Momentum and Motivation During Lockdown
The gym is place where we train more than just our bodies
It's a sanctuary in which we can cultivate the energy, resilience and momentum that helps us thrive during the day.
It can be a powerful, experiential reminder of our physical and mental strength, our personal evolution and our capacity for growth.
Being in lock-down can be quite challenging, it can be a little disorientating having a new schedule and way of being to deal with.
Not having access to the gym can add to our sense of loss.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
With a little bit of reflection, creativity and discipline you can build the inner resources and outer environment to help you thrive and grow in these strange times
Reflection
Why did you start training in the first place?
What are your goals?
What would you like to achieve from being at the gym?
These could be physical or psychological attributes, they could just be a way of feeling.
E.G Stronger, more muscular, more mobile, leaner, more energy. Confidence, discipline, personal autonomy, achievement. A feeling of being energised, pushing your limits, honouring your health and your body by moving regularly etc, etc…
If you can get really clear on this why and it's still meaningful you’ll have some fuel for the fire.
For some of us a strong why/goal got us into the gym but then something else took over and (whether we realised it at the time or not) we fell in love with something about the experience.
Why Do You Love Training?
What is it about the experience of hitting the gym that you really dig?
This can take some time to figure out, be patient.
Reflect on what you love about the gym - this is likely to be a combination of certain thoughts (or lack of thinking), feelings or emotions, physical sensations or a general state of being that you experience before, during or after the gym.
Creativity
Once you're clear on why you got into the gym and what you got from the gym you can set a plan to develop (or at least maintain) the qualities that support your why and create an environment that supports the thoughts, feelings and sensations that shape your experience.
Some questions to help this process
What can you with what you've got to work toward your goals? (There's always something.)
How could you replicate some of the environmental factors that shape your gym experience?
What internal qualities can you cultivate in the current circumstances?
Discipline
Creating plan is like drawing a map, you are no closer to your destination until your walk the path you've set out for yourself.
Have a whole hearted crack, do it for a week and reflect.
Did it work?
Do you feel fulfilled?
Do you feel better than when you didn't do it?
What can you do to improve next week?
How can you make this new way of being even better?
Resources - Routine - Rituals
Routine
Consider your priorities - what’s most important to you?
How might you honour those priorities today or this week?
What do you hope to get out of this week or each day?
Recognise that consistently trying for too much is a way to set yourself up for stress and a sense of failure?
You might consider what’s the least I can do and still feel a sense of achievement and honour my priorities?
Have considered the above make a plan for the day or the week and experiment with how it works
Resources
What tools, skills, practices, tricks do you have that help bring you back into your window - a place where you can think clearly enough, feel well enough - to choose what to do next (& that what to do may be nothing)?
Rituals
What can you do before key moments in the day to help harmonise your body, mind and energy with the task at hand?
Intentions to Support Meditation
It’s quite common for our mind to wander during meditation. The instruction when you notice this happens is to kindly direct your attention back to the focus of your attention.
Setting simple intentions before practice can serve as guiding lights for you to stay on your path (and kindly guide yourself back when you fall off.
For one pointed awareness our primary intention might be
”To direct attention to the Om, the breath, the body (whatever you’ve used as the object for meditation)”
The secondary intention could be
”If i notice my mind has wandered I will kindly and gentley guide it back to the breath”.
Just setting these intentions before practice primes your for focus and kind guidance.
Connection
To connect with our own highest values and ideals and express them as often as possible
To connect with our chosen path and step toward our ideal destination
To connect with our resources, inner and outer, consistently
To connect with our past, future and presence
To connect with that space inside of you where you can rest in peace, that space inside where we are all one
To realise that we are all connected to each other and to Mother Earth
To connect with a way of thinking, living and being that honours that connection
To connect with each other and ourselves with an open mind and open heart that we may navigate our challenges, our suffering, our separateness and live peaceful, joyous, flourishing lives.
Intention + Practice = Outcomes
Intention
What are you here for? Do you have an idea of how this session is going to bring you closer to your goal?
Practice
What are you going to practice during the session? Technique, Mindset, Mind Muscle Connection, Strength, Endurance, Energy Management? The gym is a place to practice the things you'd like to become (the coaches are there to guide you around how and what to practice to become that person).
Outcomes
The outcome of one session should be that you’re one step closer to who you set out to become when you started the session. This could mean “I added extra weight to the bar”, “I nailed every rep perfectly”, “I took it easy when my body really needed it”. Almost all outcomes are going to be (at least) supported and (more likely) defined by what you do outside of the gym. Get your rest, nutrition and stress right and your work in the gym will be paid off.
YOU LIVE IN A CAGE
You mind was caged at school when they told you what to think instead of how to think
You desire is caged by advertisers telling you what you need
Your food has been caged by corporations putting it in boxes
The media sells to your fear, ignorance and anger and keeps you caged in these primitive states of mind
Your attention is caged by phones, apps and ads
Your body is caged by lack of strength, movement and mobility
You may not know, it may be invisible to you, but you live in a cage
The exciting and daunting thing is you have the key
The truth the cage only exist if you let it
BE FREE
Zen & The Art of Juggling
Juggling
A practice for clowns, for kids, a waste of time?
Something you can't do?
Meditation
A practice for Monks, for the patient, for the focused?
Another thing you can't do?
What if these thoughts weren't true?
What if these were things that could help "grow" your brain, connect with your body and breath?
What if they could make you feel a little younger, more patient and focused?
What if they were another couple things you can do?
On the Weekend I had the great privilege of attending a Personal / Professional Development course.One the activities we practised was juggling.
The hand and eye co-ordination was obvious, we were told about the science of how juggling helps "grow the brain", but what struck me is how juggling can help meditation.
One of the challenges we had was to juggle for a certain amount of throws.
It didn't have to be throws in a row which meant there was less room for hesitation each time I dropped a ball. It encouraged me to pick the balls up again and keep juggling. The time I could have wasted telling myself how bad a juggler I was instead used to practice juggling.
Meditating on the breath is a lot like this - it's inevitable I will "drop the ball" and loose track of my breath - when I do so I can spend time reprimanding myself or I can "pick up the balls again, re connect with my breath and continue to grow.
Like juggling I can be breathing and noticing how busy my mind is. I can even be thinking I'm no good at this, but as the balls go from hand to hand, as I stay aware of my breath I get better and every now and then I fall into flow, there's juggling, there's breathing, there's a whole lot more but it's not interrupting the flow.
Try this
4 Minutes (2 x 2 minutes)
Juggle with two balls in the right hand - see how many total throws you can get in 2 minutes. Then start the clock again and do the same thing in the left hand. If you drop the ball don't waste time being mad with yourself or considering how bad you are - just pick up and keep going (growing). Write your scores down if you like so you can try to better them next time.
5 Minutes
Sit with a straight spine and focus on your breath. No need to count the breaths just notice each one. If you notice you've stopped breathing "dropped the ball" again don't hesitate - just tune back in with the breath and keep going (growing)
If you do this everyday you will build a new brain and a couple more "Can Do's" if you don't you won't.
Not Lost, But Unfound
“The Bull is not lost yet I search.
Ignorance of my true nature blinds me to his presence.”
Your power to be free is ever present
Waiting to be realised and expressed
A Lesson From the Stars
The Stars have something to teach me
They’ve called me to them in moments of noticing
I’ve heeded the call and sat benief them
There magic is obvious but the spell they are casting is a mystery
The Courage of Compassion
Self Compassion is powerful ally on our quest for self mastery.
Self Compassion leads us to the healing grounds of awareness, acceptance and guidance and away from the often damaging world of ignorance, neglect and self criticism.
From this space we can move forward from pain, suffering, set backs, vulnerabilities and challenges from a place of self acceptance and love.
But it’s not always and easy thing to do.
It takes courage to accept and get close the parts of ourselves that hurt.
It takes humility to recognise that we too suffer, just like everyone else and that we too are deserving of compassion, acceptance and love (even when we don’t really think we do)
It takes discipline and will to break habits that don’t serve us and start ones that do.
Next time your you’r feeling down, life’s not going your way or you know you’re being too hard on yourself have a crack at the below exercise
Your Destiny is in Your Hands
Creative Self Compassion Practice
What you’ll need
2 pieces of paper
1 black pen/pencil
Some coloured pens/pencil
1. On the first piece of paper draw a circle.
This represents you. Inside that circle, with the black pen write or draw phrases, words or pictures that sum up the difficulties you’d like to work with.
This could be nasty or unhelpful thoughts you have about yourself or difficult situations in your life.
There may be many or just one or two.
When you feel you’ve got down all you are willing to work with move to 2.
2. Using the coloured pencils write compassionate, warm hearted kind responses to the difficulties your facing.
These could be emphatic words or phrases ( “I hear you” , “wow, that must be tough”),
advice or affirmations or anything else that feels right.
When you’ve filled the page or feel like you’re complete move to 3.
3. Take out the second piece of paper - draw another circle - inside this circle use the coloured pens to write the essence of the compassionate words you used to fill the first sheet. Fill the circle up or continue to write until you feel you’ve finished then move to 4.
4. Feel the essence of that second circle - try to embody and feel the energy of what you’ve written.
This exercise may seem a little strange and part of you may think you’re above this sort of practice - I strongly encourage you to give it a go if you’re doing it tough.
The paradox of self compassion is often when we need it the most we don’t think we deserve it.
Be courageous.
The paradox of self compassion is Self compassion can appear to be a soft discipline (and there are eliments of self compassion that are soft) but in-bedded in the practice is courage, discipline and a willingness to act.
Self compassion It can be much more productive and whole approach to personal growth, wellbeing and self mastery t
When wallowing in a state of self pity or just being stuck in a space of self criticism it can be can be hard for to step into the healing space of self compassion far from making as soft, self compassion allows us to grow from a space of love, acceptance and kindness.
as opposed from ruminating and wallowing in a space of self pity, hate and
Intention
What will you do today to honour all you have to be grateful for?
What will you do today to step into your personal power?
To full-fill your potential?
Words have power - they can fuel and inspire action - asking your self questions like this every day, setting intentions based of these questions and then following through with what you said you were going to do adds direction, purpose and personal autonomy to your day.
Try this :
Write down three things that you can and will do today that will bring you a a little closer to fulfilling your potential to be a flourishing human being?
Do those things
The Mind of a Meditator Disciplined, Curious, Compassionate, Free.
Meditation can open your heart and your mind to the universe that is you
“I hear you knocking but you can’t come in”
said attention to mind, sternly
“I hear you knocking and I don’t mind the sound”
said attention to mind, curiously.
“I hear you knocking so I open the door”
said attention to mind, compassionately
“The door is always open”
says the Monk, freely
Rise & Shine
"The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but finding something to live for"
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Every morning the sun reminds us to rise and shine.
How will you make 2019 your own?
What you offer 2019?
What will you take from 2019?
This moment is yours
Use it wisely
Wonder, Wander, One
I wondered for a long time
Then I started wandering
Its’ been a wonderful journey
Here’s what I found ……….
Discipline
To be disciplined you need to become a disciple of something.
To be disciplined you need to become a disciple of something.
Something worth making changes for, that compels you to practice what you set out to do.
Something worth devoting your time, energy, attention and focus too.
Finding something worthy of devoting yourself to is a tremendous gift.
Realising your potential to believe in something bigger than you (your small self) can help free you from the petty worries that stop you from being at your best. Devoting yourself to fulfilling that potential can help you navigate life with more focus, clarity and joy.
You'll align yourself with a constant companion that gives your life direction and meaning.
A companion to remind you to rise and shine, to face life's obstacles with a sense of joy, determination and patience - a companion that reminds you to be a be a better you.
Fight to Flow - The Path / Process
Once you have found something to devote yourself too, to become a disciple of, you can set a plan a goal, a path to walk to fulfil that potential, to realise (to make real) that which you have imagined.
With a path chosen the work of practicing discipline begins.
The discipline of creating new habits, making wise choices doing what you set out to do.
At first this can seem like a fight - a fight with your old self, old patterns of behaviour,. A fight with distraction, set backs and doubt.
Fight with courage, focus, patience, perseverance and compassion- these qualities will grow stronger with practice.
When you win this fight consistently enough over time there's less resistance and eventually the fight becomes flow.
Your discipline will have taken you to a new stage - a step closer to fulfilling your potential, a higher foundation.
As the Island of our Reality grows the shore of our potential Expands
From a new foundation the view of your potential broadens and new opportunities for growth present themselves.
Now’s not the time to be complacent - confident, yes - you have won many little battles and levelled up in life. You are now the commander of your ship.
Just don't let this new found power weaken you.
Continue to honour the practices and behaviours that have brought you to this point, enjoy wholeheartedly where you're at and who you've become, reflect honestly on where you've come from and expand diligently into your new potential.
The destination of Life is the Journey
Once you get comfortable with this cycle (if you do so mindfully) you'll realise that contentment and continued development co-exist and you'll have reached your destination - a flourishing, fulfilled, meaningful life.
Be sure to enjoy the ride
Breath to Energise, Focus and Recoever
Do you believe you have the power to control your state of being?
To tune into your enthusiasm, capacity to heal, focus and flow?
These three simple breathing exercises - when harmonized with the right frame of mind - can change your state of being and help you harness your life force.
There's not a lot of difference between each of these breaths aside from intention and intensity so be sure to know your intentions and monitor your intensity
1. Breath to Energize - think about how you breath when you just finished a sprint, a really hard set or some form of high intensity training . Your body is hungry for air and you naturally breath a little faster, pulling in a pushing out large amounts of air. This is the style breathing we can use to energise ourselves.
*Deep powerful breaths in, filling the entire rib cage, encouraging the chest to fill out in all directions.
*Long, full breaths out from the belly. Energetically pushing the "old" air out of your body to make room for the new.
The intention hear should be to fill your body with energy, to warm up the respiratory system and mobilise the rib cage.
The intensity should be quite high.
2. Breath to Focus -if you want your breath to help you focus, focus on your breath.
To do this it can be helpful to breath in a particular way. *Long breaths in through your nose right down into your belly and full breaths out is the foundation *the detail is trying to breath in and out through a slightly closed throat so that you can hear your breath. *The intention here could be relaxed but alert
*the intensity should be just enough to facilitate these two qualities.
3. Breath to Recover and Restore - the simplest breathing technique to recover is deep, slow breaths in through the nose followed long, slow, and full breaths out through the nose.
Be sure to breath into your whole body - belly then chest.
If you can make the out breath slightly longer than the in breath that will help.
A couple of intentions I like with this breath are "breathing in awareness, breathing out tension" or "breathing in let, breathing out go". The intensity is low - allow the breath to be deep and long rather than forcing it.
Each of these exercises invite you to control or direct the breath in someway - but the foundation of all breath work should be awareness - simply tuning in to the normal rhythms and sensations of the breath.
Do this often and learn the wisdom and transformative power of awareness.
Restorative Yoga - the Art of Rest
A practice of Restoration, Stillness and Peace.
Restorative Yoga is series of super comfortable poses, held for 10 - 20 minutes, which help to facilitate relaxation and a gentle opening of the body.
The perfect practice for when your body, mind & soul need a rest.
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder
This beautiful phrase can offer us a lot of wisdom if we let its lessons sink in.
Perception and subjectivity are the bridge between what our senses collect and what we receive - we have more control over this than most of us realise.
The practice of mindfulness can help us recognise how what we perceive can dictate what we receive.
Once we realise this we have a space in which we can expand, open, enjoy and/or simply behold our point of view.
This “truer” view of the world offers us the opportunity to make wiser, more informed and skilled decisions about how we might see things.