Because It Makes Me Feel Something And That Is All
"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness!" Joseph H. Pilates. An interesting quote that at first I didn't like because I thought there's so many other ways one can gain happiness but the more I think about it the more I believe Joseph Pilates may have been on to something. Because physical fitness is movement and movement is body, mind and spirit connection whether you're running, doing Pilates, dancing or breathing. I believe that the mind, body and spirit are connected and can't be separated. Sometimes I'm conscious of that relationship and sometimes I'm not but it's always connected...I also don't think I've ever not been happy after doing physical activity- except once maybe when I felt like I lost my vision in a Barry's Bootcamp class from working so blooming hard- although that still kind of felt good. Recently I've been feeling more creative and combining my love for choreography, Pilates and music and the only way I can describe how I feel when I'm doing it is pure happiness. I'm not thinking oh yay I'm toning my butt now, I'm just moving and listening and feeling.I've always been an intuitive person and find it hard to get my head around science. I enjoy it and am fascinated by it but it doesn't fill me with excitement and wonder like spirituality does. I feel like this blog post is a bit random but it just felt like something I wanted to write about. To get you to rethink the reasons why you move the way you do or why you don't. For me it's about the body, mind and spirit connection and movement for me is so much more than science, it's art.Many of us separate our lives and don't see that everything is connected. We try and fill our lives up with so much to fix ourselves. Booking PT sessions or classes to create a lean body, meditating or getting acupuncture to relax our minds because we are so stressed. Of course I do these things too and love them as tools to help me feel better and balanced but they shouldn't just be things on our to lists.
I went through years of writing "meditate today" on my to do list and it stressed me out! It was another thing to do. Now, I found a way of making meditation just part of me; it just happens. Meditating for me is when I feel something or nothing but definitely something. I know that makes no sense whatsoever but it might happen when I'm listening to music, cooking food, laughing with my best friend, dancing, doing Pilates.Physical activity is movement and movement is a pathway to becoming more conscious. Conscious of ourselves and working towards restoring the balance. Whether it's a physical, mental or spiritual imbalance that's going on, when we balance out one how can the others not be affected.Movement just makes me feel something and that is all. However corny that may said, it's true and that's what will forever keep me moving. So don't get stuck. Please don't get stuck. I got stuck for a bit not because of an injury or anything physically going on but because I was stuck mentally and that stopped everything in me and my life flowing. I couldn't find space. We need space in our bodies and our minds to feel free.When I dance and move and flow, I feel like I'm creating an experience and that's the best total body, mind, spirit workout I've found yet. Watch my first little flow here. I'm going to keep developing this idea and hope to be able to teach it or maybe not. Maybe it's just something I do.
Find something that really is an extension of who you are. Not another thing on your to do list. Then you'll do it, not because you want to but because you have to, for your happiness and for you to feel something.
Love, Lottie x
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