Affirmation: “Moving my body ignites my bliss.
I say yes to movement!”
Moving your body can be very creative, whether it’s through dancing, interpretive movement, mime, or sports. Movement is creative. When you move, you are physically expressing what is within you. And its exciting! If it’s dance, it may be something especially artistic. If it’s interpretive movement, then you may be expressing your imagination. If it’s mime, you may be expressing the theatrical side within you. If it is sports, then you may be expressing your capacity and desire to achieve. All of these integrations of your creativity into physical expression pay large and health-enhancing dividends.
Moving your body is intrinsically healthy. It brings more vitality into your energy system. It ignites wildness in you. It revs up your hormonal and chemical systems and releases endorphins and feel-good chemicals. It helps you strive to translate what is within you to the external world using your physical body. Movement is so very healthy.
Exercise can ignite your creativity. By giving you those feel-good chemicals, it allows you to really tap into biological bliss. You’re getting blissed out on exercise. That’s why it’s so important to make exercise, movement, and fun part of your daily routine. At least several times a week, dance, play, jump, swim, shake your groove thing, play baseball, roller-skate, or just move your body. Do whatever moves you.
You have the power to increase your health and quality of life through movement. Movement brings your body and soul into balance. Movement makes you healthy, happy, and sparkling. Movement ignites your drive for the unlimited. Movement gives you confidence. Movement heals.
Exercise: Get Your Booty Blissful
This chapter serves as a call to action. It asks you to make a commitment to pleasant, fun-enhancing movement on a daily basis. Below is a list of some things you can do. Give them a try. You can create your own schedule of daily fun movement. Dance, stomp, or run straight into joy, and don’t look back!
• Sway to music.
• Take a Latin dance class.
• Vacuum the house while dancing with music blasting.
• Practice soccer.
• Play Frisbee in the park.
• Do yoga.
• Run a race.
• Swing on a playground swing.
• Try a 5Rhythms class, a form of dance movement based on patterns and waves pioneered by Gabrielle Roth.
• Go for a walk.
• Use the stairs at work while repeating a happy mantra, like the word “joy,” with each step.
• Plant some flowers, which involves digging and moving.
• Comb a beach for shells.
• Hike a trail.
• Try playing softball.
• Enjoy water aerobics.
• Dig a fire pit.
• Sample a Continuum Movement class, a type of movement created by the late Emilie Conrad and based on the joyful fluidity of the body.
• Lift weights.
• Decorate your yard with strings of lights and enjoy the stretching and fresh air.
• Explore Nia movement and dance, which combines dance, martial arts and healing arts.
• Dive deep into a pool, lake, or sea.
• Roll down a hill.
• Play hide and seek.
• Go roller-skating with friends.
• Get a Thai massage, which includes lots of stretching and movement.
• Sample different kinds of martial arts.
Moving your body moves energy. You can create or demolish whatever you need with kinetic dynamism.
#joyfulliving101