Okay, okay give me a little slack. I could not think of anything that began with the letter X and made sense for this series. I stretched the limits! And I am going to ask you to do the same.
Part of being well is growing. Pushing yourself appropriately. Accepting where you are deciding you want different and working towards it. Stretching yourself leads to guided change.
Everyone is familiar with physical exercise. You know about jumping jacks, burpees , yoga etc. What about emotional and spiritual exercises? These are just as important as physical exercises. Focus and memory can be improved through mental exercises such as reading. Stress can be reduced by improving your spiritual health through prayer and meditation.
Exercise is important and needs to be intuitive. This means you need a sense of what you would like each exercise session to accomplish. In yoga it is common to set an intention before beginning each workout which is called a “practicd.” I have adapted this tool for other challenging things I do. If I am writing I will set the goal to write so many words, mental exercise. If I am doing a meditation I will determine to sit for one hour, spiritual exercise.
What do you think about doing routine physical, mental, and spiritual exercises? Do you think one area will be easier to stretch yourself in than another? How likely are you to use the tool of setting your intention before each exercise session?
Shyra