Movement and Metta
Two daily practices to grow the body and the mind.
Two daily practices to grow the body and the mind.
This site is a prompt to add two practices to your day, with the aim of gradually improving your quality of life:
I'm no expert or guru on these topics, but have spent a bit of time figuring out what works, and what doesn't - and wanted to share the love (literally).
I woke up one day and realised that most days, my body felt stagnant and tired while my mind was worn down and grumpy: hunched over a desk in a mess of screens, news, work, notifications, stress, and stupidity. I was growing brittle and angry towards myself and the world. However, everything I know about the body and mind says things should be flipped around: the body wants to be in motion, while the mind functions best when calm, focussed, and with a little joy in it. So this is my daily reminder to flip things around every moment that I can.
My instinct (and now experience) tells me that if I keep both of these as a daily habit, a lot of other stuff falls into place - consistently enough that it motivated me to put up this site, both as a prompt for myself, and hopefully now for you as well.
The goal of this is to ease you into some additions to your routine in a way that is kind, exciting, and energising for you. It isn't a new burden or grind for you to work through every day.
Approach this as you would any other curious new experience - with fun and a little lightness in your heart. These practices are powerful, but don't need to become an obsession or the next thing you beat yourself over the head with or load into a habit tracker.
I find, after the first few weeks of practice, your intuition kicks in as well - feeling scattered or grumpy? Do a little more Metta. Feeling tired and sore? Get a few more walks or stretches in. Want to get the blood pumping? Do some calisthenics or go rucking. You can trust yourself to know what you need day to day.
Heads up: this isn't about "working out" (though it can be), or grinding yourself to dust at the gym. It's about overall health, energy, mobility, and longevity - all built by adding more movement to your life. It can take many forms, with a focus on moderation, consistency, and sustainability. Be kind to yourself as you get started as well - if you haven't been training regularly you should ease into it to avoid injury, and listen to your body as it adjusts to the change in the level of daily activity.
I'm more inspired by eastern uncles than I am by western gymtok influencers for this one. Aim to keep your joints mobile, your flexibility high, and your heart in good enough shape to support you for decades, and get some sun while you're at it! Working towards bulging biceps and ten chicken dinners a day is nowhere near as exciting for me, and I'm less convinced it's the best approach for overall long-term health.
Another simple hack here is to make it social - joining a run club or fitness class means you're not just getting the physical benefits, but also the social ones. It can be a lot easier to stick to a routine when other people are excited to see you show up, and you'll be surprised how invested they are in your success. It both gives you a community and, more often than not, a bit of a squad to help cheer you on as well.
The benefits of movement also set the stage for the next section - a lot of stuff is simply too hard when you have a tired, aching, exhausted body and a foggy mind - especially meditation. The mind is part of the body, so don't expect much from it if you're treating your body like an old second-hand car.
The mind is a wonderful thing, but can also get caught up in distractions, noise, fatigue, and a steady drip of ill will - towards both ourselves and the world. Metta, typically referred to as the practice of "loving kindness" (more on that in a moment), is a simple way to push back: gently cultivating warmth and goodwill, starting with yourself and slowly widening the circle outwards.
The reason I like Metta is it smuggles in two practices at once. The first is Samatha, or calming of the mind - sitting quietly with your eyes closed, focussing on your breath or a simple mantra until your concentration builds and you feel centred. Once there, you can move on to Metta - or mustering a sense of goodwill towards yourself, and then others. This second part can be a little tricky, so it can help to start with a guided meditation or a class, but it's a great thing to put your energy towards. Technically speaking, Metta is also a typical "object of focus" to use for Samatha under the Theravada tradition.
A note: for my own personal practice, I prefer the interpretation of Metta as "goodwill", rather than "loving kindness". It's a little more aligned to the Theravada interpretation of the practice, and easier to reason with as an object of meditation. "Loving kindness" can get tied up in the concept of love, which is a pretty broad term to deal with. goodwill is a little more intuitive and neutral as an object of practice, which is why I choose it as the focus here.
Metta can sound very woo-woo (I'm definitely no hippy), but the difference in your attitude towards yourself and others with even a few days' practice is tangible. Stick with it even if it feels like it's doing nothing at first.