spontaneously changed the exercises during certain days. I started to do some other exercises. Why? Because my body gave me hints that other parts of my body needed attention. I honoured that. In the past I would just do my set of exercises, but I know realize that in itself can become a routine, an automatic pilot, without truly honouring the body: what it needs that specific day, exactly what you have experienced. Honouring the body and how you are in the exercises is the key.
I enjoy my exercise habit, based on the feeling in my body of when it needs to exercise and how it wants to exercise at that time. Sometimes a walk, sometimes a cross trainer and cardio, sometimes weights. Not only does my body tell me when it needs exercise and the quality, but also what type of exercise it needs -strength, endurance, or gentle movement for connective tissue release. It is such a great component of my everyday livingness and I totally agree with Angela, this way of exercising is true, as well as never gets boring or a hard slog. There is a growing awareness also, about when the mind wants take over and create a stimulation from exercise in the body that brings a good feeling short term, but actually is not energy giving and rejuvenating. Even with a very established exercise rhythm, this needs to be kept on one’s radar as it can easily take over.
Exercise for me in the past has been in the doing and the competitiveness with others. Once when competing with other women in a exercise class I actually caused multiple small pneumothoraxes (collapsed lung) – how crazy is that!!. Today I am more gentle and loving, with the way I do exercise and find by feeling what my body requires supports me in having a deeper connection with myself. This feels a more beautiful way to exercise than the old way with total disregard for the body. This has been very inspirational Angela and has encouraged me to have a more regular routine of exercise and love those 10-15mins.
Hi Angela. I also have found it to be true at times, exercise is the first thing to be neglected when I am busy. Yet is so important for me to connect to my body thought movement. Not just because it supports the well-being and fitness of my body for living but because I LOVE it and enjoy how I feel when I am exercising. I love feeling this connection of me and my body in movement. This is a beautiful statement –”This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent”. Thank you for your sharing as it is a beautiful reminder highlighting and honouring the importance of exercise as part of our self-care routine.
Thank you Angela,
I have started a new exercise program which asks me to listen to my body first, and it is unbelievable how much it is trying to tell me, and how many of the old exercises I was doing are not right.
I am really enjoying starting again and building exercise through how my body feels rather than what’s on a video or manual.
This is a great article Angela. I often tell myself that I am too busy to slow down and take time to exercise. When I do stop and exercise gently while feeling what will support my body I find I have more energy and enjoyment of everything else in my day.
Exercise has made a huge difference for me in how I live and how it supports me in everything that I do during the day. I have a very physically and emotionally challenging job and exercise makes such a difference. What I have been learning is that, like you said Angela, I don’t have to exhaust myself when I exercise, work for a prescribed period, do a set amount of repetitions of an exercise. It’s about me listening to my body and allowing my body to be my guide. I even went back to the gym a while ago now and love the feeling in my body when I walk out feeling about 6 foot longer. Exercise is huge for everyone for a whole range of reasons and beliefs that we have about ourselves and exercise. What I know for me is that exercise is a must as it supports me in many ways, including simply enjoying the movement of my body.
I’ve got so much out of reading this article. That it’s okay to be gentle with my body and exercise in a way that truly supports it, rather than trying to achieve something with my body. It’s inspired me to re-commit to myself and start an exercise routine that supports me.
Angela, we should get this quote on the front of the nationals: “To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.”! So true and so game changing.
Doug, I have been doing the same! I have stripped my body of exercise for 3 years as it has taken that long for the echo of the excessive forms of exercise I was using before to leave me. I’m at the brink, now of building it back up from a place of truth. Love the words ‘take the push out of it and replace that with a flow’ – thank you.
“With each exercise class I am learning how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result.”
This would be great if we were told this at our very first gym induction or they had a poster on the wall to remind us that pushing beyond our boundaries and striving for perfection is so unnecessary and harmful.
Yes I agree Samantha, we so need this education in schools. That exercise can be done in a self-caring and self-honouring way that truly takes care of the body, and supports it to not only become truthfully strong, but to evolve!
This was such a perfect blog for me to read Angela! I especially love the way you point out that it’s the commitment and connection with yourself that provides the foundation for your exercise, not necessarily the time you spend exercising. It feels like this foundation you have built through commitment is largely responsible for the changes you have noticed in your life also. Having this information presented in this way allowed me to see the power of commitment in a whole new light. Thank you so much. I feel absolutely inspired to make commitment and exercise a part of my life.
I recently did the on-line exercise program with Danielle Pirera (Re-Connect Exercise) and I loved it.
Thank you Angela for sharing your story. I can relate to the fact that when I do attend Danielle’s classes I can relate to how it feels in my body and how the body responds. I’m still a work in progress for the full commitment to bring it to a consistancy in my life.
Anything that helps build our foundation of commitment, especially to our self –care, is invaluable, and in this case something that has almost immediate rewards. To build a rhythm of rhythm of using and moving our bodies is a beautiful experience, and Danielle Pirera is fantastic at presenting this.
Great blog Angela. Only yesterday did I feel that I was forgetting to include exercise/stretches into my daily rhythm.
I remembered the importance of connection to my body and to do what exercise my body felt to do, and stop when I felt tired or sore. It felt great. I was more energised following it.
Unlike many years ago when I would do aerobics- 1hr class, 5 times a week , to “get fit”. If I missed a class I would go into self judgement and self bashing. My body would feel exhausted at the end of the week- but my mind would say- “no pain, no gain”. Thankfully, since attending some exercise classes with Danielle Pirera, my approach to exercise is a more gentler one, whereby my body determines what exercise I do, for how long and how often.
Angela I have also found that if I am busy I am able to do shorter exercise sessions and still have the connection to my body. It feels great to not have pressure to “fit in” a whole hours session as I would have in the past. I am finding that my body is becoming quite toned and this is without the intensity of past exercise programs which I realise now were about making the body look good from the outside rather than feeling from the inside out!! Amazing!
It is interesting isn’t it that when things get intense in life or we are under more pressure mentally or physically, that the first things we drop off and say we don’t have time for are the very things that support us the most!
A great blog Angela. A good reminder of the need to exercise in a way that is supportive of the bodies needs at the time.
Great blog about a great subject- Exercise, connection and Danielle! Thanks for writing about such a profound topic – I too have experienced a class with Danielle and found it quite revolutionary. After exercising like a maniac (in between activating my sloth status ) I have done many types of exercise – boot camps, gyms, outdoor, walking, running, cycling etc…and all of it was done with a drive to lose weight, get fit, get strong, look good etc…and never done in true connection with my body. I remember one bootcamp session having to run with a bag of sand for AGES and my body was SCREAMING at me to stop but with the ‘help’ of the instructor I pushed through and did it – and this was congratulated by me and my instructor. Crazy stuff as I see it now. But for a long time I was hoodwinked by it.
Now I am learning to connect with my body and move to support it as I know my body loves it. Danielle’s classes have been a great inspiration for this and I now feel the benefits of doing 4-5 sit ups with as much presence and connection as I can muster as opposed to 100 sit-ups on a hot sweaty and sandy beach pushing myself to my limits. And it’s been a lovely reminder that exercise can be playful and adapted to where-ever my body is at. I find it challenging to listen to my body and honour it at times, especially when the old programming comes in, but it is an awesome process to be part of and my body is loving my commitment to it.
Thanks for writing so eloquently about it Angela – much appreciated.
For me what has been great learning how to exercise with presence is how educational it has been. When you say “I now feel the benefits of doing 4-5 sit ups with as much presence and connection as I can muster as opposed to 100 sit-ups on a hot sweaty and sandy beach pushing myself to my limits.” I can totally relate and that has been astounding to realise and amazing to feel in my body.
I love this blog Angela especially this. “I am still establishing the depth of the connection with my body, but am now starting to feel more of a quality and presence in my exercise routine.” I too am currently building a stronger relationship with my body and exercise. Loving it.
Thank you Anegla for inspiring me to start exercising. I have been getting a stiff neck and shoulders from working at my desk and being disconnected to my body. I am terrible at setting a time during the day for myself to exercise. I am fully inspired to make it my daily routine to connect to my body through exercise.
I really like the way your article shows how the cycle has to be broken somewhere. You were reluctant to do the exercise class because you didn’t have the time/energy, yet by simply breaking though that thought that was saying ‘no’ and doing the class, brought you to the place where you feel more spacious and alive in your body/self to be able to do more with your day. I can see many examples of this sort of cycle in my own life. Now that I am writing more, it is flowing easier, more naturally, and I feel like writing even more, yet before this when I wasn’t writing but wanted to, I couldn’t. We have to start somewhere, the hardest step is always the first.
You cover some great points here Angela making exercise fun is a biggie for me as in the past it was a real chore.
I’m realising more and more the importance and the benefits of a good exercise rhythm and the down side when that rhythm is broken.
Thank you Angela for your insights on connecting to ones body and exercise.
I have been committed to exercise at times then when I get busy with work dropped the commitment. I do physical work as a carpenter, and one of the most supportive things I can do to assist my body with this work is exercise.
Realising this I have been committing slowly to make this a priority, with he help of Universal Medicine practitioners.
I had a few private sessions with Danielle Pirera (Re-Connect Exercise), about seven years ago. They really were a turning point for me, and I have continued doing these exercises, or variations as Angela says, every day for the last seven years. For me the connection that this has built with my body has been invaluable. I started martial arts training when I was 16, and kept going for a long time. I found there was a lot of un-learning to do and it was great to keep staying connected, and to just keep feeling. I just love the rhythm of my morning movement sessions. Thank you Danielle, and thank you Angela for writing about it.
Thank you Angela, Keeping exercise simple and fun and what support your own body.
Thank you Angela – it was lovely to read your blog again and to re-connect to exercise. It has highlighted for me that it is the commitment that is the loving aspect more than the exercise itself, and I am realising that I have given up on the commitment to exercise since I moved house. There ‘seem’ to be so many more ‘important things’ to do and I am realising that this is another of those illusions. All those ‘important things’ will flow beautifully if I commit to my body first and gently exercise regularly.
I’m back refreshing – yesterday I just went a little too full on for what my body needed. Today it’s letting me know in no uncertain terms. What has occurred to me is the increased subtly of the messages the body has to share as we connect more. So my body is now asking me to pay even more attention, and if I don’t it’s letting me know.
Wonderful Angela. The word ‘exercise’ takes on a whole new meaning when it comes from connection to our body. Once experienced there is no going back.
Thank you Angela, it is very important to not forget ourselves when we are busy with work and other things, I can feel after reading your blog how I forget it a lot…
Thanks Angela for sharing the essence of participating in Danielle’s class so well. Next time I’m a little in doing mode of exercise I’m going to refresh and reconnect and refer to this blog as needed.
It is so supportive to exercise with the dedication to honor and support my body. It deepens my connection to myself and brings a focus to my body and away from thinking.
I go to the gym since 2 weeks and i love it! After planning to go to the gym for ages which i never did i am very glad to finally get going!
Thank you Angela. I am also learning through the exercise classes with Danielle how very fun and easy exercise can be, there is no pushing nor must dos no getting it right but just feeling how the body wants to move. It is absolutely a complete different approach I have so far encountered or practiced.
Sometimes I feel so stubborn, because I know, 5 minutes of exercise would change the day for the better and yet I think, something else is more important. Instead of being too serious about it, the playfulness is a great support. Walking up and down the stairs playfully can also be my exercise…
Yes Felix, it’s great to claim the stairs as exercise. I have stairs in my new work place, and I can already feel the benefits of walking up them several times a day. They are a marker for me to stay gentle and present within the exercise.
I am with you, Felix. I like walking up and down the stairs, the playfulness and dancing . Sometimes it is about finding special time for exercise that puts me off. At the same time it is about commitment to myself and understanding the importance of keeping body fit. This article definitely helps to look at exercise differently- from the loving and supportive angle.
I’ve been caught up in making sure I walk for a certain distance or time but have noticed how disregarding this is to the body. Some days I feel like doing more other days not. It really is a challenge sometimes to truly honour the body and not go into the head!
A timely reminder for me about exercise and how we are with it, not what we do and how many times! Thank you Angela
Angela i love how you shared that our body can be the ‘trainer’ in our exercise routine, as in how much, how long, how often and how heavy and that this can differ everyday. The idea’s about what good and healthy exercise is that we are bombarded with are lacking just that : a connection to our body and then honouring how it feels. In this way we get to work together with our body and it makes it light and joyful as you say instead of a drag and a compulsory task.
Thank you for reminding me that it’s ok each time to exercise to a true level for my body, rather than what the mind judges to be ‘correct’. After not exercising much over the last year (it feels so urgh to not exercise), I re-joined a gym three weeks ago and am so loving exercising in my lunch hour three times a week – what a difference to my state of being, my energy levels and my body already!
Your approach here is inspiring Marian as you discover what supports you during your week and in your rhythm.
Thank you Angela for sharing your exercise experiences with us. I grew up in the days when exercise was supposed to hurt, “feel the burn” and “no pain, no gain”, as a result I was terrified of exercise and felt if I didn’t push myself till I hurt there was something wrong with me or worse “lazy”. Today also thanks to the support from Danielle supporting me to understand exercise is all about connection and presence with self, I too now love exercise and love feeling the clarity and strength this brings to my body.
Thank you Angela, I too am learning to exercise in a whole new way as I have pushed myself to extremes with exercise, more often than not it was to counter the indulgence of my food intake but this too is changing as I am connecting more and more to my body and listening to what it has to say to me.
Angela, loved your blog AND you found time to write it- perhaps from the renewed connection and energy.
Set a daily time to do a few minutes exercise, and gradually build up the amount you do. Your body will tell you what will be good for you.
Thank you Angela, you show me a way how to integrate exercise into my life. I can strongly relate to what you say about not having time to do the exercise. For me it feels that I try to neglect the fact that regular exercise will support my body in all that I do during the day and that by neglecting this fact my body not always felt vital and living. This lack of vitality stops me from living and expressing a life of truth and beauty that would otherwise be so naturally there for me to be lived.
Agree Angela it is inspiring to have a trainer like Danielle Pirera who is leading by example and is not pushing you through a series of set exercises. I know for many years I trained hard believing in the ‘no pain no gain’ method, often overriding everything my body was telling me. It is a relief to let go of these old ideals around exercise and now I enjoy exercising with simplicity and ease and tune into how my body is feeling to move.
” It is a relief to let go of these old ideals around exercise and now I enjoy exercising with simplicity and ease and tune into how my body is feeling to move.” Totally agree Anna. Letting go of the ‘no pain no gain” mentality has for me been one of the most loving things I have done. When I have finished exercising now I feel full of vitality and have enjoyed the gentle work out program I put my self through that supports where I am at currently. Just simply honouring my body and how it feels in each moment has benefited my weight loss, health & vitality immensely.
Hi Angela I have revisited your blog and it has helped expose an arrogance that has held me still in the achieving in exercise that its all about my body and with it a rigidity a coldness a hardness. I feel no matter what movement I am making ,it must have the awareness of me as a divine being and connected to all , make it about lightness, play. Then I have a body ready to serve.
It can be so easy to put exercise at the back of my to do list. However when I do an exercise class with Danielle I feel so much more vital and joyful through out my day. This has really shown me that by me loving my body and supporting it through the day with exercise and not TV or social media, it actually feels so much more better to live in.
So beautiful to give ourselves permission to exercise our bodies in a way that truly supports us: to not rush, to listen to what the body needs. To take time: as little or as long as our bodies need whether it is 5 minutes or 45. And to not have an expected outcome or result. Very different from the ‘normal’ exercise class.
I too am currently part of a reconnect program with Danielle Pirera and have been amazed to find how powerful the exercises are and support me through the day.
The idea of exercising for me was always regimented and would consist of the same routine. It was laced with the idea of having to ‘loose weight” rather than support my current weight.
Beautifully expressed Angela. Danielle certainly brings a new foundation to exercising which says it all as ‘reconnect exercise’. Exercise for me is also the first thing to go when life gets too busy. Your blog has highlighted for me that I am avoiding the commitment and connection to my own body. Thank you Angela for this reflection.
Thank you for your inspiring blog. It reminds me to deeply surrender and listen to the impulses coming from my body and make that my foundation for the day.
It’s very cool that I seem to read blogs that I really needed to read and ponder on the content in order to grow and evolve. Angela this is a perfectly timed piece of inspiration for me. Thank you. I was committing to my exercise routine but after a back injury and work commitments creeping in the first thing I stopped doing was my exercise routine. When that routine is present so many things fall into place effortlessly. Time to refocus and make time to exercise the body.
This is a great reminder for me to bring exercise back into my rhythm a little more, Just because it is so supportive, supporting me in all other areas of my life. Thank you Angela for sharing this.
Dear Angela your blog helped me now to start with my exercises again because I was lost in: I have to much to do and I am to tired to move my body . . . you reminds me that all I have to do is to stay in my body and than the rest will follow.
A great reminder to “listen to your body” and “honour what (or how) your body feels”. I totally agree with “the focus is not on the technique of the exercise but staying connected to one’s body and the quality of the movements”. Thank you Angela for writing this.
I, too am loving Danielle’ exercise group, Angela. I am loving not “flogging” my body with so many repetitions until I feel the pain- a pattern in my previous exercise life!
I love feeling the individual muscle groups in my body as I do the workout and it feels very gentle and loving- and to my amazement at the end of the session I feel that I have had a great workout without the self abuse!
I totally agree Angela in what you have shared – I have just started a program with Danielle Pirera at Re-Connect Exercise and I am getting to feel my body in a different way towards exercise. The choice is ours to take responsibility for our exercise routine and how our body feels at the time, counting reps has been the way I have always exercised, but just taking that out of the routine you have to feel your body rather than hardening it to reach the desired number. For me also from exercising this way I have got to feel how disconnected I have been from me and expressing from me.
It is so cool to observe how developing a sustainable relationship with exercise has a knock on effect on all other areas of my life. Self-care has become a foundation, rather than an intermittent indulgence!
Love it Matilda, mine is not quite my foundation but it definitely getting there!
Hi Angela, your article has challenged me and inspired me to start a regular exercise program. Although I walk regularly and my job involves quite a bit of lifting, I still feel like I’m not fully supporting my body to be fit and strong. You certainly show how exercise can be fun and non-competitive, and honouring of the body rather than pushing it. Thank you.
Thank you Angela for the inspiration and ever so important reminder for exercising (and all we do in life) of honoring the body, litening to the body, it is not what we do but ‘how’ we do it, and to not keep it so serious, but thank you: keep it light and playful.
Thank you again Angela for reminding me of the benefits of, and the commitment to, regular exercise.
When rereading your blog I am inspired to reconnect with me through regular gentle exercise.
It’s fantastic to read everybody’s comments about exercising in a connected and gentle way, that truly honours the body. There is nowhere else presenting this way of exercise, and it’s only possible for me to share this with Re-Connect Exercise because I had the initial opportunity to feel that there is a connected, gentle and honouring way of being with my body in all that I do, not just in exercise. Thanks to The Way of The Livingness, Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for sharing this way of living, and that we can all access it in any moment we choose. Keep up the awesome comments everyone, it’s super powerful for all to feel that there is another way to exercise, that is fun and enjoyable and honouring of a gentle and vital body.
Beautiful Daniel – turning the exercise and fitness world on it’s head and bringing in the re-connected way.
I too love the way that exercise makes me feel afterwards and how much it supports me in my day. It is this that inspires me to continue and include different types of physical activity in my week depending on what is going to best support me at the time.
A great article Angela. “With each exercise class I am learning how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result.”
I am now feeling and unfolding more and more what this really means and find it is super important to really feel MY body when exercising and not just go along with what my head wants to do or what others may be capable of.
I experienced a completely different type of exercise today, one without an outcome of putting on muscle or something that i “should” do but instead one that helped me build a real connection with my body. It is completely different to feel and I am inspired to do as this title of the blog says and develop a true exercise rhythm.
Gentle exercise is definitely a great way to connect in with yourself and Danielle Pirera’s exercises are just what your body needs and at your own pace and rhythm. It’s a recipe for great connection with your body and what it needs.
I too was inspired by Danielle’s Re-Connect Exercise program and it is the first one I have ever manged to stick to, because it honours the fact that we feel different from day to day and that one size does not fit all.
One size definitely does not fit all – great comment Gabriele! Listening to our bodies is the key to fully living all of us.
The beauty of body exercise to me is: to collect many different exercises and skills to be able to use the combination I need the day I’m training. That is the most proper workout I can offer my body. Because I allow it to decide what it needs. It’s absolute true: one size doesn’t fit all.
What a great sharing and learning Angela. I can relate to that cycle that we can get our selves into at times by being busy the exercise is compromised. love how you have taken the pressure off by committing to what is manageable like 10-15 mins twice a week to start with. I also love how the focus is on the ‘How’ the exercise is done rather than the what and how much.
I have the same experience as you Angela, I had an on off relationship with exercising. Exercising for me was pushing my body in a hard and disconnected way, never have felt the joy of exercising in a way that honoured my body. In my program with Danielle Pereira I discovered how I can do this movements in my pace, my way and intensity. I have let go of the hard way, this was really punishing my body and serious matter. To be honest my excercise routine is still not consistent but always light and playful.
I have been beginning to exercise in this way but lately the old rigid “get it done” attitude has been creeping in and has actually prevented me doing any of my regular exercise routine at all. I work as a gardener so I get a lot of physical activity in my day and am often physically tired at the end of the day.
Thank you Angela for reminding me that my exercise is more about my loving, nurturing commitment and connection to myself than any of the actual physical activity.
Reading this I keep thinking mmm exercise what exercise routine or rhythm?? It is funny that we sometimes neglect one of the most fundamental things that support us, perhaps if we made it more about fun and not so mental
It is crazy that when things get busier or more intense in life the first things we drop off are our most supportive habits and activities! Usually when we feel pushed for time we exercise less, the diet takes a nose dive, we sleep less, we meditate less, all in the belief that it will buy us time to get more done. But what about the quality of what we are doing? And surely when we are most under pressure we should actually make MORE time for things that support our body not less?
This is so true, Andrew – it requires a turnaround in our thinking and understanding that when we take time out to support ourselves in these simple ways, the quality of everything we do increases.
Great blog Angela! It supports me to make an even stronger commitment and to stick to regular exercising as I can feel how it really supports me to get through my day. I actually have a tendency to let myself flop a bit on my day off, which isn’t really very supportive. However I agree this only applies when I make my exercise program about connecting with myself. It makes it also a lot more fun!
Great points you have made Angela about the importance and benefits of regular and gentle exercise
Thank you Angela for your inspiring blog. I was reading it going ‘yes, yes, yes’ I could relate and agree with everything. I so enjoy exercising like this and when I do feel like I did in my body as a young girl. Not the hardness or have to’s or push, but making it playful. No set agenda or outcome. I also never considered before exercising with Re-Connect Exercise feeling wether my body would like to exercise faster or slow. The ‘I haven’t got time’ has snuck in again, so this has been a great reminder.
I could feel as I read your blog Angela that we so often have this belief that when we are busy etc and feeling the need for support to re-connect back to ourselves, that exercise could be able to help. I know that in the past exercise has been something that has taken me away from my connection with myself. Perhaps we sometimes carry tension around exercise, which is something the body needs to support it, but we have not been shown how it can be done in a true way that does support it.
Hi Angela, Thank you for what you have shared as I can relate. I recently joined a gym and much to the dismay of the Gym Instructor/Owner I am honouring what I feel in my body and not exercising to any set program. I walk out knowing my body has enjoyed the gentle work whilst benefiting from it. No more blood sweat and tears now its connecting, gentle land loving.
Exercise is a massive topic and there is a huge stumbling block for many committing to exercise. I would imagine it would be a huge revelation for so many, as it has been for me that it is more in the quality I bring to my exercise than the amount or pace that I workout at. Your point about being tired is also a massive consideration, this along with time, being a huge reason many don’t exercise, but when we are tired exercise doesn’t need to be avoided, and I have found taking it easy but still doing some is massively supportive.
I agree, Stephen, through our UK Winter, when I have felt cold and stiff, there has been a huge resistance to doing any form of exercise for myself, except the occasional walk or brief swim in a lovely warm local indoor pool. My mind knows that my body would benefit from a few minutes of gentle exercise each day but overrides it with a ‘ugh I can’t be bothered’ or, ‘I haven’t got the time’ and I don’t do it, even though I know it feels great when I do. I tend to stretch only when I feel stiff but that’s crazy, because if I did a few minutes each day, it would support my body and I would be less stiff in the first place. We need Prevention not Cure! What has helped me recently is attending a weekly exercise class, where we work as group and in pairs, which is practical, social and great fun to do. I feel inspired to make time for that, and it inspires me to do more each day at home on my own, which is great.
Yes I so agree Stephen when you say – “…it is more in the quality I bring to my exercise.” I have felt too a massive shift in how it feels when I exercise or go to the Gym, being very present to my body and my breath. Whereas before it was a ‘I must go to the Gym and do my stuff’, it is now a joyful time for me in connection with my body.
Great sharing Angela highlighting not only the importance of exercise and rythmn but the listening to our bodies and feeling what it is truly telling us . Exercise has changed for me so much since knowing Universal Medicine and working with my body honouring all I feel has had amazing benefits to my body my energy, vitality and commitment to both myself and everyone around me.
After reading your beautiful blog Angela and comment by Danielle Pirera, I really feel inspired to make time in the day even if its 10-15 mins to exercise ,as I have been caught up in the doing and then felt too tired to want to exercise. But I feel this to have been a distraction so I don’t take time out to stop, connect to my body and gently move by body as I feel to do.
Angela I can absolutely relate to what you describe. In the past I thought that when I do less than 30 minutes it doesn´t make sense at all and then I skipped my exercising completely. Or when I didn´t feel well and vital I skipped it, too. But now, also inspired by Danielle Pirera, I learned that re-connecting to my body allows me to feel what my body needs in that moment. And I experience that I feel better and more vital after doing some exercises even or especially when I didn´t feel well and vital before I started.
I too have re-imprinted the reason and the way I exercise and this has had a huge impact on my health and well-being. In the past the sole purpose of exercising was to loose weight. Now it is to connect with my body and for support to be able to work the long hours that I do daily. There are periods of my life where I think “I do not have the time” to exercise and I have noticed that I do not have the same vitality and stamina when I give into these thoughts.
It absolutely is an inspiration to have someone who has trained in the sport and exercise field who actually does consider how important it is to care for the body and reconnect to how it feels. a great blog that inspires true health and well being “To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.”
Dear Angela,
My daughter and I have just done a Rumba class tonight for the first time in over 2 years. I kept checking back with how my body was going and being mind full of me and moving for me. I didn’t get tired and I felt refreshed instead of exhausted. Reading your story reminded me of the difference on how I would have exercised in the past. A mirror image of the instructors moves, the highest intensity option. Force myself to not miss a class now that I have started the exercise routine. Comparing my fitness with others in the background.
This time I went to have fun and have a dance with my daughter. As opposed to training for the next Olympics. When is my next class? I don’t know, I’m sure my body will tell me. Thank you Angela I enjoyed reading your story.
I agree Angela there is such a huge marked difference in feeling when we choose to exercise in the way you have described, from our bodies. No comparison to anyone , no having to be a certain way, or feeling we should do this or do that, or be there for x amount of time, there’s no pressure, no pain, no imposing or push. Just the simplicity and joy of being with ourselves and honouring what and how we feel on any given moment or day. Again it comes back to ( as so much of the presentation form Universal Medicine share) connecting to our body and feeling what feels true for us and exercising / living from there. Whether it be a gentle walk, a swim, some light weights or a gentle stretch. What I also love is that absolute fact it undoubtably inspires others to live in the same way.
Great blog thank you Angela. Before doing the Re-connect classes with Danielle Pirera I had many years of being disciplined and pushing my body whilst exercising. Your article provides a timely reminder to exercise on impulse from the body with gentleness and connection to yourself. As you point out keeping exercise light and fun is a key to consistent commitment.
Wow! I love the revelation you share, Angela, about, ” It’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” I also came from a place of “three times a week, minimum of 30 mins each session,” but what you share here is totally different to that. Exercising to learn to honour one’s body rather than to push it to its limit: that’s awesome.
Yes Angela it is so common to get caught up in the catch 22 of being super busy, feeling tired, and negating a regular exercise (that would actually help to improve your vitality and give you more energy for your busy life). It is great to read how your commitment to an exercise program that supported your body to overcame this modern day malaise.
Thank you Angela. This is a great reminder to feel into what is needed in terms of exercise each day rather than follow a set routine.
Cindy it’s interesting how comfortable it can be to follow a routine but with exercise it’s becoming far more enjoyable to do what is felt on the day.
I fully agree David and Cindy, I find when I go to the Gym to work with my trainer, he might have a set routine worked out for me, however when I feel this is not what my body feels is needed, then I will communicate that to him – it’s actually lovely because he has now learnt to flow with this and alter what he had in mind – as well as starting to ask questions – so a beautiful sharing is taking place more and more between him and I , all because often I say – my body does not feel to do this right now can we please do this differently.
Exercising on impulse from your body is far more powerful and loving than feeling as if you have to stick to a certain routine etc. Confirming blog.
I can so relate to what you have shared here Angela. Especially the part where the more busy you get, the more you have on, it seems that exercise is what gets left behind first. And then the tiredness kicks in etc etc. I definitely feel more energised when I give myself the time aside for 10-15 minutes of a little cardio fun in my lounge room, or a walk where I can engage with nature and the ‘magic of God’ all around me. Even getting down on the mat for some stretching and strengthening exercises for my body feels so amazing to do, and yet, yes, sometimes I push them aside for ‘other, so called more important things’. What I get from your blog, and from my own experience is that it really comes back to a commitment we make for ourselves. Thank you for sharing.
Like Angela, I too had put off exercising – in my case for about a decade. A health problem finally prompted me to take the need to exercise seriously and as a result, over a year ago I joined a gym and haven’t looked backed. In hindsight I see I was under-committed to myself, my body and life in general, with a cavalier and irresponsible (and head in the sand) attitude to it all. I too have attended sessions with Danielle Pirera and these have been extremely helpful for ensuring I stay connected with my body and work at my pace, which pretty much runs counter to how exercise is approached in the gym environment.
I agree, it’s a great topic. Expanding on ‘when it all goes pear-shaped’, for me exercise became something to avoid not only when it became involuntary and competitive (at school), but when it was firmly linked at quite a young age (at home, and then in the school environment) to my weight and body image. I recall also hearing it was not OK to not be physical, to simply be still in my own body. Returning to exercise now has been an opportunity to reconnect with the joyful place Danielle Pirera describes – the time when I naturally ran about, jumped in pools and did cartwheels – at my own pace and in my own way, knowing that my innate stillness provides the platform from which I can then move.
This is beautiful Victoria, ‘Returning to exercise now has been an opportunity to reconnect with the joyful place Danielle Pirera describes – the time when I naturally ran about, jumped in pools and did cartwheels – at my own pace and in my own way,’ it is so lovely to have this reminder of how I exercised naturally as a child and the joy I felt in my body, this changed with having to exercise a certain way at school that always felt hard, competitive and was no fun at all. I feel inspired to connect back to this joyful, natural way of exercising.
Angela I can totally relate to all you are saying, it is like I myself wrote this blog! I have also attended online exercise programs with Re-connect Exercise and it has been an amazing experience. I always thought that to exercise you needed to push your body to the limit really until I was red and sweaty, otherwise I would not have been truly exercising! I did not really enjoy this pushy exercise way, and for a long time I did not exercise at all because of that.
I got introduced to the Gentle Exercise classes by Danielle Pirera and loved them straight away. They are first and foremost a lot of fun, making it light and playful is something I learned. I also learned to be moving gently without pushing my body to do something or get the ten of a certain move done. Just feeling what is needed every time. When I exercise in this way in the morning I feel more vital and joyful in my day. It is truly amazing that these gentle exercises make me feel so much more vital then the pushy ones I used to do.
Angela, your blog has been a good reminder to me as I have recently got so busy that I have not given myself the time ‘to honour what I feel in my body’. I have been caught up in getting things done and leaving myself behind. Exercise does help me come back to my body but I am seeing that I cannot rely on it to do that for me. I need to take responsibility every moment to listen to my body and be with myself in whatever I do. When that happens I have less need of exercise as a prop and if I am exercising I am doing it because it is what is needed in the moment not because of what I might get out of it as a result.
That rang a bell, Angela! The pressure I had put on myself to have to do my exercises on a daily base and for at least half an hour killed all my fun and playfulness and the loving will to do it for me. I found myself kicking it off my daily plan very easy as well. Your choice to take small steps first is very inspiring and get’s me right on the floor to start a lovely training session*
I noticed that during exercise, there is still the old pattern that kicks back into gear. I used to have the set routine of reps and counting to progress through the training session. Now days I can hear the one in my head and can catch it at two, stop, feel my body then move again after a slight adjustment. It works a treat. These days I now ensure that when I swipe myself into the gym and hear the noise the machine makes, I make sure I can feel my feet and feel my breath in preparation for setting a rhythm for the workout. It’s great to continually refine the session and know that it may not be perfect, but a lovely evolution and foundation is being laid.
Gill I really relate to what you said here about that feeling of dragging the body along. I have lately been really focusing on placing my feet so tenderly on the ground when I go for a walk – as I had noticed that the quality I was often in made me just plod along with a heaviness and clunkiness in my feet. This shift in awareness and choice of the quality of my steps makes all the difference. walking now is a truly graceful experience.
Angela – what a revelation that it is not the time spent as much as the commitment and connections to ourselves that is what the foundations of exercise is all about. I have always felt I must watch the clock when exercising to make sure it is at least X amount of time – 30 or 45 or 60 minutes – and that always felt so limiting and often like I had to push to get to this magic number. To exercise with the focus being to connect with me I can feel that – while I may take a 10 minute walk or a 2 hour walk, – it will not be with that feeling of the clock controlling the length, but rather my own body letting me know when it is complete.
“The commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise”. Angela this is gold for me.
I Love this Angela, so simple really when we consider that everything needs equal and constant energy – not just the parts in our life that seemingly shout loudest. Commitment and honouring this is the key.
I have had similar experiences with Re-connect exercise classes. I have been encouraged to honor how my body feels at any given class. Recently I was recovering from an operation and decided to join an exercise class with Danielle Pirera, I knew that this would be a very gentle class giving me an opportunity to move my body with tenderness. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the class and how it supported my body to continue to heal.
It’s really great to feel everyone sharing about exercise like this. The truth is that everybody’s body love’s movement and exercise, we were born to explore movement and enjoy our bodies in movement, and this is exactly how it was for the first few years, with fun crawling, rolling, tumbling, cartwheels or spinning in circles, jumping, hopping and skipping. The problem’s only set in when we start to participate in organised sport, usually when we start school, at this point exercise is not longer directed by what is fun and what feels good in our body, but instead is directed by what someone else says we should do and how much or how to obey the rules of a sports game. So we each have the opportunity to re-connect with how much our body loves and craves movement, and begin to call out or point out the lies we have been sold exercise to be, which I see is happening on this comment thread here. Thank you Angela and everyone for starting this conversation and thank you everyone who has shared about the exercise classes I share – yes they are amazing and there is nothing else like this anywhere else in the world. Also I would not have re-connected with this way of exercise if it wasn’t for the inspiration of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine and The Way of The Livingness.
Thank you for sharing Angela, you are right it is about the commitment and connection to oneself that is what makes exercise a loving program, as well as in honouring the body.
I ever really saw exercise in this way before but it makes complete sense. Before training ourselves to move in ways that were pleasing, attention seeking or doing and moving as we were told there was so much freedom in the body of which I have once again felt at times since being introduced to Universal Medicine. It’s like as adults there is not much joy in our bodies movements such as spinning in a circle or climbing up the stairs on all fours just because we can. But just because we have been trained to walk up the stairs sensibly or not be silly and free with our movements doesn’t mean we can’t. Reading you comment here really reminded me of that fun and freedom that can come from just allowing our bodies to move as it feels to. Thank you.
I can put my hand up to everything you said Angela. I used to exercise very consistently but very hard – totally reckless with my body. I have dedicated myself to developing gentleness with myself, so no more brutal hours of hatha yoga (my back is very happy about this).
Problem is I sort of lost the plot with exercise and over the last year I lost my routine completely with work and writing commitments. Isn’t it awful that you become so tired that you then don’t want to exercise and down the vicious cycle you spiral.
I am restoring my love of exercise with the support of a super skilled and aware personal trainer.
I have also discovered the joy of a lunchtime trip to the gym just down the road. It is a beautiful refreshment to my day and fits exercise in at a time my body enjoys.
Ditto that Rachel, a mid-day trip to the gym is great. And like you, I’ve also done the extremes of hard exercise and no exercise so finding a middle ground has been a blessing. I’m going to acknowledge Universal Medicine’s role here – attending Universal Medicine presentations and workshops in which I gradually learnt to connect with myself has been pivotal to restoring a true relationship with my body, and exercise.
Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I assumed (incorrectly) that “being busy” was sufficient to stay fit!
At 44 I was diagnosed with ‘burn out’, followed by chronic fatigue, another reason not to exercise.
Next came the ‘knock on effect’ symptoms…. clearly, I was not honouring my body.
Until, I began the True Movement dance exercises 3 years ago. I have steadily recovered from those early signs of impending ill health, adding a 20 to 30 minute walk each day plus, teaching myself to swim front crawl!
It is never too late to love your body.
So refreshing to approach exercise in a way that quietly asks the body how it wants to move and out of that stillness comes movement. The thought of the trainer yelling over loud pounding music, thumping the body into getting rid of the butt, hardening stomach muscles and shaping that perfect body, I now consider abuse. I agree with you Angela it’s not what you do but how, then movement becomes natural and fun.
I agree Kathy, watching men and women pounding themselves in the gym is sometimes challenging, and I have noted in the decade since I was last in a gym how much more extreme exercise has become, particularly in terms of what I see people do with weights. The music is a challenge too, as are the ads exhorting people to push themselves, to change their bodies and the like. But I can also attest it is possible to be there and calmly and gently go about one’s business. I can get a few looks as I often turn up looking lovely in makeup – and leave looking the same!
Gentle excercise is the way, the aim is really to keep the body flexible/supple with healthy blood pumping around the body, that is the simple understanding I have. So why do we need to do vigorous exercise, is beyond my understanding. A gentle rhythym of flow is more than enough.
I too have ben exercising with Danielle Pirera (and now throughout the week) for several years and this has completely turned around my attitude to exercise. I now look forward to exercising, not because it will make me skinnier or relieve stress but because I really enjoy connecting with my body and feeling it as I move. It is a constant exploration and discovery of myself! This way of exercising supports me throughout my day.
Thanks for the inspiring blog Angela, I too have difficulty committing to an exercise rhythm but keeping it light and fun and setting 2 sessions, 10 to 15 mins twice a week feels doable, setting a good foundation to build upon as you feel ready to.
When I exercise daily, it really supports me to stop and reconnect with my body, and feel my body as I do each exercise.
I have noticed that with my regular commitment, I have developed a new rhythm, and even an allowing of giving myself the time to exercise each day, is like giving myself permission to do something that feels good and supports my body.
For me, exercise is not a chore, or about loosing weight, I do it because it feels great and has an effect on my moods and how I live each day.
Great blog Angela, having recently also committed to regular, gentle exercise I can attest to it helping me feel stronger in my connection to myself throughout the day! And much the same as when I have done the Gentle Breath Meditation my day feels more spacious on those days I have exercised, even very full days!!….an invitation for me to exercise daily? I think so!
I feel very inspired by your article, Angela and it confirms many things I have always felt about exercise. Never to take it too seriously but to always allow in it on a regular basis, no matter how short….just being aware of my body stretching as I hang out the washing can be of value to me. Yet I too, tend to let regular exercise go when things become too busy and I put it off til the next day and so on. Luckily my rubber band of harmony pulls me back and it’s only ever a few days now before my body tells me to get moving….and to make time for me to do so is easier than I realise once I commit to it. Thank you.
I see people where I live, regularly cycling up and around the Canyon and they look like they are in so much pain as they cycle up the hills when we drive past. My kids often comment on how hard it looks, the muscles on the backs of their legs look like rocks as they push and push. What you present here is the complete polar opposite and feels much more honouring. I know which form of quality of exercise I’d prefer, thank you.
Absolutely brilliant to know that exercise doesn’t have to be pain-full, scary or feel like punishment.
As a former swimmer, runner, triathlete and later, mountain bike rider, exercise was always something that I had to mentally prepare myself for, generally involved pushing myself and always involved a level of disconnecting with my body as the pain and discomfort increased.
After attending courses with Universal Medicine, I have changed my focus to be more about feeling my body at all times. This has resulted in me gradually letting go of all of my old ‘exercises’, and spending considerable time, and I do mean years, and effort (with the support of chakra puncture from Michael Benhayon), losing the hardness in my body so that I can feel me again.
It is such a relief to now feel the joy of movement rather than the pain of ‘training’, and how much having a daily routine of exercise supports me in my life
I once said ” I do not need to walk, I am not overweight, it is a waste of time !
How wrong I was and how much fitter and stronger my body feels from regular walks, swims and dance moves.
Staying connected, listening and honouring my body is a priceless gift.
Thank you Angela and Universal Medicine.
Because of having already two slipped discs I have to exercise- besides the fact that I always exercised in my life ( and loving it ) I see it as a blessing “having to do it”- Whenever I am out of bodyrhythm I can feel it and I know what I have to do to come back. It is amazing how loud your body talks to you constantly- having a weakness because of an injury is even emphasising the voice of the body – tuning in, strengthening or stretching the body is like holiday for me 🙂
I still sometimes have a whisper of ‘should’ in relation to exercise and am now able to realise the farcicalness of this. I love to exercise, I love the awareness it develops in my body, I love the respect it sets for myself. So what is that whisper? I feel it is a vestige of the way I used to live, abiding by rules set by society and irresponsible to my body and what was right for me. Working with Universal Medicine has supported me to be my own guide and to respond to my body and it’s needs without adherence to an abstract and disconnected rule book.
Thank your Angela for your Blog. I am still lacking consistency in exercising my body and through your blog I just connected to a deeper level of listening to what my body needs which feels so loving and honouring to this beautiful body and the tender being that I am.
Thank you Angela, what a great message about thinking about exercise in this way. Not making it about rules. I have been inconsistent in the past with exercise and always could never understand why, because when i would do the exercise i would always feel so great. But your point about it being about ‘how’ you are doing it, less about how long and how often really resonated with me and been a great reminder. Thank you!
Thank-you Angela for your article. I to have been to the Re-Connect exercise classes and have found them to be very revealing of the way I used to exercise. Danielle Pirera demonstrates a different way of exercising which is being aware of how she is feeling at any given moment, she gives us all the support we need and also reminds us to not necessarily follow what she is doing but to stay connected to ourselves and feel what is right for each of us at that time. This is totally different from the way I have always exercised in the past and far more satisfying and fun and a lot easier to commit to. What I also find amazing is how when I exercise in this way how energising it is.
What a lovely reminder you share to keep exercise light and playful – I know I’ve gotten caught up in the apparent seriousness of it before, and really given myself a hard time if I haven’t kept up with a certain fitness program! I love hearing how you have used your routine to support yourself, it’s inspired me!
It is so awesome to read your blog Angela. Approaching exercise in such a self-honouring way to me changes its nature (or what I thought ‘exercise’ was all about!) entirely. I have experienced some of the same feelings as you describe.
How many of us don’t even start to exercise, because of such pressures as you’ve spoken of, needing to do a 1/2 hour every day (in order to be justified to just ‘begin’!) for example?
I can really feel how honouring the body feels, and you yourself feel, on any particular day sets such a beautiful, loving foundation for exercise – one that can only inspire one to make it a part of our lives, without it being an arduous feat of endurance!
I love the bit about what exercise routine is doable for you. I haven’t really considered it like that before, great article.
I started to swim more regularly recently, and found myself really enjoying it and feeling better, and yet in the pool I still found myself swimming faster or longer to be seen to be able to do it and I had to ask myself why, what was I trying to prove, to myself or others? I realised that swimming for me is therefor a great opportunity to stay focused just on me, an exercise not just of the body, but of my ability to not compare or push but to focus on what feels right for me.
Thanks for sharing Angela. I too have found that exercising in connection in the way it is presented through Re-Connect Exercise, is a totally different way of exercising than what I have done in the past that not only supports my body during the exercise program, but the quality developed within the exercise carries through into all aspects of my day. The connection to my body that is developed within the class provides a foundation from which I can then take that into all of my daily actions. It’s so simple, choosing to connect with our bodies as we exercise. This makes such a difference to the quality of the exercise and therefore the quality of how we live our lives.
Angela, i love what you have shared and have found this to be true in my own exercise routine, It is completley different to anything I have done in group exercise before, actually it is groundbreaking in its approach. So off to do some connected exercise now as I am so inspired by your blog!
This is such an inspiring post, thank you Angela. I too have attended on-line exercise programs with Danielle and have found these to be incredibly supportive – in a way I never thought possible from exercise. I used to abuse my body with intense exercise regimes and long distance running – as a way to manipulate and control my body into a certain shape. Exercise classes with Danielle provided me with the space to really feel where my body was at… and to honour that. In my most recent program with her I was surprised to feel the joy and playfulness that is there in my body to be expressed. Every session left me feeling deeply connected to myself, clear and energised for the day ahead.
Thank you Angela, loved your blog! I’ve been doing exercise classes with Danielle for a few months now and the change in the way I am with exercise is incredible. Exercise used to be all or nothing for me – intensive training 6 days a week or periods of doing hardly anything at all. Every time I came back to exercise I felt it had to be a certain way – there was a set amount of time I had to exercise for, I had to push myself to a certain level, feel a certain amount of pain afterwards, feel great when I’d done a session and hard on myself when I missed one – and exercise was always for an outcome. But with the support of Danielle and everyone else in the classes, I now have such a freedom in the way I exercise – there is no set formula, no pushing thru – but a connection to how I am feeling and what will support my body that particular day. Sometimes its weights, or a walk or a swim – anywhere from 15 mins to an hour – whatever fits with how I’m feeling and what I have on for the day. At times I even miss a day and it’s totally fine – I may feel a little more tired but there is not beating up on myself because I’ve set up such a strong rhythm that I know I can come back to it the following day. I have so much fun with exercise now – I love it and my body loves it too!
Hi Angela, I loved reading your blog . Your discarding of drive, trying and struggle from exercise and a commitment to make it about connection and presence is a joy.
Once again my exercise commitment has slipped somewhat but reading this blog and some of its comments proves to be the support I need. Thanks Angela and everyone
I fully concur Kevin and Angela, my exercise routine was not that consistent either, I mean by that it was not daily part of my routine. And by reading the blog as well as some of the comments, I have felt to support myself in stepping up and integrating consistency in exercise into my daily routine. Am working on it …
So true Angela, connection with the body brings a different quality to our exercises, which is very different from how we are taught exercises are to be in general. When in connection with the body, we simply wish to move in ways which support ourselves, so there cannot be over-exerting or harming of ourselves. Consistency comes also from connection, doesn’t it ? And how supportive it is to have amazing programs like the ones offered by Danielle. Your article has inspired me to now feel deeper of the connection to myself, not just a connection with the heart, but also a connection with the body.
Great article Angela. It’s great how deepening our commitment and consistency in one area in our life allows us to deepen it in other areas, or exposes how we have room to deepen them further. I have been going to the gym for light weight training for the last few years and I find my consistency comes in waves at the moment. I will be very consistent for a few months and then something changes in my life and it sometimes throws my consistency out. It usually takes a bit of time to build the consistency back, but these days it is taking less and less time to get the consistency back on track! Those inconsistent gaps between the consistent peaks are getting smaller and smaller. At least I can say that I am consistent in my inconsistency, haha.
Thank you Angela for highlighting the key is commitment and after attempting to start a program for myself this is definitely what flagged up as being missing, though it was in other areas of my life too not just in regards to exercise! Eventually after working through this and introducing a short exercise routine into my day I am now loving how this supports me through the day.
When I exercise, my body loves it, my being appreciates it, my soul bathes in it. When I let the exercise rhythm slip it is incredible how different I feel. When allowing the body to move in connection it is like having wings again. Thanks Angela for making the point about consistency and commitment, a great reminder to develop this further.
“As I commit to my exercise rhythm I am experiencing more and more how this supports me in all of the other things I need to do in a day.”
Me too Angela. I’ve recently started exercising gently on a regular basis and am amazed how this simple decision seems to have had a beneficial effect on so many other parts of my life. Amazing to think if all the choices we make have this power, what more can we do and be?
I can totally relate with Angela. I too struggle with feeling pressured to do a certain amount of exercise, instead of feeling what is needed for me at the time. I have recently started an online exercise program too and I am loving the time I spend actually doing it for myself and how much more fun it is to exercise and to feel how beautifully the body moves. Love it!
Giving up on exercise seems to be the first thing to go when we are busy and it can slip away; yet it is the thing that supports our body the most. Why we do this is interesting, and I find it is a great marker in how I am looking after myself when I notice this is slipping, and a great way maybe even using the weather as an excuse. It is also a great way to bring myself back into feeling me again, and the support of my rythmn is really amazing with this. Great article Thank you
Thank you for the reminder. I can get caught up in the mind-set of wanting to do so many reputations and exercising for a certain period of time. But what is important is the quality and the connection with myself.
I love how exercise supports me in my day. I used to exercise to control my weight, get fit and look fit and toned – it was a mission and I used to push myself through running and gym sessions. Now, I walk most days, go to the gym maybe twice a week and have an occasional swim. I feel each time what it is my body feels like that day and by doing this, after exercising i generally feel great…it’s like my body says ‘thanks for that, now I can do what I need to today’. So now exercise isn’t a chore and has no outcome to it…i love it and just go at a pace that feel natural for me on the day.
“In this, I’m learning more and more that exercise is not about what I do or how many or for how long, but ‘how’ I do it.”
Great observation Angela and something that I feel could be applied to every area of our life – its not about what we do but how we do it, the quality of energy that we are in and how connected to our body we are.
That’s so true Rachek, it’s all the same, the way we exercise, the way we work, the way we breathe, eat and sleep. It all comes back to what’s the quality!
I love the simplicity of your blog Angela.
A simple thing like exercising regularly, to what your body is asking for is so powerful.
Unlike my previous way to exercise which was to push and strain myself without connection to my body which always resulted in injury because I could not maintain it.
Great article Angela! I can relate to finding that if I don’t exercise, somehow I feel more tired and feeling less inclined to do it! I have previously (years ago!) used the gym, swimming and Tae Kwon Do with the intention of getting fit and losing weight ; it helped a little with weight, but the gym and Tae Kwon Do both were an especially hard and intense way of exercising and many times left me feeling drained of energy, not to mention really sore the next day sometimes! My way of exercising now is completely different, in simply connecting to my body and moving gently, whether walking, doing (light) weights, being in the pool, or stretching, I have a whole new experience… exercise that I enjoy, exercise that doesn’t leave me tired and/or sore, and in terms of weight loss….it was unintended as I had no agenda, but weight fell off! I love feeling how my body moves when I exercise now!
I have felt this recently too Susan, ‘I have noticed too that exercising regularly actually makes me feel more energised’, I went swimming for half an hour yesterday and felt amazing, I loved that I had made time for myself to exercise and I felt so well afterwards, light, playful, energised! I was surprised at how well I felt and feel inspired to make this a regular thing.
Having done loads of weight training over my life, I enjoy going to the gym as much as anyone else. ‘Gymming’ now for me is still something I love to do, but completely in reverse to how I used to. Once as a way to forget the days stress or build big muscles, now I simply magnify a chosen gentle quality to reconnect to and with myself. The long and short is I still lift weights and row etc, I just do so with the intention to walk-out with no result in mind. Rather just a much deeper sense of self that happens to be getting stronger and more connected via the higher quality of my routine.
Thanks Angela, I love what you wrote… After doing classes with Danielle, I too discovered through movement, rather than taking me out or away from myself, i could use movement to re-establish the connection to me. Exercise has taken on a completely different approach now.
A great blog Angela, thank you for expressing it so clearly. I have learnt and am still learning to listen to my body what it likes and what it does not like, and to be aware how it feels the entire time I am doing my exercises. Going to the Gym used to be like ‘doing it as fast as possible and to get out’. There was not really any enjoyment in it. Now I am finding I look forward to going and really feeling into what my body enjoys and also expressing to my trainer my changing needs as I learn and trust to listen more and more.
Danielle Pirera’s classes have been a great source of inspiration for me and my body too. Never before have I experienced such honesty and integrity in a fitness instructor. Danielle walks her talk by demonstrating utmost care and support for her own body throughout the session, while also supporting us to do the same. This is supporting me to un-do years of hardness, guilt, judgement and pushing-through-the-pain that I’ve associated with exercise. And I am absolutely loving feeling the joy in my body as I reconnect with how awesome, strong, capable and open my body is.
I will shortly be 58 and I have never felt more gorgeous, sexy or fit in my life. I too got inspired by going to a regular class led by Danielle Pirera to develop my own personal exercise program. It took a little loving discipline at first to overcome a life time of resistance to exercise, but now I absolutely love it and so does my body!
Just recently I have found just the same, my exercise programme has fallen away. Thank you for this inspiring read Angela, and for allowing me to appreciate what is going on. It is true that exercising actually can help us in feeling more energized, something I had chosen to forget, of late.
Up until I started Universal Medicine, I associated exercise as a chore and not part of a rhythm. It was a penance for anything I did to my body that wasn’t great. But on the flip side – I know I ate more and led a much more indulgent life ‘because I exercised.’ So it was actually more harming for me to introduce these 2 extremes and have no balance between the two.
But now I have experienced Universal Medicine, exercise and how I eat and how I am are all related.
If I am supportive with how I exercise, I make better food choices and better lifestyle choices. A constant and enjoyable lived way.
A good 30 minute walk a day is great exercise, if that is not possible, then try 3 ten minutes walks throughout the day.
When you go to shopping, park a reasonable distant from the supermarket and then walk the rest of the way.
Great for body and mind.
‘I noticed that the busier I was, the more I was neglecting my exercise rhythm and routine… and the longer the gaps were between exercising. To add to this, I was also feeling more tired – which seemed to exacerbate the desire to even do any exercise in the first place, even if I did have time!” Words from my mouth to yours! However, I’ve noticed when I say, I’ll just do 5 minutes, I begin and almost always it turns into longer as I enjoy it so much. It’s like my body takes over and I enjoy myself.
Thank you Angela – a great article on exposing the myths around exercise having to be a certain way and something to just do to lose weight, look toned, bring relief after a hard day, etc. Instead I have found it can be a support for me as I go through my day.
I need to set a side a given time on a daily basis to do my exercises, this being subject to other more pressing commitments.
Sometimes I think I cannot be bothered to do them today, and when I do them, how great I feel after.
I have been bordering on taking prescription medication for digestion problems for many years.
Since making a commitment to walk for 30 minutes everyday; no digestive problems, more energy and
better general health. Discipline, commitment and love are the keys.
That’s fantastic Wendy, thank you for sharing this, these are such great benefits of walking from that commitment and love.
Such a great blog, exposing just how much of an illusion about the body and exercise I have been operating under; that working my body like the automaton it isn’t, isn’t the way. When I really think about it, I see it for the self-abuse it often is. For what is currently prescribed, held up as exemplary, is not gentle and supportive of biomechanical longevity. Speaking from decades of experience through the fitness fads, fashions and the numerous personal trainers I’ve worked with through them, true fitness isn’t what I’ve been led to believe it is. You sum it up for me when you say ‘how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result.’
It is interesting to observe the excuses we come up with – at the moment it is deep midwinter in the UK – dark in the mornings and evenings, the weather is cold and damp and my body feels stiff and all I want to do is curl up under my duvet and keep warm – hibernate. I know that if I exercise – just a little bit – my body will feel less stiff – stretching gently, moving muscles gently feels lovely. Walking on my lovely pink treadmill in my light, centrally-heated house means I can feel my body moving without getting cold and wet. So why don’t I do it? I spend hours on my computer and then have to rush to get to work, having left no time for me. The other day I realised that there are a few self-loving things I do every night before I go to bed – put cream on my feet, hands, face. I clean my glasses. Most nights I read a page or two from one of Serge Benhayon’s books. These are little habits I have developed over the years, like brushing teeth every morning and night. So my next move is simple – like Angela says – just aim to do ten minutes one day and see how that feels. I know it will build on itself and the commitment will develop from the action. Just do it.
I can relate to the hibernating when it gets cold in the UK and I hate going out in the rain and wind but just recently we bought a treadmill and I have been playing with ten minutes a day and to my surprise I did feel less tired, even on the mornings when I hadn’t slept that well. For me being consistent is key.
Very well put Carmel. Yes these winter days can make me want to hibernate and not move much! And yes we can do plenty at home, it’s just a matter of consistency and commitment.
Angela, I really relate to you saying ‘it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise’. I have found it is the commitment that makes most difference in other areas of life too. I can struggle with commitment, and yet, as soon as I make a commitment and put some acton into following through, boy can it be felt in my body. Its like a little turbo charger is switched on to support me. And the converse is true, when I let go of my commitment, things can seem very hard.
I agree that commitment is the key rather than how hard or how long the exercise is for. It can be difficult letting go of old ideas around exercise that it should be a certain intensity or length of time to be ‘worthwhile’ but slowly I am coming to understand the real benefits of just committing to my body.
I think you made a really important point, when you said, its not about the structure or time you spend on exercise its about honouring your body and how it truly feels in that moment.
“to not make my exercise routine so serious (!) …. to keep it light and playful.” I am so with you on this one Angela – exercise is and feels so much more amazing when we keep it light and playful.
Feeling the importance of warming up before exercising – I did some exercises yesterday without enough warm up and feeling it in my body this morning. It’s great the way our body just won’t let us get away with it, it continually asks to ‘listen, note and take care’ even if we only hear it after the event! Thank you body, lesson learned.
I felt the potential in your words “To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.” So often a fitness trainer can push a client beyond what is healthy or supportive for their bodies, with the aim of results. It would be deeply inspiring to take part in a class where the fitness trainer honours her own body as she does others.
your opening paragraphs are me right now! Putting exercise – so me in essence- to the bottom of the list of everything else that is more important and needs doing “NOW”. But at what cost?? I feel so much stronger and more confident and vital when I regularly walk, do cardio a few times a week, that is crazy to let that slip. It is simply revealing another layer of not honouring what is true and overriding for all sorts of reasons, recognition, stress, tension, but ultimately everyone loses out when we don’t look after ourselves. Great to read this and be jolted back to what is important for my body, me honouring me.
So easy to get caught up with the ” no time ” excuses.
The ‘commitment’ to celebrate and be present in our body is a gift we can give ourselves.
I have also taken part in a 4 week online exercise program offered by Danielle Pirera (Re-Connect Exercise). It was during the lead up to Christmas which is the busiest time for the company I work for, and I was so appreciative that I committed to 2, 45 minutes sessions per week, because it really supported me through what is generally a stressful and overwhelming time. The sessions were early in the morning and I often felt quite tired, on one occasion so tired I didn’t want to do it. However, I did do the session, but took it very gently, allowing my body to move very carefully, being very aware of how it felt and responding to that. It actually made me feel a whole lot better, I wasn’t forcing the moves, I used light weights and did some moves with out weights. Honouring how my body felt in this way was a huge support and left me feeling much lighter, less tired, and quite amazed at the ease with how my body moves when I’m connected in this way. This program really showed me how to decide for myself how to exercise and how it can leave me feeling more vital and support every other aspect of my day, it was a fantastic foundation.
The simple benefits of taking care of ourselves, developing a rhythm that supports all our daily commitments and activities, so simply and sweetly shared. Thank you.
My favourite kind of exercise is to walk in nature, so often my exercise slips in the winter with the short days and the weather. I have been looking at ways of supporting my body during these months – there is lots of inspiration on this thread, thank you.
Angela, your blog is most inspiring. I had the joy of similar experiences with Danielle Pirera’s exercise program and I enjoy the lightness of it. Your commitment of 15 minutes twice a week is gorgeous as it takes out the push, overloading and seriousness of exercising. Like you say exercising on a continuous level is great to reconnect to one’s body when we listen to what our body needs in that moment.
it is really inspiring !
I love what you share about ‘How you do it’ and that exercising is not about how long and what you do. For a long time i have been very tough and strict on myself regarding exercise. I always pushed myself and was very much on the clock so to speak. ‘I have to swim for at least….’ or ‘i have to do run at least..”’. It felt like a failure if i didn’t do sports for a certain amount of time or in a certain way. I never really listened to my body, it was just my mind instructing me what to do. Listening to my body has now become, over the years, my main focus. If my body needs a rest, wants to take it a bit easier (for instance when i have my period), i pay attention to all those signals.
I never ceased to be amazed by how much strength and clarity exercise can bring to my day. For me it would be nothing more than a trick of the mind that would say I don’t have enough time, because exercising always makes the days go more smoothly and tasks are handled more effortlessly.
You make doing exercise fun, light and simple, so different from that it is a ‘should’ or a ‘i have to’ which is very common in society. Your words inspire me, thank you!
I love my daily walk, I like to walk twice a day if I can. But I can sometimes talk myself out of it and I feel worse when I don’t go. So it is important for me to not listen to the unhelpful voice advising me “not to go”, when my body clearly feels better when I do.
As a teenager, I find it is amazing that a 48 year old woman is finding exercise fun and playful, as normally it is serious or for medical reasons.
Thank you Angela for you beautiful sharing on exercise and its importance and espcially the care and gentleness and honouring of it for oneself as the key. This is transformational as to how exercise is portrayed to be as a hard, punishing the more the better to put oneself through and push through however you feel way.
I have been realising that simple loving choices for my body maybe walking ,swimming or gym depending how I feel and what is happening that day is enough with the energy and how i do it.
I always begin my day with gentle movements before I get up and this allows a connection with my body and time for it to release and move slowly and i find this rhythm very supportive for my body and my wellbeing.
There is something in this approach with exercise when I read all these comments where everyone has noticed how supportive it is for them. I too have broken the thought that it needed to be in a gym or in a class where I need to spend a lot if time doing it – I Love doing my exercise daily and feeling what I need to do on the day.
I love re-reading your blog as it reminds me to feel how I am moving my body in all I do, especially exercise. So, not as a chore or as something to tick off my daily tick list, but a great opportunity to really be with myself and feel what’s going on for my body and how it wants to move.
I love this Karin, “to feel how I am moving my body in all I do, especially exercise. So, not as a chore or as something to tick off my daily tick list, but a great opportunity to really be with myself ” . It is true, I know I used to push my body and train really hard, and exercise was not a joyful and loving opportunity to connect and be with myself, but more a challenge as in how hard and how far can I push my body – I had something to prove and if I’m super honest it was all about recognition and achievement and I would exercise as I had to, tick the box, freak out if not …. very controlling. But now I so love feeling my body when I move and exercise and the fun and absolute joy I feel in that, I don’t ever leave the gym exhausted but feeling amazing and so connected to my body.
Having been exercising with Danielle Pirera for a few months I am now at a point where it is about listening to my body and accepting that, having some fun moving and trusting how my body wants to move. This has given me confidence to just be me in all aspects of my life.
Thanks, Angela. I love what you say about keeping exercise light and playful. Certainly I would not have called it that in the past, but now I can actually enjoy exercise by making sure to not put any undue strain on my body, even when I get my heart rate going.
Good point Angela about keeping our exercise light and playful. It is so easy to become serious and heavy about exercise and it can become a chore. It’s possible to have fun with it and simply use it as another way to stay connected with our bodies.
My daily relationship with exercise is always a great point of reflection as to how things are more generally. If I am cutting corners with my exercise I am usually slipping into a pattern of de-valuing myself (knock on lack of appreciation for everything). How gorgeous is life that gives us the next moment to choose differently and call the changes again and again and again.
Definitely agree Matilda. My commitment to exercise is a great reflection of my commitment to life; there are days when I skip my morning routine and the day can then become very lazy… But something I always have to ponder on, is what came first? Laziness or no exercise? Was I already in a momentum of being tired, lethargic and shut down before I went to do the exercise? Amazing how much deeper you can look than just, ‘I skipped exercise this morning because I didn’t have time’.
Such a great point here Susie! I also experience this on the opposite end of the scale as in being ‘too busy’ to exercise and how this can also be a great reflection of how I am in life and how my day feels. I find on the days where I have ‘intention’ to exercise and then skip it because I get caught up in what I’m doing, and then don’t have time to exercise (or at least that’s the excuse!), I can end up feeling resentful that I didn’t set aside this time for ‘me’, and my day generally does not feel the same as when I stick to this commitment regardless of what I have going on for the day. Ultimately, exercise and the quality in which we exercise, offers a great reflection of our commitment to ourselves and to life.
What a great choice it was to visit this blog. I have been going through one of those periods that many activities muscle in and items like exercise can get ignored. It is easy to let the energy take you into complacency and sometimes a little or a big nudge is useful. Reading your blog has inspired me to pay more attention to that area again. Thank you.
As I return to this article, I agree Fiona, as I can really understand what Angela says too about its not what I do or how many or how long but ‘how’ I do it. My head will come in and say ‘I have things to do’ but now my body communicates ‘how about me?’ I can’t do anything if I don’t care for my body and now realise how low it was on the list. This has changed with more awareness of the importance of doing things that support my body, so that I have the energy I need to get things done! Inspirational article Angela.
It is so easy to get up and get on with the ‘doing’ for the day, especially if we are doing it for others, we feel we are being productive. Making a commitment to doing something for ourselves, such as gentle exercises, can feel more challenging and yet, when we do, it helps us to connect within and then the service we offer others is true.
Totally agree Carmel. Isn’t it strange how we find it easy to be motivated to help others but when it comes to ourselves we need a bit more persuading. Taking that first step in making that commitment to ourselves is the hardest one, but once that step has been taken and you start to build on that commitment, it becomes a routine, a rhythm that is now a daily part of you and one that you don’t want to miss.
Thank you Carmel and Tim for prompting me to review my levels of motivation when supporting someone else compared with supporting me.
Thanks for these comments, they reminded me of the real purpose of the exercise in the first place and that is commitment to self. Its far too easy for me to put self aside and rush off to do something, putting the exercise aside at the expense of myself.
Well said Carmel.
Commitment is what feels to be the challenge.
But once we build it into part of our daily routine in such a way that it supports us, then it should feel like a flow and an almost natural action that we do.
That for me has been so supportive and I’ve loved decreasing the intensity but increasing the commitment!
I detected that exercising regularly is fun as it builds strength in the body and I feel more vital.
I’m discovering this too kerstin. For many years previously, exercise for me generally felt like a ‘have to’ and / or because I thought it was good for me, regardless of how my body actually felt doing it, and so there was a drive and push behind it. Although I sometimes still go into this drive, I’m much more aware of it, and overall I’m finding that exercise can be playful and fun, especially when I don’t approach it with an expected outcome in mind, but just allow myself to feel what supports my body.
So true what you have expressed Carmel if we commit to doing something that supports and honors ourselves which helps our connection within, then the service we offer others is true.
This is so true Carmel, reading this makes me aware that I can feel more committed to others than myself and that ‘Making a commitment to doing something for ourselves, such as gentle exercises, can feel more challenging and yet, when we do, it helps us to connect within and then the service we offer others is true.’ A very timely reminder, thank you.
Things got a bit hectic the last couple of weeks for various reasons so let the exercise slip, oh well no biggie, time to start afresh and get back into it.
Had my first session back with ‘Re-Connect Exercise’ yesterday after a two week break as I was solo dad for two weeks and let the exercise slip because I had extra things to do. Although I have a physical job and exercise all day anyway, during the class I could feel how my body felt stiff in places and it made me realise the importance of keeping up with regular supportive exercise or at a minimum the stretching.
Love this comment Kevin, a leaf I’ll be borrowing from your book, there is indeed no point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater, as they say.
I have been coming to a realisation and mental shift when it comes to my approach to exercise. I always saw it as all or nothing. Either exercise every day or don’t bother. Slowly I have realised my inability to commit consistently to everyday exercise is because I’m not pacing myself and building myself up. It’s not that I’m not fit, but that I need to allow myself the time and space to find my own way to exercise. So now I have just committed to exercising a few times a week – signing up to a local circuit training class, and going swimming a few evenings a week. And in the new year working up to some one on one sessions. Suddenly exercise feels easy and not a struggle or a burden, and is no longer a area I can use to critic myself, but instead is an area, like all areas, that is a work in progress.
This is a beautiful highlight, Rebecca. How a simple shift in the way we approach something can change everything. The power of the detail to impact the all. Thank you.
I agree Rebecca! I’ve wanted the results and improvement all at once but as you said once you give yourself the space to truly exercise in a way that is supportive and gentle of yourself then it becomes a truly rewarding experience when you can commit to yourself and the fun you can have at the same time (I love to swim also).
Thanks, Rebecca, for this great comment. Any mental ideas about exercise and what my body ‘should’ be able to do have in the past left me feeling very discouraged. I was never fit enough, strong enough, nor did I ever have enough energy. There was a lot of judgement placed on my body for being inadequate in terms of what I wanted it to be able to do, and I felt I had to push it to make it ‘perform better’. I can see now that I was being unloving towards myself and my body, and by shifting this a whole new approach to fitness has emerged which is building steadily.
When we make exercise a burden it feels like a burden and we can easily resent it – as you say Rebecca the ‘all or nothing mentality’ defeats us immediately. But when we allow exercise to support and build our connection to our body it feels like we can make it a much more achievable part of our everyday, not to mention far more enjoyable.
I found your blog really inspiring, Angela. I am very prone to find an excuse to not do exercise – I have resisted the ‘drive’ that I feel in exercise to a point that is not supporting my body. I love the way you have presented Danielle’s exercise class – it feels so respect-full of the body and the participants, and allows the body to lead the way. I feel that I can commit to two 15 minute sessions a week – that feels manageable and will support me to build a pattern of exercise as a regular part of my life that will be ongoing.
Great perspective Susan, I love that instead of the all or nothing it’s being honest about what is manageable and supportive and starting to build from there. Exercise for me is a work in progress but by having a different relationship with it I can see that changing to be much more supportive and realistic.
‘I feel that I can commit to two 15 minute sessions a week – that feels manageable and will support me to build a pattern of exercise as a regular part of my life that will be ongoing.’ I feel the same Susan, I have really let my exercise routine slip the last couple of months, making excuses like having builders here and not having time, but 15 minutes a couple of times of week is definitely manageable.
Good point Rebecca, find a level that is manageable and start supporting your body with that. The way my body feels when I neglect the exercise compared to how open it feels when I make the commitment is really there to show me the commitment is worth it.
Hi Angela, I can so much identify with: ‘ I was also feeling more tired – which seemed to exacerbate the desire to even do any exercise in the first place, even if I did have time!’. I can feel as you pointed out how committing to exercise does support you and your body to do every thing else you have to do. And to commit to what you feel is manageable for you, (and not push it) eg 10-15 mins, twice a week , feels also like a good place for me to start! Thank you for this timely inspiration.
I agree, start small and go from there
I started exercising and I really enjoyed it, just moving around in my lounge with a couple of tins of tomatoes.
Hi Natalie, your comment did make me chuckle I have visions of you and two tins of tomatoes rolling around exercising! Funnily enough I use a couple of tins of tomatoes when my shoulders are feeling like they need a little exercise and they really help!
Ha, I love this Natalie, it sounds fun – just how exercising should be.
I have been appreciating at a deeper level recently, that swimming is such an amazing opportunity to be with myself, my breath and each movement I make. And it shows me every moment that I lose presence and connection. So, as Matilda beautifully describes above, exercise is becoming an opportunity ‘to know me better’, with the added benefits of strengthening the body at the same time.
I really get what you say about exercise being the last thing you want to implement because life feels busy enough, but that actually exercise can help the tiredness and the busyness be more manageable. I used to swim a lot and haven’t been for ages – your blog has given me more incentive to get back in the pool.
How fantastic that you have an exercise instructor that honours how they feel themselves and she is not pushing through hard to show the class a way. Having worked in the leisure industry for 15 years I can say how rare that is. It is a great way to lead by example as in an exercise class we are far more likely to over-do it than under-do it and this is going to be far more effective in the long run when we listen to what our bodies tell us is enough.
It is true what you say Stephen and was my experience, ‘we are far more likely to over-do it’ than under do it when exercising which defeats the purpose of exercise in the first place which is to give your body more energy, not deplete it by over doing it. And as you point out, what the body appreciates is when you listen to what your body needs and to stop when it is enough.
Thank you Angela for sharing so beautifully about the importance of your regular exercise routine in gentleness and its importance to you.
I also feel the benefits and have made changes and this is constantly evolving ,feels very loving and joyful and a great change from feeling it has to be hard and is now part of my commitment to myself which changes everything and allows me to feel what feels right each day for me.
Thankyou Angela for sharing .
It is amazing how exercise is an area of life many people either go all out or nothing at all. It’s great to read a story that shows commitment to life and exercise, whilst also not losing yourself to the idea that hours of high intensity is what is needed. Thank you for sharing Angela.
Since first reading this blog something sweet and miraculous has happened. I am brushing away the last vestiges of exercise being a chore with an outcome and am enjoying the moment by moment invitations, when I exercise, to know me better.
Thank you for your blog, Angela. I especially connected with this: “This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.”
This connection is such an important part of exercise (and life in general) that I have found gets ignored more often than not in most exercise training and routines. The attitude of ‘pushing through’, ‘feel the burn’, and ‘just one more’ really are saying ‘ignore what your body is telling you’. I have also done classes with Danielle and it is amazing to let my body tell me how much exercise I am going to do today, instead of seeing my body as something I must overcome to achieve a result.
Well said Naren. Yesterday I joined an exercise class where the focus was on short amounts of a variety of exercises, and with each one I could choose which size weight to use, how fast or slow my body wanted to go and how much it needed to pause in between each movement. As a group we did two circuits of the routine and I could already notice a huge improvement in how my body performed the second time round, yet everything had been done gently and for a very short time. The ‘no pain no gain’ attitude that I used to foster certainly got disproved yesterday and has shown me a completely new way to work with my body not against it. Gentle is definitely the way forward from now on.
Great blog Angela. I have also experienced the going to the gym and doing what my body feels right to do that day. In the past, it was you must do so many reps and push yourself. The gym for most of my life was just some guy’s name and a class in school I hated. A few years ago I tried the Lets Get Fit thing at the gym. I lost some weight and hardened up. That kind of drifted away with other things occupying my time. Now when I don’t do the gym I do my own little workout at home. Now when I exercise wherever it is, I do what my body wants to do.
What a great, insightful blog that’s helping me appreciate how I can listen to my body when it comes to exercise – especially around consistency and the quality of my movements. I sometimes exercise but do it in a forced way rather than listen to my body and move gently in a rhythm that supports me. I find when I do do this I may even exercise for longer but I am not exhausted afterwards as I’ve not pushed myself in a quality that actually works against me.
That’s a good point , Karin. When we bring a force into the way we exercise we are actually harming the body rather than bringing any benefit to it so we are, as you say, really going against ourselves.
Yes, I agree, Amina. It is great to give yourself permission to experiment with exercise and what your body enjoys, to banish all the mental ideas of what is supposed to be good for you.
Actually it wasn’t until I started more of a cardio type exercising again that I was reminded how much I love to move in this way – and how much my body loves to move. Often I can spend a lot of my working day at my desk and so this type of exercise feels really supportive.
Fabulous Angela, thank you for sharing how important it is to not exercise according to a set structure but to instead honour what we feel in our bodies. Such a loving way to look after ourselves.
I have noticed that my commitment to exercise has developed and grown over time. I wanted something that would not take me too much time and that I could easily do regularly without compromising my plans for the day. So I started doing push ups, the first day I could not do more than a few push ups in a row which was fine and the same with sit ups, holding on to my leg in order to support my lower back area. I could as time went, increase this as my body naturally strengthened…. Today, four years later, I can see and feel the positive impact it has had on my body just by committing 5 to 10 mins everyday, feeling so much better and more energetic.
“It’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” A very inspiring blog Angela. I can also say that since taking out the ‘must do’ or ‘have to’ from my exercise routine, it been so easy to sustain. When I’ve made it about supporting my body and looking after myself, it does not feel like a chore. Some days I do 30 minutes, others I may only do 10 minutes. Making it about how I feel changes everything and I feel fitter now and more at ease in my body than when I used to teach aerobics.
I’ve also had the experience of staying with the exercise for longer than I might have planned – particularly on a walk or in the pool. Its a lovely feeling to be enjoying the exercise, and not be bound by time but do what you feel.
Great blog Angela, I’ve just started to exercise with a couple of other ladies, we have fun and what is gorgeous too is to be able to see and feel each one of us working to how our bodies feel. I find it lovely to watch another person honouring their movement in this way.
That’s incredible Rosanna, and you raise an important point – exercise can be JOYFUL and fun! It need not be a burden, or just another ‘thing’ you can tick off the to-do list, because exercise offers us a way of both connecting to our body and building a physical foundation so that during the day we feel supported and able to carry out any tasks with absolute ease – therefore how could it ever be a burden? I find that no matter how I am feeling – tired, lonely, depressed, sad – if I create space for exercise I feel 100% better and my body doesn’t feel so hard and stiff.
I enjoy exercise now, I never used to, I found it a bore, I didn’t like gyms, I didn’t like the competition, so many things I didn’t like about what I perceived exercise to symbolise. However, I always loved to walk and I still do but I I have incorporated, stretching, the gym and swimming into my life and it does feel great.
I haven’t taken part in Danielle’s exercise groups, but they sound great. I have developed my own program of exercise where I swim or work out at home with weights. I have had to commit to doing six mornings a week because If I allow myself it would be too easy to bunk off a morning here and there. It has made a huge impact on my energy levels and general body strength. I used to feel the heaviness of my legs when going up stairs but now it feels very different – a lot easier and enjoyable even!
Just as Jeanette shared I too am doing the twice a week reconnect exercise program with Danielle Pirera and I love it. I had a hate/love relationship with exercising, from young age I was told to be stiff and not capable of doing gymnastics exercises. So I never enjoyed it in any way. Growing older I learned to push myself to do all kinds of yoga postures and later on in the fitness club. Never really enjoyed it but wanted to have the perfect body (this was the name of the fitness club I joined as well). Now I start to enjoy feeling me moving my body, doing the exercise I feel to do and how I feel to do it. Now and then I start to push myself and feel how my body responds with ache and contraction. Feeling what my body is asking me is everything I have to listen to, to come back to honouring myself and my body
Beautiful words, Annelies – “Feeling what my body is asking me is everything I have to listen to”. It really can be as simple as that – thank you.
Lately my exercise routine has slacked and the rigid thought of ‘I must exercise every day’ or for a set amount of time just sucks all the joy and fun out of it. Thus I have avoided picking it back up because why would I want to do something that feels like a drain and effort to do? Reading this blog from the approach or angle of supporting connection and feeling worthy in myself to give myself that time sounds much less like a drain and more encouraging to re-turn to exercise. Thank you.
This is a great blog. It busts so many myths about exercise and offers great honouring of ourself and our body. I love what you have expressed. I feel inspired to deepen my commitment to supporting my body in a similar manner. Very inspiring.
Thank you Golnaz, beautyfull expressed.
I always enjoy myself and my day when I start it out with some gentle exercise, it always feels like I am deepening my commitment to caring for myself when I do.
I agree Michelle – even my walk in the morning or evening I consider part of connecting with me and my body. My body loves it.
Very inspiring thank you Angela the importance of true exercise ,rythmn and support for ourselves feels lovely to read.
I agree Fiona, the same has been for me as well, I have been seeing that with exercise is it about ‘how I do it’, that way my body benefits from the exercise. I find that I actually end up with more energy and feel more present and focused throughout the day when i have done some exercise in the morning.
I’ve loved reading your blog Angela. It really strikes a cord with me as I relate to a lot of what you say about exercise. For me it tends to be the last thing I want to put into what already feels like a full on day. Now and then I begin a routine but after a while it soon falls by the wayside as there always seems to be other more important things to do. I’m oh so great with the excuses! I can really feel in your writing how developing this rhythm for yourself has supported you in connecting to and feeling more of what your body has to say. It’s great to hear that exercise can be playful too, and to be reminded that it’s not what we do or how much, but the quality in which we do it. Very inspiring – thank you.
Angela, your words have inspired me to start a more consistent exercise routine as I feel like I have swung to the opposite side of the spectrum after letting go of all the competitive sports I used to be involved with. What I notice is that when I do exercise,
it really gives me more energy and I feel better mentally too, as I have a physical job and it does support me to do so. I love how you have listened to your body and not allowed yourself to be driven by things like duration, reps, or other external pressures. It feels so much more natural!
Yes, Michael, I find different types of exercise support my body depending on the day I have had. If I’ve been sitting at a desk all day, there is nothing better than going for some cardio exercise like a swim. But if I have been very active and feeling physically tired, a nice walk at the end of the day can be just right.
Hi Angela,
Many years I went to the fitness club twice a week and I really went for it! I wanted to have a strong body and a good looking body, so I used a lot of willpower in the exercises I did. Now I know it increased the hardness I had all ready in my body, by wanting to be a superwoman: career, family, spiritual work and sports. All by pushing through with coffee, smoking, the occasional alcohol etc. Since 5 years this pattern has changed. I started to actually feel what my body needed and slowly developed another way of exercising. I don’t push anymore and can actually enjoy more what I do.
I also did several courses with Danielle and can feel that my body gets stronger. I still work on exercising regularly, and yes better to do 10 minutes twice a week than nothing at all! I hardly go to sportclubs anymore, just doesn’t feel supportive for now..
Awesome Simone, I can totally agree, and say that when I was exercising for a type of body, it was never enough because I wasn’t doing it for me and my general health.
“This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” This is such a key point, once we’ve made the commitment to self then the pressure is off because you know you are doing something that supports you. Otherwise you are left constantly feeling a little worse for wear because you know you are abandoning yourself and it hurts. The excuses come but they never replace the feeling of truly honouring you.
This is a really great article busting the myths of how we have believed exercise to be.
Thank you Angela, I really enjoyed reading about the honouring of your body in how it feels each day, and to move and stretch in respect of this feeling, not to push through or override it.
Thank you for sharing Angela, I know exactly where you are coming from as I have found the same as you say: ‘I noticed that the busier I was, the more I was neglecting my exercise rhythm and routine’. It is a crazy trait we seem to carry that when things get busy we stop doing the things that most support us.
I agree James stopping something that can support us like exercise, because we are too busy does not make sense. I did this a few months ago and I noticed how much it affected not just my body but the rhythm of my day as I didn’t have the same focus that I did when I started my day with some stretches.
Exactly James, the more I delay or put off doing my exercises then I also feel the lack of support for my body in the day. To me I can feel the exact opposite is required, – the busier I am the more my body needs to stretch and exercise. Especially when I know the exercises are light and play-full as presented by Danielle Pirera. Thank you Angela great blog. As you suggest Angela !0 to 15 minutes is enough!
Thank you Angela for sharing this, I have been struggling with where to fit my exercise programme in to my day and I have realised I went the overwhelm of trying to do too much. Knowing that it is does not need to be done everyday or for any length of time takes the pressure off trying to fit my exercises in. After reading your blog I am going to start with just a few exercises and build from there so that they become a natural and enjoyable part of my rhythm.
Thank you, Angela a great sharing about exercise and one that breaks through ideas around exercise being about the end result e.g.. for a toned body, to loose weight, to be a certain shape etc. I find the days I go ‘I haven’t time’ are the days the support is more important and this is when I bring more attention to how I am exercising. And then once I have started, the time taken feels no big deal and my body can release and feels more energised.
So true, Julie. When I feel a bit off, exercise falls down the priority list very quickly, but if I am connected to myself and my body I can feel what it needs and simply respond to that.
Thank you Angela, I am currently doing a twice a week reconnect exercise programme with Danielle and you have fully expressed what I have been experiencing with this way of exercising. It is all about HOW you do not HOW INTENSE as Jessica says above. It is totally changing the way I exercise and the way I am with my body. Having never enjoyed the formal very prescribed exercise regimes I undertook in the past, in which I often forced myself to the point of hurting myself to keep up with others, this is revolutionary!
I am actually enjoying learning to exercise in a much more connected way, feeling what is going on in my body as I go and doing what I feel, often something totally different to Danielle which it is very amusing at times and playful, and I am amazed at how much my body has strengthened without the use of force or push to get it to that point. It actually feels gorgeous to be part of the group, each person expressing themselves through moving in their own beautiful and unique way, in their own timing, no competition, and also feeling the connection and support between us all. Re-connect exercise in many ways.
Thank you, Jeanette, it is great that you have brought up this point. When I have attended one of Danielle’s exercise classes, what I have always felt at the end is the joy of doing the class in my own way, and seeing everyone else do the same. It is so liberating and really good fun.
Angela I can very much relate to what you have written and have after about a year of letting my exercise get very sporadic, re-commited to allowing myself to enjoy my own movement through exercise. I love the way exercising can feel like a constant exploration and a flowing conversation, so apart from coming away from a session feeling great I’ve also just spent the best time simply being with me! You’re absolutely right when you say “is not about what I do or how many or for how long, but ‘how’ I do it”
That’s lovely, Rosanna, to come away from an exercise session feeling how lovely it was to spend time simply being with yourself. True exercise is a joyful confirmation that we are in a strong and supportive relationship with our body.
So true Rosanna and Janet, I totally agree. My relationship with exercise used to be under the belief of ‘feel the burn’ and ‘no gain without pain’. As a result I intensely hated exercise and avoided it at all costs. Today I love exercising as I have come to understand it is about a connection with myself first, funnily enough the results I get are far more powerful with no pain and all the gain. Thank you Danielle for supporting so many to connect to what truly loving exercise is.
That is so true Rosanna, the ‘how we do’ can be so delicious. I am really enjoying feeling my body when I exercise and working out gently really supports me to do that. I found gym work was basically designed to make my body hurt, and as I didn’t want to feel the pain, I would not stay with my body while I worked out. I suppose that what all the tellies and loud music are for, to help us distract ourselves from the pain we are causing ourselves it the name of health! In contrast I am finding that gentle, constant exercises enable me to stay with my body, enjoying how the stretching and moving feels and tenderly finding out where my body requires some support, instead of bullying it into submission!
A great article Angela and what you say sounds very familiar as I have noticed that exercise can be one of the first things to miss in a busy day but I have learned that it is the one thing that supports a busy day.
“I have more energy and am feeling less tired, supported by my exercise routine that is teaching me to connect to my body and be more present with Me.”
That sums it up beautifully, thank you.
Another great exposure of the madness of abandoning self when things get busy; particularly as I learn over and over again that the only thing that holds and supports me is to stay fully connected (actually deepen the connection) with myself and then go about my day.
I know that feeling well, ‘exercise can be one of the first things to miss in a busy day”. I’m learning to clock that ‘I’m too busy’ thought and reverse the psychology… using it as a reminder to get up, take a walk or do something active to make sure I stay in my body and don’t get too focussed on the busyness.
I know exactly what you mean that when we get busy, my exercise routine too goes straight out the door. An interesting scenario showing me that I put the world and ‘have to do’ before truly caring for myself.
Angela. Lovely blog. It is not always possible to do one’s daily exercise routines, due to other factors, that may hinder them. Even if you can find 10/15 mins just to do some form of keep fit, you are not deserting your routine totally.
Very true Mike. It is so easy to become rigid in our approach to exercise and give ourselves a hard time when we don’t manage to do what we ‘think’ we should be doing. It’s great to have an exercise rhythm, but we also have a rhythm to our lives of which exercise is only a part. Yes even 10/15 mins of exercise if nothing else is possible is still honouring ourselves.
I’m so inspired to start exercising, I can feel my body sighing with relief.
great reminder, that it is not what we do, but how we do it. I love to move my body and I have always known if I can stay out of my head, everything flows easier. I am working on bringing this flow into other parts of my life. Thank you Universal Medicine for supporting me in my life, and helping me remember all I have forgotten.
Super interesting Susan, you would think that if you exercise you would feel more tired, and if you don’t exercise you would feel less tired – but in fact in my experience and as you have explained, it is the other way around!
That has also been my experience Jessica. When I make time for even a 10 minute session of exercise it gets my blood circulating and I feel more energized. I notice how by starting my day in this way actually makes my whole day flow with more ease.
I agree Debra, I love starting my day with even a small workout, it really supports me keeping a relationship with my body.
I agree a daily short routine really gets the blood flowing and body feeling energised.
I agree Jessica and Susan, when i think about it, it does not make sense that exercising gives you more energy but it is true as I know it does! I can clearly see the difference in my energy levels throughout the day when I have done some exercise in the morning or not.
Very good point, Jessica. Definitely super interesting how it works in ways we wouldn’t expect. Perhaps it’s because our view of exercise to begin with isn’t to gain energy but to tire us out, based on old experiences. I’ve discovered the intention behind the exercise is what either energises or drains me.
To add to this… I know for me now that if I say I’m going to commit to exercise and then get too busy or distracted etc., and miss out on starting my day with this, the day just doesn’t feel right and I don’t feel as energised. It’s not the feeling I had years ago (where I associated skipping exercise with guilt or potential weight gain etc ) however I am coming to recognise this as the feeling of not commuting to and honouring support for me and my body. So for me, when I truly listen to my body and what it need, it’s really a no brainer.
Fabulous Angela – I love how you have presented that it is all about HOW you do exercise, not necessarily HOW MUCH or HOW INTENSE you do it – I think this overwhelms many people, as you say, if you have an expectation that you should have to do an hour or so a day, then this can be great encouragement to give up if you don’t have this kind of time!
So true Jessica, I admit that the thought of an hour or so a day is overwhelming for me and I have a range of excuses before I even start but the way Angela suggests, keeping it fun and according to how you feel on the day makes total sense. Inspirational!
I agree Jessica – it is important ‘HOW you do exercise, not necessarily HOW MUCH or HOW INTENSE you do it’. When I go to gyms I am always amazed how people seem to go crazy, seemingly almost killing themselves on running machines, or trying to cycle to a state of collapse – I would understand slightly if they were training for an event but to put this much stress on the body when you are not an athlete is unnatural for it (even if you are an athlete it is unnatural for it – but you could say it is used to it!). It put me off gyms and exercise but I have come to realise how supportive doing exercise is for my body and how much it supports me at work.
So true James. People pound away on the treadmill, and force themselves to lift weights so heavy that they are pushing well past what their body can naturally do – this can be seen by the fact they swing their whole body to push and shove the weights around.
Also interesting how many people do this whilst transfixed by the television screens or SMS’ing. Hilarious that I have seen someone send an SMS in the middle of a set of push ups – really!
Brings it back to your and Jessica’s point. It is how you do it, not how much.
Thanks, Jessica, this is great – it is all about HOW rather than HOW MUCH. In the past I have set myself a distance, time frame or number of lengths in the pool before I even start exercising, and realise now how little connection to myself and my body there is in doing so. Exercise then becomes a bit of a punishment rather than something loving that you do for yourself to look after your body and strengthen it so that you can enjoy an active life.
I have also enjoyed some classes with Danielle Pirera and they have been very light and play-full which I have so appreciated. Exercising helps me, too, to be more alert and vibrant as I go about my day.
Dear Angela, I find this really inspiring as establishing a regular exercise rhythm something with which I have always struggled. “I am learning how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result” and “This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” I find truly helpful.
Thank you Angela for inspiring me to re-explore my relationship with exercise. I know I feel better for it but I can really relate to it being the thing that gets dropped when I am feeling too busy.
How lovely to hear you reclaim exercise. I absolutely know the game you play in your head around “being too busy” or “not having enough time for exercise”…but in reality that doesn’t stop you moving. The key you say is to work with someone like Danielle to be reminded of the depth of self honouring available and to apply that into a regular rhythm within your day, week cycle to truly support you. What is also interesting is the more of these little “rhythms” we apply then the more our life actually becomes rhythmical which naturally dissolves that feeling of busyness. Love it.
Thanks Angela, what you say certainly resonates with me. I feel I get a lot more out of exercising when I listen to how my body feels rather than going all ‘gung ho’. Your line ‘This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.’ is very true and for me it takes away that belief that I used to have about having to spend a certain amount of time exercising to get a certain benefit.
We (ab)use it as a cliffhanger to not even start exercising to “that belief that I used to have about having to spend a certain amount of time exercising to get a certain benefit.” don’t we?! It is actually simply a choice. To allow the body decide. I’m still hanging there too. Simply saying nothing else then: “I don’t claim my body and offer it, what it deserves to have.” Time to walk on *
I agree Tim. Going all out and ‘gung ho’ brings in a force that can often lead to you over exerting your body leaving you tired and sore the following day making you less likely to exercise the next day, and the next.… Although your intention is to take care of your body the creation of the dramatic highs and lows from pushing your body too much makes you less likely to commit to exercising consistently. Our bodies loves gentle regular exercise that provides a steady support to our body, its that simple.
Beautiful Angela, thank you for sharing such an important realisation about exercise. It is very inspiring, with all the ideals out there on how to exercise and the roller coaster effects that happen, when it cannot be maintained.
I too realise the benefits of exercising in gentleness with my body, and how it makes all the difference and as you have shared becomes an enormous consistant support in my life and my whole body.
A very inspiring blog. It makes so much sense to be connected with our bodies during exercise. At the gym so many people stare at the TV or read while they are exercising. On the treadmills in my gym they have connection to the internet with a fast track to Facebook! All these distractions simply take us away from our bodies and we go into automatic, leaving out bodies to just drag on through with no regard for what they truly need. It feels so lovely to be with our bodies while we are moving, and we have an opportunity to really feel what is needed rather than imposing an exercise regime onto ourselves. Thank you for sharing your story.
Wow, Facebook on treadmills – whatever next?! This reveals that the general incentive to do exercise nowadays is not about connection to the body but ticking a box: ‘do exercise for the day – check’. And so having the internet on the treadmill enables people to tick multiple boxes at once!
Great point Janet – the focus is always on the ‘doing’ – and then we can get to the goal or desired result. That in itself makes it a chore to do.
Instead if we feel what we want to do, keep it simple – perhaps even just a walk where we need no special clothing etc but when you walk stay with how your body is feeling / moving, being aware of the way our feet touch the ground etc – the difference becomes light and fun – there is no goal or end result – just a commitment to self.
One of the developing loves that I have from choosing to now exercise is that it supports me to feel more present with myself and less distracted by the world, social media and technology. There is a humble simplicity in it which allows me to feel my fragility and accept it.
Also the keeping it light and fun is another key area – often exercise can be so serious, and I think that adds to the ‘slogging it out / dragging our bodies along’ kind of mentality that can so easily take over.
yes fun is great, and something I never associated with exercise! But now I am quite silly and playful with my movements and reconnecting more with a childlike inquisitiveness to do with my body and how it moves.
Simon, I agree keeping it light and fun is the key, otherwise it is so easy to put it aside and never get around to exercising.
I am so with you on this one Simon! Exercise should be playful, light and fun. I used to train in a really hard way, pushing my body and being super tough, if the guys could lifts those weights then so could I to, I was never super fast, but I was strong. Now there is absolutely none of that, just an joy and a playfulness even when walking on the treadmill or lifting very light weights, as I am so enjoying being me, connecting to my body and feeling all it shares with me and the magic that is going on – how could I not smile and have fun.
So true Simon. True Movement has taught me how fun exercise can be – a pleasure rather than the slog and drive of pushing myself to the limit.
I agree Angela – my experience too. There is this weird relationship where either a) I start getting tired and stop exercising as too busy which leads to a downward spiral of getting locked into that way of being OR b) that I stay with the regular exercise and the exercise helps me to stay in my body and I get more energy as a result of doing it. And as you say it does not take much to maintain this, just a commitment.
Well said Simon, I completely relate to your experience of exercise, when I stay with regular exercise I certainly feel more energised than when I let it slip.
Me too David. The time I do make to exercise is then something I look forward to as I know how great I feel because of it.
So True Simon!
Gill, “dragging it along” perfectly describes how I used to exercise and it’s in such stark contrast to how I know exercise to be now. It really is transformational!
I can totally relate to the feeling of “dragging” when thinking about exercise – even though I know it will make me feel good during and after, there has often been a lack of motivation to get started.
Thanks Angela. It is a strange phenomenon as you say that when things get more intense in our lives we often leave out or don’t prioritise the very things that could give us the support! When it should be the other way around, that we actually make more time for self loving and nurturing activities of which exercise is an important part.
So true Andrew, it seems we abandon the very things in our life that enable us to deal with the intense parts. Great reminder for myself to ensure that me and my body get a look in too on a daily basis so that I can deliver everything else with some grace and energy.
This is great to read Angela, I have also found that ‘my exercise routine seems to be one of the first things that gets neglected.’ I was exercising regularly until about 2 months ago when I was away seeing family, since then I have let my exercise rhythm and routine slip into very occasional, I notice how I’m feeling more tired in my day from not having this exercise is the morning and I now feel inspired to start exercising more regularly again.
Angela I have also found that gentle exercise and staying connect makes such a difference in how I feel in body throughout the day. I feel a sense of vitality as the blood pumps around the body gently.
I have also noticed the same thing Angela, “That the busier I was, the more I was neglecting my exercise rhythm and routine… and the longer the gaps were between exercising.” And yet when I do exercise in the way you describe I feel so much more energised and open in my body.
Angela, Rachel and others, I have never had a consistant routine of exerciese in my life and my body has been begging me to change this…but I keep feeling too tired or too busy. Your words are SO encouraging to me and what Danielle is presenting, feels like exactly what I have been wanting.
I have found the same Rachel, when I exercise ‘I feel so much more energised and open in my body’. It is as if it sets me up for the day and helps me stay more present and connected with what I am doing.
Thank you, Angela. It feels very liberating to consider exercise in this way, and I especially like the line – “it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.” Like you, Danielle has been a huge inspiration with regards to honouring how the body feels from day to day, and exercising in a way that is supportive rather than the old way of pushing through.
Thank you Angela. Your lightness and enjoyment of your connection with your body is unmistakeable. Exercising from a connection with our bodies is profound. I have had 1 one to one session with Danielle when I was feeling a lot of tension in my body. 3-4 weeks later my body feels much lighter and free-er due to my ongoing commitment to daily exercise. With more awareness and connection, I am able to detect much sooner when my body, or certain movements will lead to tension.
Thank you Angela. Exercise is not to get a body that looks good to others but an essential part of my daily rhythm to keep my body in good working order. On days when I think I am too busy to exercise I feel lethargic and tired. Exercise keeps me alert.
Great point Mary, I am appreciating more and more as I get older just how much gentle exercise supports me to stay fit, energised and well. I know I can ask my body to work hard when needed and feel well when I do, because I don’t tax my body on a daily basis. Gentle and consistent is definitely the secret.
Hi Angela I too have been doing the on line class with Danielle and it has transformed the way I do and think about exercise. We do it early in the morning and it is a great way to connect to the body before going off to work. I have actually reduced the weight of my hand weights, something I would have never thought of before as my old line of thought would be to keep increasing it. I do quite a physical job so exercising in this way is very supportive without causing any extra unnecessary stress on my body.
Yes Kevin my previous experience of personalised exercise programmes has always been both the weight and the repetitions increasing as time went . This certainly is different
That is quite amazing to hear Kevin, that you have chosen to reduce your weights instead of continuing to increase them and push your body to do more. It just shows the power of gentle regular support and how much this contributes to our daily energy levels and ability to perform well in our jobs. A very different approach to the exercise industry today, this blog and comments showing the possibility of a new way forward.
This sounds AWESOME I want to do that exercise class. I don’t neglect my exercise routine and rhythm because I haven’t even got one !!! Very inspiring thank you for sharing.
Wow – this looks at exercise in a whole new light! How many of us have heard ‘no pain no gain’ and have been advised to exercise for results. With every trainer I can remember – I set up from the start what I wanted to achieve or change. So at once a physical goal is set. It was never about listening to the body – it was about pushing through.
That is the experience I was used to and what I allowed for several years.
To read this way of exercising Angela – in listening to the body and making exercise part of a rhythm – feels very supportive to me.
My body responds best to commitment and consistency. It was never the intensive short lived workouts that helped me – and now as I listen and respect my body more and more – I feel very committed to a never ending program that is part of my cycle – not for a physical goal – but to feel more of my body, more of a connection, and maintain an amazing rhythm.
Great point, Hannah. I have been driven by the ‘no pain, no gain’ mentality in the past aswell, and actually not only with exercise but life in general. I also love your comment “My body responds best to commitment and consistency”, which reminds us that it is the relationship with ourselves that really matters.
Great point Hannah I always ran away from the ‘no pain no gain’ exercise and generally have done too little exercise in my life. Listening to the body in order to honour what it does need is a learning in process. Great blog Angela.
Thank you Angela, this blog is most timely – it is very easy to let our commitment to daily exercise slip and then to beat ourselves up for ‘failing’ to do anything, which is counter-productive, because then we will do even less for longer. I have a beautiful gentle toning and stretching program worked out specifically for me by Creative Health and Rehabilitation and I know that commitment and consistency is key to our ongoing health and wellbeing, but so is going gently with introducing it. I find your approach and attitude to your own exercise regime inspiring, and a lovely reminder to honour how our bodies are feeling in each moment.
Your comments are timely too Carmel. I knew it was time to re-read this blog as my commitment to exercise has slipped recently, despite reminders by my bed as I get up and go to bed! To see your words, ‘a beautiful gentle toning and stretching program’ reminded me that I have just that but hadn’t seen it as such! Coming back to me and my commitment to a regular routine is the gentle nudge I needed. An inspiring blog Angela.
Angela what a beautiful sharing, I too have found how gentle exercise, while staying fully connected with my body, supports me in all ways throughout my day.
Awesome blog, Angela. One I can relate to very much, since I also started recently an online exercise class with Danielle. Just like you, I also experienced it is about connection to the body first and about the quality of the movements, not the amount. I was surprised how much my body loves the moving every single time, even if I don’t feel like that at the start. Great way to start my day, makes me more aware of my body all day. And this brings more joy and vitality in everything I do.
It has been very rewarding for my body to do to the exercise group with Danielle, it is stronger and feels more powerful like it matches more what’s inside me.
Your article has helped me so much Angela. I’ve been thinking of starting an exercise regime, but keep putting it off as I don’t know when I will fit it in. Your sentence – “However for me, committing to 10-15 minutes, 2 times a week is something that is manageable and a great place for me to start.” – I’ve been thinking it has to be more than an hour session and more than twice a week. Thank you for sharing.
Natalie, I had exactly the same response. I have been feeling the lack of exercise in my body, but had been unable to overcome a belief that an exercise program had to take a fair bit of time and be quite intense, or it wasn’t worth it. I can see that this belief is quite entrenched, and I love how this blog is shaking it up, rattling it around and disturbing it. It is time to let go. Thank you Angela, I will investigate some manageable options.
I agree Catherine, Amina and Natalie. When I started to listen to my body and its craving for exercise, I thought: “I can’t fit another thing into my morning” but letting that thought go and allowing the desire to take more care of my body and the will to build a connection with my pelvic area (which felt very numb and tight!) I went for it and have not looked back since. All the time is there and it is no extra strain but actually a joy each morning. Even if I wake up feeling groggy and awful, my body still wants to exercise and after a few minutes I often feel revitalised again.
Natalie I was putting it off for a long time too, but then one of my practitioners suggested to start with a 10 minute walk – that’s it for about 2-3 weeks, then slowly add some light weights for 3-5 minutes for another few weeks and then a few sit-ups and finally a few squats. This is around 15-20 minutes max. Now I have created a pattern, some days I have less time so will just walk, others I will add the other bits on. It feels so simple now and no pressure on myself. If I am tired then I give my body a rest. My arms have strengthened and body toned, without any pushing, just making it fun for myself.
Great Amita – you have inspired me, I want to start my program now!
This is what I have found so vital in my exercise Amita is like you say it builds up a a pattern and a rhythm that takes place every day, I have found that is everyday routine is what provides me such a solid platform for the rest of the day and everything that will come
That is a great point Natalie and one that I will consider too. We don’t need to go for an hour at a time, little and often can work miracles. Time to re-consider my daily rhythms and get some gentle workouts slotted in there.
It is incredible the difference making the time for exercise has on your whole day.
I agree Natalie. This is so supportive taking small steps and building on a strong foundation.
I used to feel the same Natalie, thinking that I had to spend at least an hour exercising to make any difference, made it harder to commit but realising that I can exercise to how my body is feeling and not have to push myself, gave me the encouragement to get back to the gym and maintain a regular routine.
Just perfect Angela, a beautiful description of how exercise should be looked upon. I’ve never been drawn to a gym for the reason that there felt like a necessity to commit to ‘x’ hours every visit, or that I had to do ‘x’ sit-ups every time – it was never ok to do only as much (or as little) as I felt necessary. The whole gym culture I felt, was to ‘do more’, ‘go harder’; but as you say it is up to us to honour “feeling how I want to exercise on each particular day”.
True Frank, I too have found the gym culture “to do more” and “go harder” quite daunting. Now that I choose a lighter form of exercise I feel more alive, like my exercise is getting me charged for the day whereas exercising hard left me worn down and tired. I can feel now how my gentle exercise is about a reconnection to my body, and a great marker of how I’ve been living.
The gym was a place where I mimicked others, trying to do as well or better than them, then there was yoga and there too a milder form of competition existed. I pushed my body until the day I tore a muscle in my thigh. When I started gentle exercises with a Universal Medicine practitioner I was told my body was very hard. I have since abandoned any ‘violent’ exercise and try to keep to my routine of gentleness. And it is so true there are days when I just want to lay on the mat.
Angela you continue to inspire me! I did exactly what you said, aimed for half an hour every day and promptly admitted defeat… I totally get its not what or how long but just dedicating some time to only feeling your body, it’s powerful stuff!
It sure is Rachael. In the past exercise has been a ‘should do’ so I was set up for failing however well intentioned my efforts were. It’s made such a difference making exercise about connecting more with my body and just allowing myself the freedom to do 10 minutes a day if that’s all I feel.
Yes Heather me too. Exercise was always something I should do and it made me do it less and less. But if we make exercise about connection with our body and taking the pressure off set time frames I found it allows an open space for how much exercise you really feel to do.
I love your honesty Rachael as to me this is the starting point in being able to make a different choice next time. In the past few weeks, there have been times that sometimes I don’t have the 15-20 minutes to exericse that I would like, but I know I have say 10 minutes and then I just commit to that… not beating myself up for not doing longer, but just enjoying the 10 minutes I do have. To me, the most supportive thing is working on my consistency.
Yes that makes sense to me, I no longer do beat myself up for not making time for exercises, but I can feel my body needs it very much and is calling for it. Even when there is no time to go to the gym I can respect my body doing some stretches and hip rotations and bending down to feel my spine – just simple moves right at the moment when I can feel tightness in my neck or back. But in the same time I do look at my rhythm why have I not allowed time for a workout, and this feels honest to me.
I agree, and not beating yourself up if you don’t do what you have set an expectation to do is also a big one for me – you have inspired me to get out my mat.
I know I am to exercise but at the moment I am finding excuses because I have this idea that I have to do 20 minutes every day and I know I am setting myself up to fail so then I don’t bother. To do, say 10 minutes twice a week sounds much more realistic for me and as Angela says “… the most important thing is working on my consistency” – this is great to read and a beautiful confirmation – thank you.
I have done that so much in the past, including but not exclusive to aiming for doing hours of exercise, but also with food and many other aspects. I have approached these goals with the right intentions, to get fit or to be healthy, but I hadn’t addressed a true way to live – dedicating time to being myself instead of just doing more and more things.
So true Jessica, I can relate so much to this blog Angela, this way of cutting out first my exercise and me time instead of addressing a true way to live – dedicating time to being myself – awesome reminder, thank you so much!!!
Cutting out exercises or going for a walk can be something I do as well when I go into busyness. While all along my body is talking, asking, sometimes screaming it wants to move in a loving way. My body love to exercise as long as I keep feeling it and stay present while I move.
Thanks Angela for your inspiration.
well said Jessica!
I love this Rachael. ‘ it’s not what or how much but just dedicating some time to only feeling your body’ this is such a supportive and nurturing way to approach exercise.
Anne-Marie great point, since doing some new exercise classes I’ve most certainly noticed a big difference as before it was about doing fitness to tick and box and make myself feel better, whereas using it as a way of connecting and doing what feels supportive for my body is another whole level.
It’s great what you say here Rachel, it’s all really about commitment, not really to the exercise but to our selves.
I am finding the ongoing commitment to exercise just keeps feeding me back. So much so that the choice to not exercise isn’t even there.
Angela great blog, I really enjoyed how you’ve not made exercise about doing a certain amount but how you do the exercise that is most important – sounds like much more fun!
Hi Angela, Reading your blog really brought home to me, the difference between when I listen to my body and offer it the exercise it feels to do, or override that feeling and distract myself with things I need to do! I know it helps me, and your line, ‘As I commit to my exercise rhythm I am experiencing more and more how this supports me in all of the other things I need to do in a day.’, really said it all.
I resonate to what you have said Judy and the phrase that jumped out for me from Angela’s inspiring blog is ‘commitment and connection to myself’. Also, to do what feels right for me on any particular day, 15 minutes instead of half an hour, or only twice a week. So many options, it is difficult to find excuses to resist listening to my body, however busy I may be with things I need to do!
Lorraine that was the phase that also jumped out to me “commitment and connection to me”. Angela shows how simple it is when we commit to ourselves first.
Judy you have reminded me have how often I choose to over ride my body with things to do rather than feel firstly the support my body needs with exercise to “get those things done.”
I Agree it is definetly something we can learn from, “The body is a marker of all truth”
This is so true Ariana, and we can begin to feel that committing to exercise like this supports us to commit to life.
Yes Danielle and Ariana, I agree that it is a form of wellbeing for my body, which extends far greater beyond the class, but actually supports me to be more light, joyful and vital within my day. I feel great, and therefore the invasive negative thoughts in our day can be seen for what they are, and called out more easily, as we have this marker in our body.
I can feel this very strongly too, that when I am committing to exercise I am committing more to life. I feel I am completely dishonouring my body if I don’t give it at least a 10 minute stretch in the morning. This blog has most certainly re ignited my commitment to exercise.
That is exactly what I have to learn in all aspects of life and not only for exercise, listen to my body to know what it truly needs.
I love this Ariana “It (exercise) has become a way I care for myself.”
Beautifully said Ariana – a truer way to care for ourselves is listening to the body and caring for it completely – exercise is just one of these facets of true love and care.