What is fitness? Part II
By Leticia Trejo
Is being in shape something you can see?
Of course, the very word «shape» answers the question, we see shapes with the sense of sight therefore we will associate this concept with the shape of the body. If we are slim and with noticeable muscles and a low percentage of body fat surely they will tell us that we are in shape, but in abstract concepts shapes are also intangible, but not for that reason non-existent. What I mean is that we can also apply this concept to the mind, it is intangible, but it exists, and there are its problems, its crises, its potentials, and its capabilities.
Within the philosophy of the sage Patanjali (Gonarda, Kashmir India year 256 B.C.) in the Yoga Sutras are described the activities (vrittis) of the mind (internal instrument) also described in other Eastern philosophies, since according to these thoughts or currents is there where the afflictions that obscure the serenity, coherence, and clarity of perception are developed. In the book «The disease as a path», the authors Torwald Dethlefsen and Rudiger Dahlke argue that it is the lack of harmony in our mind that makes us lose our health and be sick constantly, a thought supported more and more frequently by prominent scientists such as Dr. Bruce Lipton, The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles, precursor of the study of epigenetics which states that our mind has the power to materialize and change the information of our cells at will. Some sages even say that we have the ability, once in perfect control of our mind, to see beyond it, which is where certainty really exists.
«Belief is mental, confidence is a sense of certainty, conviction is experienced certainty», said Sri Aurobindo.
This profound phrase of Sri Aurobindo lets us see that doubt is mental, duality pigeonholes us, makes us rigid and judgmental: either it is good or it is bad, either it is beautiful or it is ugly, either it is smart or it is dumb, once we are always carried away by this mind game we are destined to reject and feel aversion for the other side of what we have decided as true. This is neither good nor bad, it is simply one of the mind’s activities to «help» us make decisions, but this duality can unleash intense conflicts if we get the wrong side.
Just like improving our physical condition, improving our mental activities, in order to have an efficient emotional management and discernment requires attention and adequate and constant training and also a lot of honesty. If we are able to practice self-observation, leaving aside criticism, comparison, qualification and judgment we could realize if, as the Buddhists say, our thoughts are productive or unproductive. But the mind is like a bullet train, its activity is intense, agile, restless, and fast as its task is to solve our day-to-day, the everyday, and the extraordinary, emergencies and conflicts.
So the suggestions I can share with you are the following: learn tools that help you to slow down your mind, take long and slow inhalations and exhalations, meditate, do gentle physical activity, eat healthily, try to sleep with serenity, and visit a psychologist or therapist with whom you feel comfortable and can express yourself with sincerity.
Open your heart as an antidote to mental disturbance by practicing truth, compassion, tranquility, and non-violence.
Translated by Kerry Watson
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