Stress presents itself in various ways through our lives. Work, finance, relationships and health challenges can all contribute varying degrees of stress in my life. You may see that as well. But it’s a good life and we prefer to keep most of what it has to offer day to day. So we need to find ways to release stress and view experiences in a way that allows us to avoid undue fatigue and dis-ease.
I believe we can combine increasing mental and physical fitness while lowering stress. When we are unable to find a week at a time on retreat — away from the business phone, fax, work, e-mail — perhaps we can seek to set aside time each day or every other day or every three days to do something physical and reset our minds at the same time.
This is one of the reasons I enjoy swim, bike run, gym training so much. I can get lost in my thoughts while the physical repetitions reset connections between left and right brains. Physical repetition helps clear my head and is healing for the mind and body. This form of meditation is one of the great allures of endurance training. When you get it, exercise can become both mental and physical therapy. It may take a bit of practice to master if you have been overly focused on performance.
For many of us, the idea of getting outdoors and running through a canyon, cruising the coast or inland hills on a bike, surfing, or paddling on open water or skiing, offer opportunities to get lost in our thoughts and reset our minds.
Repetitive motion can produce a meditative state that results in a cleansing of the mind that leads to an inner peace. This is not to be confused with fatigue that makes you numb or killer sessions where focus is on managing discomfort or raising VO2max. I am talking about feeling the wind, smelling Mother Nature, reflecting on the beauty around you; all done at the same time where you get to be physically strong.
It is possible to combine physical repetitive motion meditation with what could be called “access meditation” or “insightful meditation” or “mindfulness.” Let your conscious and unconscious minds wander; ideally without judgment. This has been likened to letting the wind blow away mental clutter. The key (for me) is that when I get out and move I don’t have to be entertained. I just get lost in the fun.
I have done a lot of training in the past alone but I am not a hermit and love to be around like-minded guys and gals. Finding other people who understand provides a great opportunity to do this with others. If you have the right group, endurance training can be a fantastic way to share such experiences. Remember, the physical fitness component of health is often not the most difficult part to manage — managing the mental health component may be the challenge. Ideally, they go hand in hand.
Dr. Kevin Purcell, DC. Dedicated to serving others …