Winterwonderland in Wisconsin holds beauty in mysterious ways, like steam rising off Lake Monona the day after a big snowstorm (not to worry, traffic was stopped); and dazzling turquoise skies in single-digit weather; these taken on my morning commute, heading towards our capital (dome in the background below).
Keeping the mood up is a challenge when days are gray tho'; ennui sets in as I unconsciously imitate what's happening in the elements all around me: withdrawing inward, eating more carb-rich foods, stillness. For a short period of time this retreat to the interior of buildings and the mind is beneficial-a slowing down, time to recoup from a fast-paced world, to enjoy hot steamy soups and cuddling.
However, since winter's harshness lasts about 5 months here, it's easy to gain the proverbial extra 5 or 10 pounds every year, which by itself causes its own health problems, as well as being depressing and discouraging! (in general, people seem bigger in the northern midwest, but stats show 1/3 of all Americans now are obese)
It takes a fair amount of self-talk to convince myself to get outdoors, but I never regret it when I do. I see things differently when on a walk, snowshoe outing, or hike. When I'm stable enough on cross-country skis I can look around (without falling or seeing trees whiz by on the downhill) and enjoy the surprises nature holds. I grumble before I get outside, then remember how much fun it is to GET UP AND GET MOVING!
I exercise for mental health as well as physical well-being, and find the secret is to just do SOMEthing consistently: if you can't get outdoors, practice dancing, put on an exercise or yoga DVD, or do hip-hop to your own playlist...or just put on the layers if it's cold outside and get going. You don't have to like it, just do it; notice whether you feel better afterwards mentally, physically, emotionally. Personally, I'm a morning person and if I exercise at the beginning of the day, I'm more alert (without cafeeine) in the afternoon.
To help myself get motivated, I play mental mind games by saying things like, 'I'm gonna challenge myself to do something I never did before...I'll go snowshoeing while it's still dark!" I lay out clothes and gear the night before. I stumble around at 5:30 a.m., flip on my headlamp, and head for the path in the woods behind our house. (The path isn't really icy, it's just strange-looking in the photo, but afterall it's taken with a headlamp and my iPhone!)
Once my arms and legs start pumping, the grumbling goes away, and I focus on my breath...I remember when I had cancer 15 years ago, and my presenting symptom was that annoying dry cough, and not being able to catch my breath...I am filled with gratitude to be here,
breathing, fully alive! All my parts are working, and I feel the energy amp up in my body as I breathe...I imagine my breath traveling up my spine, over the top of my head and whooshing down the front of my body, washing stress away down and out through my feet. My shoulders release, and a Cheshire Cat-grin begins to appear as I stop to appreciate the living energy in the midst of what looks dead in this winter environment.
Something shines in the corner of my eye and I look up...snow! What keeps it there?
And crystals clinging to a branch! There is a tension, an energy holding molecules of ice together...
I tromp on, appreciating this beautiful land; up and down a few hills, past the meadow that is someone's back yard, and back towards home again. I stop now and then to listen to the silent dark morning air-a stark contrast to when the cleats on the snowshoes are hitting the crisp trail with crunchy vigor! Believe it or not, I even run (sort of) for a little while. Absolutely enlivening...same trail on another day we saw a treat: candy cane on a tree, and ice sculptures with a texture that looked like a wintry fungi, compliments of Mother Nature:
How could I have NOT wanted to get out and see that?
"Wisdom taught me I am nothing
Love taught me I am everything
Between the two, my life flows"
~ Sri Nisargadatta
I feel a resonance in my body with these elements of nature, as harsh as they may seem in their crystal coldness...it is, after all, water, transformed into vapor or solid form...different, yet with the same
properties as the warm liquid water comprising up to 60% of my own body, 70% of my brain, 83% of my blood, and nearly 90% of these breathing lungs and ...I recognize that the life energy creating this pristine frosty beauty that is present in nature and all things, is also present within me. Of course, spiritual writings thousands of years old present this concept of
non-duality, such as in the quote
"Thou Art That" ("tat tvam asi" in Sanskrit), or when Jesus said "I AM"; and here it is today... spurred on by exercising in a setting of nature...such a meditation! My mind relaxes...and my body keeps moving through space.
It was a 40 minute 'shoe trip wonder! :>D
A very important part of goal setting is giving oneself the reward after accomplishing what you set out to do. In this case, at the end of the trail: the hot tub awaits!!
Later in the midst of a busy workday, I use a simple technique to keep my spirits lifted-I place my right thumb in the palm of my left hand, and hold my right ring finger as I
breathe, and feel the joy and energy of the morning pulsing in my hands and my entire being - Jin Shin Jyutsu ("jitsu"), more about that and hands-on energy healing in future postings...try it yourself, switch hands after 10 breaths...
