Living in strength gives us no need to wear armor, but the courage to reveal ourselves as we are.

Karen Andes

Did you ever find exercise boring and wish there was some way to make it more appealing? Well, your wish has been granted. It turns out that all you have to do is change your focus. By approaching exercise from the spiritual perspective, you can add an entirely new dimension to your workout, making it more inviting and enjoyable.

Working as an exercise physiologist for over 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce many adults to the joy and pleasure of exercise. From my experience, embracing the spiritual aspect of exercise leads to greater success in making the change to an active lifestyle. Approaching exercise from this perspective can be done through any one of the following five ways:

1. Recognize the miracle of the human form. A close look at the human body reveals some astounding statistics. Consider the following: Our cardiovascular system consists of 60,000 miles of blood vessels, with each blood cell covering this distance in about 60 seconds. This translates to a speed of 1,000 miles per second. On the average, the heart pumps more than 1,800 gallons of blood every day. A single drop of blood contains more than 250 million separate blood cells. Our skin contains 45 miles of nerves, including 7,000 nerve endings in each foot. Our brain contains 10 billion interconnected nerve cells. Recognizing the complexity of the human form allows us to appreciate the miracle of life. Our entire body of trillions of cells all originated from one fertilized ovum. The process of how these cells replicated and differentiated still confounds scientists.

Realizing that the body is sacred, a walking miracle, we are encouraged to look upon movement as a means of honoring that sacredness. Instead of seeing the body as merely an instrument that affords us the opportunity to experience life, we recognize it as a sacred jewel that needs and deserves attention. Movement, then, becomes a way to polish that jewel and let it shine. By focusing on the miracle of our human form, rather than our perceived shortcomings, our workout becomes a time of gratitude and appreciation.

2. Communicate with the body. Our body is more than a complex device that allows us to function and experience life on the earth plane. It is actually a living organism, an intricate communication system, which constantly gives us feedback about our physical, emotional and spiritual health. The trouble is, we seldom listen.

Listening to our body takes focus. Brook Siler, internationally known certified Pilates instructor and author of The Pilates Body, tells us that “In order to make the crucial mind-body connection... you (need) to pay close attention to each movement you perform and how your muscles respond.” When we focus on what the body feels like during exercise, we become more aware of any pain or discomfort. This awareness empowers us to gently guide the body to move in ways that are both enjoyable and liberating. Soon we learn to move with grace and ease, not only during exercise but throughout the entire day as well.

3. Release negative beliefs. Before age six, our young minds are like sponges. If someone tells us we are slow, uncoordinated, difficult or undeserving, we accept these beliefs as true. These limiting beliefs then become “hard-wired” as synaptic pathways in our subconscious mind and we live from that perspective. According to Bruce Lipton in Biology of Belief, “The biggest impediments to realizing the successes of which we dream are the limitations programmed into the subconscious.” The good news is that exercise is one of the effective tools that can help us change these beliefs. In order for exercise to do this, however, we must deeply feel the new empowering belief that we wish to embody.

Let’s say that you have a fear of moving forward in some area of your life. As you exercise, focus on stepping forward with courage and self-assurance. Feel these qualities sink deep into the cells of your body, especially your legs. Debbie Shapiro tells us in The Body/Mind Workbook that the legs reflect the feelings we have in life about movement and direction. As our legs get stronger and we internalize the feelings of courage and self-assurance, we begin to reprogram those old limiting beliefs and open ourselves up to exciting new possibilities.

4. Let your spirit cut loose. We have within us a divine spark that floods our entire being with passion and purpose. This sacred spark is the source of our vitality, our enthusiasm and zest for life. For some of us, this spark has been smothered into tiny embers. Through exercise we can ignite this sacred aspect of ourselves and turn it into a blazing fire that once again fills us with a burning desire to cut our spirit loose and let it soar. Gabrielle Roth states in Sweat Your Prayers that “Once your body surrenders to movement, your soul remembers how to dance.” Surrendering to movement is the key. When we do this, we allow our true self to fully express itself. We then begin to feel more alive and rediscover the joy and freedom of being our own magnificent self.

5. Make your life matter. Exercise allows us to connect to the sacred within our body. When we do this we begin to recognize the sacred within others and within all of life. We realize that we are each individual expressions of a loving presence that runs through all of existence. By honoring our bodies and being at peace with who we are, we are, in fact, honoring all of life and radiated this peace out into the world. Wayne Dyer shares in Being in Balance that “...when you’re being peace, just your presence alone will often nullify the uneasiness and tension in those around you.” Exercise, then, becomes more than a means to lose weight or lower blood pressure. It becomes a way for us to make a difference in the world. Exercising with intention, focus and full awareness allows us to truly become instruments of peace. Move with intention and let your light shine.

Darlene Sowa, M.A., CHTP, is an exercise physiologist and certified Healing Touch Practitioner. She currently conducts Spirit on the Rise workshops and lectures on exercise from a spiritual perspective. She can be reached at darstar1@sbcglobal.net or (586) 979-9060.