Where You Live

There is an old adage: your body is a temple. I agree, but think that this adage requires a bit more development.

Our bodies are not sacred buildings that we enter for weekly worship; they are the sacred spaces where we reside, the place we call home, as well as being our primary mode of transportation. Our bodies are the hammock in which we relax, the couch where we veg out, and alas, the one reality we cannot escape so long as we breathe. Without this home, we miss out on all the beauty of being. The opportunity to reside in these beautiful vessels—our bodies is a gift that needs to be embraced.

Reading about health and wellness is a favorite hobby of mine and I spend a bit of time in the blog world reading about the different things both experts and general doers of physical health do. Here is what I have gathered from my research:

Everyone needs to run as it is the best form of cardio activity. No one should run because it causes a great deal of wear and tear on one’s knees. Everyone needs to do yoga because it is good for the body and you cannot become a fully, spiritually awake individual without doing yoga. No one should do yoga because it could wreck your back. Eat these three supplements and you will never need to exercise again—X, Y, Z. High intensity workouts are the only kind of effective workout don’t bother with the others. Do this one thing and you will live forever… The third on the list will blow your mind… Never-mind, there is no list.

Here is the thing. Just as there is not one right path that each human being should walk, there is not one exercise routine, ritual or form that is best for all people. Experts mean well, but they do not know us personally. They have never lived in our bodies. You live there. It is your home and you know all of its rooms; you know where the light-switches are, you know from which window you can watch a sunrise. You understand what makes your body thrive and feel good. This is the key: to know your body, know what makes you feel happy, healthy, awake, and energetic. Know what makes you thrive and do it. Just understand and listen to the messages that your body sends you and live/ eat/ exercise accordingly.