We’ve all heard the advice for optimal health: 150 minutes a week of physical activity. Every couple of years the number changes, but the message is generally the same. And whenever I hear this kind of directive, I immediately think about the fact there is no one size fits all for anything.
We know we need to move our bodies, but how often does a doctor or scientist tell you how important it is to breathe, to meditate or pray, to feel your emotions, to do what lights you up, to have fun as a way to move your body for optimal health? Because if we are talking about longevity, we have to talk about ourselves in totality. Our physical body is not all there is to being human.
It’s up to us to listen inward for the answers to what our mind, body, and soul need to function optimally.
Personally, I was never someone who loved the gym. I didn’t like getting onto machines that someone else had dripped all over. I didn’t like the smell. Or the pervy guys who would watch me in the mirror. I really didn’t like how I felt while I was doing the Stairmaster or lifting weights. It didn’t feel good. So, I just thought I didn’t like to workout. However, I was active. I went for walks. I took my kids to the park. I vacuumed and dusted. I danced when no one was home. And for me, that was the type of movement that lifted my soul.
Then, I discovered yoga. At the time, I was in college and I had a gym membership I hardly used. I felt so guilty about it because it was so expensive. I remember the sales guy talking me into an annual membership knowing I would never use it. One of my friends was diligent about going and every time she’d ask me to go, I had some lame excuse that somehow justified my lack of discipline. And made me feel like a loser.
I remember the day I did my first sun salutation. It was in performance art class. The teacher would have us go through three sun salutations at the beginning of every class. It was the first time I ever remember consciously breathing. How crazy is that? It wasn’t until I was 19 or 20 that I even realized breathing was important for health. Anyway, I’ll never forget that class and I’m forever grateful to that teacher because thirty something years later I’m still going. No more excuses. No more feeling like a loser.
I’ve taken some breaks for emotional reasons, surgeries, and pregnancies, but yoga is the type of discipline that stays with you. Some teachers say it isn’t a work-out, it’s a work-in. And that is the truth. Yoga moves your body, mind, and soul. It gives you a place to put your thoughts aside and just be present with your body. And as the years have gone on, I am so grateful for all forms of yoga from restorative to vinyasa to yoga nidra and kundalini. Each form has its purpose. Each form allows you to access and optimize a different aspect of your self.
I am still down to have a dance party by myself or with friends. Those will always fill my cup. But for me, yoga is the ultimate way to be in flow, to honor the movement of my body, mind, and spirit. And as my healing practices have matured, so has my intuition. It is not uncommon for me to receive very specific messages for myself (and others) in savasana. It is in this stillness that we can hear the whispers of our soul or of loved ones in spirit. But if we don’t give ourselves the chance to experience this soulful, quiet bliss, I believe we’re missing out on true wellness and healing.
Find the thing that lights you up, allows you to move your body, breathe, and feel like you are closer to your essence than you were before you started.
This isn’t a pitch for everyone in the world to do yoga. If it’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. My point is to find your thing. Find the thing that lights you up, allows you to move your body, breathe, and feel like you are closer to your essence than you were before you started. This is the type of movement you will find joy in doing 150+ minutes a week. And it won’t feel like a chore because you’ll know without it, you’d be missing a part of yourself.
Qigong, Tai chi, surfing, dance, walking, pole dancing… whatever it is, find the thing that optimizes your body, mind, and soul through movement and do that as often as possible. This is what wellness is about. Doing things that enhance all aspects of our experience as humans.
What form of movement lights you up?