We all know the benefits that regular exercise can do to our physical bodies. But did you know the mental transformation and clarity that you can get when you exercise regularly? Read on to know more about the ways you can get your Zen on with regular exercise.
Be it brisk walking for twenty minutes, swimming, running, or cycling. Any of these activities when performed preferably outside on a daily basis can help keep your mind and body strong, creative, and clear.
To keep the body in good health is a duty...Otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear ~ Buddha
Why do we exercise?
We exercise to stay in good shape, be healthy, increase flexibility, and build muscle. But what about our minds? How do we stretch our minds to be more creative? Same idea. We need to exercise daily. Creativity is a muscle that needs tending just like our physical bodies.
Creativity is not just for artists. It's for business people looking for a new way to close a sale; it's for engineers trying to solve a problem; it's for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way. ~ Twyla Tharp
How to work through an artist's block?
A blocked artist who wants to really recover knows he/she has to move out of the head and into a body of work. For creativity to flow or take action she needs to stretch her mind more than her body.
This is where moving or walking meditation comes in. What it does to the soul is fill the mind well with images that she sees while moving be it the silence around her or the chirping of the birds, the wind blowing through the trees or flowers, or the movement of the clouds.
As she takes in the sights and scenes she feels wild and free and happy. This feeling sets in the tone for the rest of her day and lets her soar above any frustrations that she might encounter during the day.
Life is a series of hurdles, not obstacles or roadblocks but hurdles. When faced with hurdles and challenges, she relies on her mind well to come up with innovative ideas and solutions. And answers do come. They come when she goes for a swim or stride, or when she rides a bicycle or goes for a run.
What moving meditation teaches her is to tap into this inexhaustible reservoir (.i.e. her mind) for creative solutions. The by-product of exercising is that she gets this natural high from moving her body that it starts releasing those feel-good hormones called endorphins.
In his book, author, Joseph Murphy, has mentioned all about The Power of Our Subconscious Mind. Do click the below link to read the review I wrote about this book.
Exercise moves us from stagnation to inspiration, from problem to solution, from self-pity to self-respect. We learn to look at things from a new perspective. ~ Julia Cameron (Author - The Artist Way).
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