MOVE

Jamie's question today for Wish casting Wednesday is:

What do you wish to say yes to?

I would like to say "YES" to movement, specifically... exercise. I have a home gym in my basement that has been gathering dust since last winter. I have a tread mill, an elliptical machine, a weight bench, a reclining ab bench, a rowing machine, a trampoline, and a stepper, not to mention numerous balance balls, free weights and workout DVDs. While taking advantage of the weather and choosing walking instead of exercise equipment has been working for me all summer, I have really fallen off the wagon the last month or two. Except for belly dance lessons twice a week, my workouts have been limited to intervening in disputes between a bunch of two and three year old's. It just seems that lately it's just too easy to say "no" to anything requiring exertion. In fact, tonight was the first time I've gone for a walk in two weeks.

But starting now, I am going to rekindle my relationship with my sadly neglected equipment in the basement. Instead of giving it discouraging and guilty glances, I am going to going to jump on and move...well some...one step at a time!

OLD MAN WALKING

This months theme
at
Creative Every Day
is
move
...putting into action,
...mind,
...body
...or spirit.

I tell hubby
I will stop calling him
"Old Man"
when
he stops wearing
old man
socks.
...hubby was a little concerned about my posting a picture of his "virgin" legs.
(Virgin legs - hairless, white legs that don't see much sun)

MINDFUL MOVEMENT

I have just joined the Creative Every Day Challenge whose theme for August is Move! ...not just physical movement like dancing, running and yoga but also movement in the form taking risks, making changes in your life however small, switching things around a little...doing the two step outside your comfort zone, etc.

I then read a very interesting post by Christine over at Bliss Chick who also writes about movement, or our lack of it. We lead a sedentary life style ... do too much sitting when our bodies are meant to move. We sit in school, or at work and then try to fit in a little yoga or other exercise a few times a week to make up for all our sitting.

Even when we meditate we sit. We sit while trying to be one with our body...our body that's built to move. To quote Christine;
"We pontificate about the connection of mind and body, but too often, we are really talking about the mind's supremacy to body. If mind and body are really one, there is no hierarchy and we are missing out on an important part of our spiritual lives when we sit and meditate rather than get up and move."

We need to be more mindful in our daily life, mindful meaning being aware of each thought, each feeling, each happening, each moment...being one with our bodies and with each movement of our body.

I have just finished reading "Wherever You Go There You Are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn on Mindfulness Meditation in an attempt to become more aware in my daily life. His book describes various ways of incorporating mindful mediation into your daily routine, and I have tried several. I have tried sitting quietly to meditate but have found it just doesn't work for me. I can't quiet my monkey mind and being still too long tends to make me feel "down"...perhaps that's why sleeping in doesn't agree with me and I feel so much better getting up early.
For me, it's much easier to focus on "being" while walking, gardening, or painting etc.

My recent introduction to belly dance is an excellent way of being "one with your body" through movement. Each movement is controlled, yet fluid...well at least it should be after I get better at it...at this point I look more like a chicken doing the bird dance.

BEGINNER CLASS
(I'm the pink goddess in the front row)

...I do my best dancing
when no one is watching,

... dust rag in hand,
...the music cranked up
...ecstatic
...yet mindful
movement
...while getting the housework done
all at the same time. ..