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“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” ~ Joseph Pilates

I read that just a few minutes ago and felt I needed to write a few words on this.

I think it’s safe to say every person understands the need to exercise in order to stay healthy.

One thing I have noticed through my experience training in a number of different methods of martial arts and physical fitness styles is that not every one (or group of practitioners) defines “Physical Fitness” the same way … and everyone has a different definition of what exactly is Fitness.

When I was in my mid-20s I weighed between 230 lbs to 250 lbs. This was because I was unhappy with my life and simply ate too much food and drank too much alcohol.
At the same time… I had this over-inflated ego from doing martial arts and thinking I was a tough guy.

It was a miserable combination. I was UNHAPPY.

So that quote from Joseph Pilates really hit a chord with me when I read it.

I was good at doing martial arts… so I got lazy because my ego thought it was great enough that I no longer had to work hard to accomplish things.

I was a fool.

I remember going out for a run back in 2002 when, after going just 2 blocks, I had to stop because my feet hurt from all the weight I was carrying, plus I couldn’t breathe (I was 230lbs around this time) .
I realized at that point… “You Have Some Serious F*cking Problems Dude”.

So… anyway … getting back to the quote from Joseph Pilates:
“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”

How do you define Physical Fitness though? To some people physical fitness is a definition that some State Board of Health or other governmental or medical association gives a rating to… and they think “Oh, that must be physical fitness since they say so.”

I don’t follow other people’s Ideas or Definitions on what is Physical Fitness.

To me… it is: How Am I Feeling On a Daily Basis? I exercise 7 days a week, follow a balanced training regimen that keeps me from over-working at part of my body over the course of the week, eat a Balanced & Healthy Diet with a LOT of Whole Grains and Animal Protein (I also haven’t taken any vitamin or mineral supplements since 1999).

When I told one person I did about 1,600 push-ups in one day, he blurted out (without even thinking first): “You’re gonna injure yourself!”… this was coming from a guy who never exercised. He was making an assumption based on books and magazines he’d read that convinced him that a human being could not possibly do 1,600 pushups.

If you can train every day, not let Office Work drive you crazy, be patient and forgiving to people you interact with on a day-to-day basis (NO YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE JESUS)… I mean, yeah, you are allowed to make mistakes… as Long as you are making a Real Effort and Seeing Results from one week to the next and one month to the next… you are making progress.

When I was 230lbs. and I made the commitment to get myself back in shape, I told myself, no more reading books or magazines on fitness… no more taking bad advice from people trying to sell you one B.S. product or another… I would listen to my own body and judge myself accordingly.

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” ~ Joseph Pilates
… This is True Wisdom.
Believe in Yourself.
By Gregory Soon
http://www.gregorysoon.com

 I’d also like to include a comment I received from Gary David* on the above article:
Gary David at 1:20pm March 20
Hi Gregory. . . First, I notice the leap you made when you realized: “You Have Some Serious F*cking Problems Dude”. I see that as a leap of meaningfulness triggered by facing the affect of shame. Shame can overwhelm, or be a gateway to learning. As for fitness, it is a word that has no general definition. Its meaning relies on the context in which … Read Moreit is used. Same with the words happiness, and body. Here’s my take:
If “body” is used in a scientific way, it is a body bounded by theory. If it’s a body viewed as an object, fitness depends on shape, feeling “good” or “bad” — pride or shame. Its boundary is the skin. The body as actually experienced is a “felt” or feeling body. Its boundary is attention. The degree that we can give interested-attention will determine the extent of what we can feel, and how far the body will “extend.” In that felt body, there are no objects, only movement, change, and other qualities. Fitness, then, indicates fluidity in dealing with change in affect.

* Note: http://www.jennerator.com/movingbodyresources/aboutus_teachers.asp#david

Just wanted to post very briefly that I am back training at New York Aikikai

It’s exciting for me as I had (for personal reasons) left the Dojo back in 1999.

It’s been a fun first 3 days back seeing old friends and training again.  It will take me a few weeks to get back into the swing of things at the Dojo, as so much has changed (but also a lot is very familiar!).

Yamada Sensei has been very generous and kind to me over the years and that’s why I’ve always thought of going back and seeing him again (which I never did until this past December).  He told me to train hard and enjoy the training, as that’s really what is most important.

I hope to train hard, train well, and continue to grow at New York Aikikai, and am very happy to be learning from Sensei’s knowledge and experience once again. 

My Friday night training (Beginner’s Level) is still in progress, every Friday at 6:30pm at Moving Body Resources, I’ll post another update on that at a future time. 

In the mean time, my focus for 2009 and beyond is to train and progress at the Dojo.

Keep Moving Forward!

Excerpt From: http://astro-theology.net:
Kundalini Energy
Kundalini energy, known as Prana, Chi, and Ra-Sekhem, flows throughout thousands of “nadis” or energy channels. If any of the channels are blocked or over-sensitized, a disbalance can arise, causing illness in the mind and physical body.

There are three most important channels through which the Serpent Power flows. In India these are known as the Sushumna, Ida, and Pingala – Muata Ashby (Serpent Power) In ancient Egyptian mythology and yoga these two opposites are known as “Uadjit” and “Nekhebet” or Isis and Nephthys, or the “Two Ladies”…The serpents Uatchet and Nekhebet are equal to the Ida and Pingala respectively…They are both related to the left (lunar) and right (solar) nostrils…The interaction of these two forces…cause movements in the Life Force energy that is available to each living being and supports their practical existence in the physical realm – Muata Ashby (Serpent Power)

Cleansing Ritual (Misogi)
This is known in Sanskrit as the Bhuta Shudhi, in which the elements of the body are cleansed. The subtle body’s cleansing is called Nadi Shudhi. This process is known to take months, years, or even lifetimes.

~~~~ My Words: ~~~
Each Lifetime is a process in which we are here to clear the karmas of past lifetimes, in other words, clearing out negative energy that we have built-up through our past lives.

In Physical Reality, an example of Stuck Negative Energy would be Obesity… people consume too many calories (energy), so the energy builds up as fat because the energy has nowhere to go. Too much of this fat becomes useless and accumulates and causes health problems such as heart disease.

Energy is not a “magical” force, it just requires a different way of understanding the knowledge… Ancient Cultures had this knowledge, it was slowly eradicated with the rise of Christianity.