Exercise and the Obstreperous Mind

We all know the benefits of exercise. It makes us Breathe. The oxygen enters the bloodstream while the heart pumps it through the body to the muscles, ligaments and tendons that are being used. It helps keep the body healthy and alive. The question is, why does exercise become such a burden at times in our lives?

Everyone has felt a lack of motivation for exercise at some point in their lives. Many feel it regularly. As with most of the major challenges we face, the main culprit can probably be found inside ourselves. In this case, the biggest hurdle to effective exercise is an obstreperous mind. Obstreperous means unruly. An obstreperous mind is one that doesn’t submit to discipline or control. It is an immature monkey in the library of our being.

The obstreperous mind feeds on the distractions and stimulations of the hectic outside world. When this happens we lose sight of what is really important. We start to think and consider all the various options, possibilities and permutations. We begin to get stressed. Stress scatters our attention and gets us worrying about irrelevant things. We start to run out of time for anything. It can quickly get out of hand if the body is in a weakened state. Even if we realize we are stressed, we have difficulty doing something other than try to laugh it off.

I’m soooo stressed out, haha!

Without focus and control, the monkey is in charge.

However, if we are able to breathe a little and move the body a bit, we can start to get the obstreperous mind under control. Exercise doesn’t have to be vigorous. All we need are some simple breath and movement exercises to get stared. It is an upward spiral as the more we breathe and move, the stronger our bodies get. The energy we generate begins to flow through us, breaking up stagnation and revitalizing us. This affects the mind in a positive way. Exercise focuses the obstreperous mind and disciplines the monkey.

Daily life in the modern world can be extremely distracting and often make it quite challenging to remain centered. Life can get difficult and confusing. In order to navigate the challenges one needs a healthy body and an unobstreperous mind.

Wishing you much peace...

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