Foundations of Fitness

As another Spring comes to the New Haven Guilford, Connecticut shoreline area, the anticipation of moving our lives toward outside activities in our work and play builds for many of us.

Now, more than ever, fitness professionals are growing conscious of how important creating overall balance and proper movement patterns is as a foundation for the body to do what we ask. So many alarming articles in mass media would have us believe that we are weak, vulnerable, and in need of so much support and caution to get through our days. My experience is the opposite. We can and do tolerate incredible stress in our bodies, often in unconscious or ill-advised ways, before the tolls become apparent.

Within the tensions, aches, and nagging injuries that beset us are messages and solutions. These messages are always there but often ignored, masked, or misinterpreted. It is common for these lessons to be learned only in retrospect. Yoga invites us to humbly and compassionately accept our present experience and limitations as the basis of our growth back to wholeness. With fearless and compassionate awareness, we may create the best chance to responsibly transform our limits into strengths and our distress into growing peace.

Foundations of Fun

We may be able to run marathons, trounce the opposition on the tennis courts, or beat our own "best" numbers in any endeavor we choose, but if we can't do these things without pain, we are not truly fit. If we find we are wrestling to accomplish the essential tasks of our working or family life, we are likely not fit and undoubtedly not well. Something needs to happen to restore healing and balance to our lives. Although nothing can make us bulletproof regarding the difficulties and accidents of life, paying explicit attention to our experience is a strong foundation for recognizing our imbalances and vulnerabilities and taking positive action in response. At its core, Yoga is all about paying attention, and Yogis believe ultimately, the answer to how we need to respond is within us.

Foundations of Freedom

Though the support of a teacher, therapist, medical professional, or wise friend can be crucial at times, ultimately, on the path to wellness, accessing our inner wisdom can be the foundation for re-creating and sustaining an active, enjoyable lifestyle. With its amazing repertoire of healing practices, a conscious and skillful Yoga practice can support creating a body and mind that can responsibly enjoy this and every season.

Growing in skill and wisdom, we learn to respect and respond more positively to the messages we receive about being fit and well. Yoga, at its core, is about paying attention to our bodies and minds, and Yogis believe that the ultimate answer to how we need to respond is within us. It's a powerful tool for self-awareness and self-healing.

An excellent operating principle to orient us away from fear and toward healing is that through acceptance, understanding, and creative action, we have within us the instincts and wisdom needed to grow toward more enjoyment and ease in our life's journey.

This principle is not just a theory but something I witness in action daily as my clients and students accept greater responsibility for the journey of their lives and well-being. It's about embracing our present experiences and limitations and using them as a stepping stone toward growth and healing.