A Spiritual Exercise

I exercise every day. It has become a habit, a positive addiction, and a part of my routine. What I've also discovered is that it has also become a spiritual experience for me. Doing certain types of exercise gets me in touch with my body and stimulates parts of my brain that are spiritually connected. I like to run long-distance (I am training for a marathon), mostly because for that time, I feel free. My mind is able to wander and usually, I find myself talking things out, playing out scenarios and visualizing future events, making myself more comfortable with myself and what is going on in my life. What I realized during my run today was that I am not only talking to myself... I am talking to God.

I like to go to church but I also strongly experience God outdoors, in nature. To me, that's where He lives and it is where I feel most connected to Him. I love to run outside for that reason and am lucky enough to live in southern California where I can be outdoors all year round!

I also feel a spiritual connection when I do BOSU exercise. My husband, David, teaches a great BOSU class at a local gym twice a week and I take his class every time. Exercising with the BOSU Balance Trainer (view it at www.bosufitness.com) gets you so tuned in to your body! It's hard to let your mind wander because of the amount of focus and concentration that adding balance challenges to exercise requires. The best way to "go inside" during this type of exercise is by closing your eyes! You get to experience the way your body moves and learn how to control it. Also, eyes-closed balance training requires a certain level of trust, of believing that you won't fall, that you will be okay in any situation, that you can always open your eyes or step off of the dome if you lose your balance. It reminds me that in life, we always have a way "out" of situations - we just have to FIND IT (as David always says in class)! He is a great teacher and I love learning from him.

Daily exercise keeps me balanced. I feel different on days that, for whatever reason, I can't exercise. Back in 1997, I studied abroad in France and lived with a wonderful French family for 5 months. While there, I ran every day that I could, something which is somewhat of an anomaly for the French! I remember my Host Dad telling me that I am a different person after I come back from a run. I'm not sure whether it was a compliment or a criticism but I do know that he was right!

Moving my body keeps me well balanced, not only physically but also spiritually. I need to have that time everyday in order to stay even-keeled. It's the healthiest way I've found to stay balanced and grounded.