A Final Thought

The only way to gain “true knowledge of it [martial arts] is experiential,” writes Joe Hymas in Zen In The Martial Arts (1979).I must put my desire to write aside and agree with Hymas that “words will convey only part of the meaning.” Our language does not have the words to express the essence of movement. Only movement can truly express what it is like to move. “Movement never lies,” writes Goellner in Bodies Of The Text (1995).A moving body is a communicating body that says more than words ever could.

While writing this paper I found myself exercising a contradiction. I often began thinking it was pointless to sit, sedentarily, and write about getting up and exercising. Likewise, it seems to be a contradiction to read about exercise. Reading and writing are wonderful tools to achieve perspective and knowledge. However, the lesson to be learned here is to use our bodies, exercise, and heighten our healthy being; not to just read about it! It is easy to get distracted by the knowledge available in this technologically advanced society we live in. It is harder to take that knowledge away from its superficial life on paper and learn about it first hand, which is the key to finding wisdom.

The knowledge to be found in this course is written in words, but the wisdom at the core of it all is not to be found in any word, anywhere. The wisdom can only be found through the practice itself. You can read about exercise all you want but your body, mind, heart, and soul will stay in the same state if no action is taken. If you take the knowledge and apply it to your own life’s practice, you will find the true wisdom.

That wisdom is at the core of your own soul and can be found through your favorite exercise. Any exercise can serve this purpose, so pick the one you like and that feels best to you. As you exercise, search for that wisdom. Don’t just exercise your being, but let it lead you to wisdom. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually search for this wisdom I speak of, not merely for your own sake, but for universal enlightenment of the human species and the mass consciousness.

Fitness can improve your life in every way. You can become stronger emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as well as physically. Not only stronger in strength, but in endurance, dexterity, and tranquillity. Your body will feel more alive, your emotions will be more well-rounded, your mind will be alert yet at ease, and your soul will have a stronger connection to your higher self and to other spirits. In this uplifted state you can achieve a better life.

Such wonderful feelings could certainly allow you to cultivate more love. Loving yourself is essential if you want to love anyone else or to be loved. Your body is a temple. Many ancient texts have said this but most people who read such words still do not treat their bodies with as much respect as they treat the temples of their beloved deity or deities. If everyone respected their own bodies as sacred temples then maybe they could also look at other bodies as sacred temples. If everyone loved themselves, then maybe they could begin to feel love toward each other.

The sedentary life that is killing us can be forgotten and a new way of life, in which exercise is seen as necessary for survival, can be realized. Exercise can also allow you to make the world a better place, not only for you, but for all living things. The first step to this realization is to begin to exercise and let the experience envelop your entire being. Every type of exercise can become an awakening of the entire being. In this awakening we can love and live life to its fullest.

Furthermore, if exercise was the norm then normal people would be healthier. When people abuse their own bodies, they are likely to abuse the world. If people have no respect for themselves, then they will not have much respect or reverence for the world. An unhealthy person cannot possibly recognize that the rivers are filthy or that the earth is unhealthy. When people have healthy bodies they can begin to notice healthy and unhealthy aspects of the world. A healthy person has the ability to help the world regain health. Moreover, healthy people have more energy to do good deeds and physically fit people can physically change the world.

Forward to Conclusion
Back to Other Forms Of Exercise
Back to Exercise Well-Being Main Page