Activate your Mind and Body to Flourish

Neuroscience tells us that it is not enough to be brilliant.  We must also be fit.  I’m not advocating an impossible ideal here, not even a goal for anyone but you!  What I am advocating is actively pursuing something that interests you deeply.  My husband has applied to sit on the grand jury in our county.  He is a lawyer and a brilliant writer and strategist.  The county needs him and he wants to use his brain in this way to serve his community.  I, on the other hand, want to spend more time writing.  Interestingly, my husband is an introvert—seeking to widen his “outside” connections.  I am a decided extrovert, wanting to explore more deeply what is in my own mind.  Both of these pursuits compel us in our wisdom years.

My husband’s neurologist wants him to walk up and down the hills where we live.  I do this fairly regularly and find it energizing.  While my husband plays regular tennis and skis in the winter, he is not a special fan of aerobic exercise—which he now needs.  He’s a good sport about walking with me, huffing and puffing behind me as we go.  I walk small circles at our turns to allow him to catch up with me.

I have returned to a yoga practice after several years away from it.  I was consistently injuring one hip and spent the days between practice icing that hip or hobbling uncomfortably around.  I’ve missed yoga and have recently returned by taking a series of private lessons from David Schlussel (www.vidanda.com), and then by taking gentle yoga classes at Mountain Yoga (www.mountainyoga.com) where I have not reinjured that hip. Yoga makes me calm, and although it is not aerobic at the level I do it, it helps me with balance (inner and outer).

In what ways do YOU want to activate your mind and body now?