Working out, and working "in"....

As a martial arts instructor, its my "job" to exercise and to get others to enjoy exercise along the way. In this line of work, you're not only a martial arts instructorl....you're also a counselor, you're also a motivational speaker, a mediator, and for some, a "parent".

Every day, I get the chance to work out.....a good sweat and the comraderie of the staff and students is always fun....and good for the soul too. But lately, I've had to remind myself that "working out" is not the only thing that keeps us healthy...."working IN", is just as important.

"Working in".....my term for "meditation".

Some people might define "meditation" as focused thought, clearing of the mind, controlled awareness, etc. I tend to define it as simply "time to just be"......

I've neglected my "time to be" for a little while now. Lately, I'll teach class, do work at home, stress out about stupid things, and do it all over again the next day. I've even found myself "not all there" in my Taijiquan classes!

When I'm "on", I can feel it....everything seems effortless, problems won't stress me out because I'll know they'll be solved, and "drama" is unheard of. When I'm "not all there",...I can feel the stress pile up, my patience thins, and my concentration lapses.

And the kicker is....when I feel that I'm "not all there", it just adds to the stress. Never-ending circle of stress. No, its not "depression"....I still love doing everything I love to do, I don't feel blue, hopeless or anything like that. I just know I'm not fully present in all things at the moment.

Being "present" in the mind, is what gives excitement to seemingly mundane things, brings liveliness to seemingly inanimate things

Its been a few months now that I've neglected "working in". I've worked out alot over the past few months, and physically, it feels great. Now its time for me to throw it into gear now....I've been in "neutral" for longer than I feel comfortable with. Time to get back "in"!