Movement is essential to our well-being. By raising the heart rate, it strengthens this important muscle, increases blood circulation and thus oxygen throughout the body. The blood is the transporter of cells that fight infection as well as those that enable bodily repair, making intentional movement inherently healing. The body was made to move (1). But the sedentary lifestyles of modern society are light years away from the miles per day early humans used to cover in search of water, food, and materials for survival. When we do have work that requires movement, it is often repetitive, uncomfortable and joyless. For that reason, most of us would benefit from intentionally incorporating varied physical activity into our daily lives.
Different bodies are drawn to different types of movement. Some thrive on dynamic activities like running, cycling, boxing, martial arts, or team sports, while others prefer moderate movement like walking, stretching, dancing, and swimming – consider your energetic orientation, typical levels and patterns in relation to each of these activities. All of these activities can be adapted to various paces and intensities. Different styles of each may be more dynamic versus isometric. Unless experiencing paralysis, fatigue, or extreme pain, there are usually movement options suitable to your fitness, age, ability, mobility, and pain levels. Explore until you find one or more that suits you.
If standard movement practices don't suit you, try modified versions: moving while lying down, in the water, or in the bath. Even minimal movements – for example, dropping your shoulders, stretching your neck, shaking out and/or circling your ankles and wrists periodically during the day – can have positive effects on how you feel. Try, if you can, to get sweaty; if working out with a friend, if it becomes difficult to converse, dial it down a notch. These are physical signs that heart is pumping at the right rate (2). Pay attention to the sensations in your body post-movement; you'll know an activity suits you when you feel energised and vibrantly alive afterward, even if physically tired. In yogic philosophy, this sensation reflects prana, or life force, coursing through the body.
While different practices value and develop certain qualities of movement in particular (for example, speed, endurance, or precision), three fundamental dimensions are important to note: strength, flexibility, and balance. Each is developed in its own way, over time: strength, through resistance; flexibility, through stretching; balance, through centredness and grounding. Depending on the requirements of a specific activity, these qualities are developed to different degrees. Consider the type of movement that speaks most to you, and what quality it prioritises, as this suggests natural inclinations, and explore expanding your practice to become more well-rounded. For example, if you love stretching, consider incorporating some exercises with weights or isometric holds to build strength. To develop only one quality at the expense of the others is detrimental to your overall physical, and eventually, spiritual health. To develop only strength will leave you unyielding and ungrounded; to develop only flexibility will leave you passive and weak; to develop only balance can prevent progress. Attend to all, for their integration is needed to reach the fullest embodiment of self.
Asana yoga exemplifies this integration, developing all three qualities through isometric poses (strength), calculated stretches (flexibility), and postures that explore weight distribution and engage core muscles (balance). Practitioners aim for steadiness and lightness in the poses, listening to the body’s guidance, while cultivating the mind’s discipline. However, while many begin yoga for physical benefits, it is its spiritual lessons that are truly transformative. Regular asana practice, to which pranayama is core, cultivates mental and emotional steadiness, lightness, strength, flexibility and balance, with the body as teacher. This mindful movement links the energetic body with the physical body through intentional awareness. By learning to turn attention to a single muscle group or joint at a time, take ourselves to a physical edge, and find comfort in the discomfort, flowing with the breath all the while, we hone an important skill for everyday life. The more we practice, the better prepared we are to respond to life’s challenges not with panic, tension, and self-destruction, but with attention, exploration, and love. Yoga philosophy teaches that we have choices in each situation. A regular mindful movement practice helps us choose paths that serve our highest good and spiritual liberation.
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This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional medical advice. Please consult a doctor before embarking on any kind of physical programme.
Notes:
(1) Like the rest of this book, this chapter aims to be inclusive of everyone at all levels of ability, while recognising that some people are differently abled than others. To the extent possible, readers should feel free to adapt these instructions to their particular bodies, strengths and limitations.
(2) What is the ideal heart rate when running? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326361