"I want to live where soul meets body." - Death Cab For Cutie, Soul Meets Body
December 12 – Body Integration
This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
(Author: Patrick Reynolds)
I was going to skip this one but Erica wrote something thoughtful about the benefits of yoga and Tiffany's response was short but brutally honest and together that gave me some inspiration.
Like Tiffany, I don't think I achieved much, if any at all, mind/body synergy this year. I had that on the regular for about 4 months in 2009, though. From mid june until about Thanksgiving I was deliberate with my intentions about taking care of both my mental and physical health. I was eating right. I was doing yoga. I was working out consistently. I lost nearly 30 pounds.
Then I started feeling myself. Then the holidays came. Then some heavy shit went down right at the turn of the year. And, then, wow, I was off the wagon.
I stress eat. Always have. I was stress eating like a mug during the first part of 2010. I was still working out relatively consistently but food choices are way more important for my physical health than anything else and the veggies disappeared.
This is actually more common than that other scenario from 2009. I either am eating right or I am working out. Rarely can I get my ish together to do both at the same time.
That's a goal for the 2011. I'm hoping that co-habitation leads to better habits for both of us and not to us becoming bumps on a log. My commitment to that is to keep us motivated and exercising. I got a sobering reminder of that tonight when Wii Fit told me I was a fat fat fatty with bad balance, a stiff right leg, and weak arms. I'll beat you Wii Fit. Damnit.
The third prong on this Body Integration (I kind of hate this phrase) bit is something I have tried to do daily in the last third of this year -- regular meditation, focus, and centering. I've been lax in following through on this lately as well.
I need a return to the morning rituals. To breaking down the big things into attackable portions.
And, to doing all of these things at the same time.
In 2011, I want to maximize what I can do by taking advantage of the whole me. That's about a settled mind, a strong body, and a stomach full on leafy greens instead of greasy things.
Maybe the next synergy product I should develop and enhance is staring me in the mirror.
