An intense weekly workout is as good as a daily exercise

Last week, my topic was death, so  this time my  topic is life.

Life is this wonderful, wonderful opportunity to grow. To evolve. To be. To fly. To give. To love. It all depends on the choices we make.

Life is all about choices. The choices are not only about what we do in this physical world, but about the “space” we decide to be in — from which these choices are made. The why. And actually, the space one is in directly affects the outcome of the activity. If there is a selfish or hidden agenda, it is energy that is felt. In the same vein, if there is no agenda other than to give, the outcome will be very diffeent. The consciousness fueling the activity is key. Do we give in to anger and negativity? Do we decide to forgive? Can we see the goodness in all? Do we surrender to what is out of fear? Or do we muster the courage to do what is right? Choices, choices. Each situation has its own intrinsic variations. What should be non-negotiable is an alignment with truth — with love. Using these as the discerning rudders, one looks at the landscape of life and then travels accordingly.

One may make a choice and then halfway realize that one needs to reconsider. That is fine. Navigating life needs humility and, more importantly, clarity of vision. What are the factors influencing you? Are they kosher?

And if there are “seeming” mistakes, one must make the choice to learn. To grow — that is what life is all about.

Being in the company of people who can help you on your “travel” is critical to the process.  Being fellow-travelers does not need physical proximity. It needs resonance of spirit. I have a meditation group and people I communicate with regualrly via the Internet.

Aspiration is magic. When one aspires from the purity of one’s heart, there is invariably an answer. It never fails. The answer can come in many ways. But it is an undeniable reality that we are not alone. That as we travel on the path of destiny, there are forces there to help us — as much as there are forces that want to drag us down. Choosing to be on the side of goodness and love results in strength because the choices necessitate a muscle of consciousness — a strength of character. Life presents unpredictable opportunities for character “muscle bulding.”

Just yesterday, I watched a film called Silence by Martin Scorcese. It was about the persecution of Christians in Japan. I was taken aback by the cruelty of it all. One was asked to step on a picture of Jesus — or be tortured or worse, members of the community would be tortured or killed. In the end, the priest gave in and stepped on the image just to “save the flock.” As I cringed at the horror of the cruelty, I felt it was the right thing to do. The movie ends very beautifully with the priest on his cremation fire — to be burned — and between his dead body’s hands, there is a tiny cross. In other words, faith is inside. It’s a matter of consciousness.

Life is what is inside.

In this path, health is vital. Yes, it’s what is inside that counts, but there is an integration of body, mind, and spirit. What we eat, how we live, affects what we feel — and generally, how we go about life.

Discipline is important. Rhythm in life . What you do daily, weekly, monthly, annually, a rhythm which will assist your soul in its travels.

In my “travels,” these are the items which I have found vital:

• Food. Food affects our well-being. We need to eat healthy, nutritious food. Drink enough water. This is not a matter to be taken lightly because what we eat gets integrated in our physical makeup — our blood stream, our nervous system, etc. I have an aversion to white sugar, alcohol, foul odor, and smoke.

• Sleep. The quality of sleep is just as important as the quantity of sleep. There is a system called night practice wherein one relaxes every part of the body as one sleeps. Deep breathing — and yes, sleep in divine love. Always positive.

• Exercise. I am turning 64. If one doesn’t exercise, the body deteriorates. You want to live life well. Exercise, especially as one gets older, necessitates will. Because it is so much easier to surrender to laziness and not do anything. When I was on the plane, I read a Time magazine article on exercise that said that a more intense workout weekly is just as good as exercising every day. I took that magazine home. It’s made life so much easier for me. The every day or every other day was reallly difficult so now, I do it twice a week and sometimes weekly, but I spend a longer time.

I am on this flow of love, so I am ending this article with that. Feel the love that’s there. Always. When you can feel it, it increasingly becomes a force that will guide you through life. Stay well and live in love and light.

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I can be reached at hellogina@gworld.ph