For me, being physically healthy adds to my my spiritual health. Being spiritually healthy and the facets of that process occurs and is maintained differently for different people. There are many avenues to creating and sustaining a connection to spirit and everyone has their own brand or might not even call their practice spiritual. And some people are repulsed by the word “Spiritual”. It’s a huge trigger. I know it was for me in my teen years. I was raised by two agnostics, at best. It was clear that to my parents the world “God” was shunned and people who believed in God were weak.
As a child, I believed what my parents did. The belief that there was nothing greater than me to rely on and that I must fend for myself in this world. This tested my self esteem and ability to function. I feared death and I feared life. I felt alone and disconnected and depressed.
It wasn’t until some tragic events happened in my life, that I became open to the idea that there might be something more to the world than just me against the world.
And with the feeling of desperation, I became willing to explore different versions of spiritual beliefs and practices. This process took me to different types of religious institutions and to talk to all sorts of people who had all sorts of beliefs. Finally after years of searching, I feel that I have found my spiritual practice both with in and through my actions. Kindness and love are the guide and I work actively to sit with my fear and look for support from my inner God and my community to transmute my fear. I ask for help when I am lost. I ask through prayer and through phone calls and texts to wise friends and they do the same with me. We remind each other that we are not alone
Exercise and dance are definitely a huge part of my spiritual practice. Exercise releases my anxiety. It allows me to work through my frustration and fear. It gives me focus. I also often have to sit with sensation that I do not find pleasant, but the end result is joy and physical growth. It’s totally worth it, but sometimes when I am fatigued or just feel like vegging, that when I remind myself that I am growing that muscle of sitting with discomfort and that like all other sensations, this too shall pass. Furthermore, I will feel better for it.
Sharing my support to others and noticing how wonderful my clients are is also part of my spiritual practice. I get to show up and help others feel the satisfaction of working out and over coming their fears, self doubt, and self loathing. Not only that, but they are healthier and happier because they are getting fit or growing in their fitness. When people feel good about themselves they are more likely to do good for the world. So I am part of the answer when I show up for my clients.
Additionally, I offer scholarships to those who are in financially tough situations. I can’t give one to everyone, but doing this makes me feel like I am giving without expecting and that brings me joy. That aspect of my spirituality is a little selfish in a way, but I can roll with that for sure. Being connected and having purpose feels so freakin good.
Dance is a whole other spiritual experience for me. When I dance I often feel like a conduit of love and creativity come through me. It’s often transformative. I get that high from moving my body, exerting energy, sweating and getting those wonderful endorphins going as my heart pumps moving and I utilizing my muscles. It transports me to such a wonderful place within and makes me a much nicer person to be around.
Additionally, it’s a gift I have been given. Everyone has their talents. Dance is definitely one of mine. I feel almost carried and like as if something greater than me is moving my body half of the time. I feel inspired and ecstatic. I know how lucky I am to have this gift and every opportunity I have to dance I do not take for granted.
This brings me to the last thing I will mention for this post. An attitude of gratitude, builds on its self. When I work with clients who struggle to incorporate the amount of fitness into their lives they would like, I bring them back to the truth. Everything they do towards their health and fitness is better than if they had not taken those actions. For some clients it is only an additional 5 minutes a day of exercise to start or even taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking an extra half a block, instead of parking closer to where they are going. Ever action big or small counts. I personally try to write a gratitude list or I sometimes will go back and forth with my husband and share what we are grateful for in that day. Sometimes I do a ” I am proud of myself because” list. I even started a page of Facebook called A Year of Gratitude. I started it about 7 years ago, so it’s been for more than a year and people still post what they are grateful for regularly. Building on what is right, builds that gratitude muscle and makes the heart happy. And so does writing this blog post.
May you be proud of what you did today. May you move a muscle and notice what you did right and may you feel purpose and connection to whatever your spiritual or nonspiritual belief is.
With love,
Amy
Fit Spirit Personal Training 