When you use the phrase: “I am listening to my body.” Are you really listening to your body or is it your mind that is doing the talking? And how can you tell the difference?
Whenever I talk about the War of Art, people often mistakenly think I am talking about the Art of War. I haven’t read that book by Sun Tzu. It’s a book about military strategies.
In the War of Art, Stephen Press field talks about what it takes for the creative person to turn professional, to get stuff done and to work toward becoming successful. In short, he says that the amateur is moved by inspiration and therefore doesn’t work consistently. He interviews writer and journalist, Somerset Maughm, and asks him how he works and if he works only when he’s inspired to write. Mr. Maughm answers him that he does write only when inspiration strikes, but that inspiration strikes him at 9:00 am sharp every morning! That’s a professional. That’s someone who gets stuff done.
A professional has to overcome resistance and do his/her work no matter what. A professional knows that sometimes the work will be hard or the inspiration might not come, but they show up and toil away anyway. Pressfield states that the amount of resistance we have to overcome is in direct proportion to the importance of the work we want to do.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali says:
sa tudīrghakāla nairantarya satkāra-ādara-āsevito dr̥ḍhabhūmiḥ Y.S. 1.14
First, you have to practice for a long period of time; second, your practice must not be interrupted – you must do it regularly; and third, you must do your practice with love and respect.
It’s the regularly part that is important. If you practice regularly, you will sometimes have to practice when you don’t feel like it. Your practice will be different on those days, but you don't get off the hook.
I have been training to ride in the MS City to Shore Bike Ride which took place on Saturday, September 21st. In the days leading up to the event, I needed to get one more training ride in. The day I picked for this last ride was Tuesday when I got home from work. That afternoon, I was tired, hungry and sore from a previous workout. Plus my back was hurting, a lot. I did not feel like riding. If I didn’t have the MS Bike Ride coming up, I probably would have stayed home, had something to eat and maybe took a nap. I was that unmotivated! I wanted to “listen to my body”. But, I did have a 75 mile ride coming up in 4days. So – I got on my bike and rode. I said to myself that I would just take it easy and clock the miles in, no matter how long it took me. It was a beautiful day and I would just enjoy it. About 3 miles in, I started to feel good. When I finished the ride, I felt great! I was so glad I had the discipline to go get my butt in the saddle.
What does that tell me about listening to my body? Was it my body that was telling me that I wastired? Or, was it my mind? If I had started the ride and I felt terrible, then my body would have said that I was not up for the challenge and I would have allowed myself to turn around and go home and take a nap. But, after getting started, I felt better and better.
Was I listening to my body or was I giving into one of the obstacles of the mind?
In the Yoga Sutra 1. 31, Patanjali gives us the obstacles to practice:
Vyadhistyana samsaya pramada alasya bhranti darsana alabdha bhumikatvaanavasthitatvani citta viksepah te’antarayah
Disease, idleness, doubt, carelessness, sloth, lack of detachment, misapprehension, failure to attain a base for concentration and instability. These are the distractions for the mind.
These disturbances afflicted the ancient mind as much as they do our modern minds. I wonder if Stephen Pressfield read Patanjali? He is certainly on the same page. We have to do our chosen work, whether we like it or not, for a long period of time, without interruption if we want to be successful. It doesn’t mean that the work, or our path will always be easy, or that our work will always be great. But, if we show up consistently energy will concentrate and things will happen. In the words of the hockey great, Wayne Gretzky: “I didn’t make 100% of the shots I didn’t take. We have to show up and take those shots. We also have to take those shots joyfully..
In the words of Goethe: “It is not doing the thing we like to do, but liking the thing we have to do, that makes life blessed.”
Our practice, whether it is yoga, riding a bicycle, writing, playing hockey or anything else, has to be done without interruption, over a long period of time, with love, respect and joy. That means we need to show up every day, whether we feel like it or not and not listen to the resistance of our minds.