There are times when a coffee tastes particularly good! Naturally one would first need to agree the flavour of coffee was generally enjoyable - if not, sustitute your beverage of choice and perhaps the remainder of these musings won't be held suspect due to their association with the bean rendered ambrosia, that alternatively might for some represent instead, a scourge.
To begin with I have the luxury and the leisure to be sitting mid-day and enjoying said coffee. I walked to the mall after the recreation centre to have brunch. How opulent is that? I have the good fortune to access the center (having had a light snack first) after walking there, I continued around half the golf course trail and then sat in the woods adjacent to the course. While sitting and contemplating among other things "exercising," I realized both what doing weights and other calisthenics would ask of me and I was hearing from my body "forget about it" - if it helps, hear that as though spoken off the set of the Sapranos. In truth, there is likely little to be gained by demanding of my body a known physical "cost" when it (my body) is attempting to convey an alternative message.
An altogether different paradigm exists whereby a conversation with the body ("checking in") entails a dialogue that invites its participation and brings awareness to what level (if at all) it cares to engage a particular activity. Certainly the concept of "listen to your body" is familiar enough to render it trite and cliche. However I believe that frequently the conversation takes the form of a premise of checking in, but the mind like some sort of despot tyrant, drives the body devoid of anything a kin to "mindfulness" and entirely devoid of compassion.
To be clear I am not employing semantics in order to explain away a "fitness commitment" that might involve various forms of self-sabotage and self deception. The latter is entirely different energy(s) and underlying motivation. I am talking about if one is doing various activities under the guise of being "good for their body" would it not seem reasonable to ask "the body" where it is at and what it feels would currently be of most benefit? A symbiotic cycle of expression/absorption, action/yielding, effort/release, inhale/exhale, talk/listen, contraction/extension exists throughout nature. The culture I'm influenced by puts more emphasis on "doing" than "being," listening can be nothing more than waiting for another to finish speaking, in order to now invalidate what they just said. Given that orientation is it any wonder we learn to ignore the gentle yearning of our own body which can escalate to attention getting circumstances of ever increasing magnitude, which become harder and harder to ignore.
I find it ironic that even "so close to home" i.e. my own body, I can be employing a relationship based in dominance rather than collaboration. In this exists another version of the chicken or the egg conundrum: did "we" (I) first buy into the idea that we were to dominate nature and by extension drive ourselves (myself) further toward "dis-ease" in the form of devaluing and self exploitation or did it begin with the self (and therefore the collective) and then become projected on the world and all its inhabitants? If we are in the universe and the universe is within us, then destruction of any part is destructive to the whole, though I don't believer the utter destruction is enevitable.
From where I sat in the woods on the perimeter of the golf course I considered it was a walk to get home, it was a walk to the gym. I could have easily justified the rigors of a workout with any number of viable notions that range from pep-talks to those that are nothing short of abusive. I chose to listen, really listen and opted for some stretching and active relaxation, my body was pleased and responded favourably.
If you are one that appreciates a good sign to affirm and validate then let it be known that directly across from my sidewalk table, where I sat to scribble this story, is a "sign" that reads "Time to Relax." "See you Soon" (emphasis mine).
A sun warmed seat outside the mall (I had sat inside initially while I ate, but the drone of the mall made it difficult to hear any else but) blue sky, a dollar store journal, pens that bleed ink superfluous to the printed word and the opportunity to indulge myself in all of it, how prosperous am I?
As a final confirmation of the value of listening and trusting what you hear, when I first sat down and began to write I "thought" I heard the cry of an eagle - my mind reflexively was quick to dismiss this given the predominance of asphalt, concrete and adobe patio tiles. I "heard" it again , stopped and looked up, sure enough there was an eagle engaged in flight being "chased" around by four crows. I watched the air show while having my first sip of coffee, a Timmy's dark-roast transformed to nectar of the Gods, listen first, next, a story is born. I resume my writing and once again was called to the song of the eagle, overhead two eagles circled - coffee now becomes a sacramental communion beverage.
And so it is - Amen!
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