Young and Enthusiastic

Exercise is not something that is “in addition” to what we do. It is fundamental. Yoga talks about releasing yourself from your identity. So why does it then focus so much time and energy on the physical body? It does this because the body is the vehicle for our thoughts. It is the vehicle for the obstructions that we have. 

Much of physical yoga is really about learning to sit comfortably. To sit comfortably, you need to do exercises because your lower back or shoulders may be tight. Working on your hips and spine flexibility can help you get to the point of stillness. If you are constantly distracted by muscular niggles, or not being able to breathe properly, it is very hard for your anxieties to fall away because you have fires that keep needing to be fought. 

Building exercise into your daily practice is not the last thing on the priority list for “when you have finished the work that needs doing”. Work normally has the refill option on default. You never finish for the day. You need to look after your physical body and mental well-being to be able to do that work. That can hide and seek you if you haven’t done it for a long time. 

Even if you used to be active, you can blink and ten years can go past since you last raised your arms over your head. When I was a young (enthusiastic if not very talented) rugby player, we used to do those exercises where you spin your arms around. You don’t do that in the office. Suddenly you realise that sitting is the modern day smoking. You can lose yourself at a desk without noticing the cumulative effect of inactivity.