FITNESS FOR THE WITNESS

by: Navanita

Imagine you wake up, open your wardrope and hanging there, are a large variety of bodies. You can choose which body style you`d like to wear - big/ small, coloured/white, rigid/flexible, strong/fragile, tall/short, toned/juicy… What image do you want to present to the world, today?
In our modern culture there is a trend – an image of a perfect body that is judged to be what you “should” have. If you don`t – then the fitness and fashion industry markets what will work for you to get it. A perfect body, that looks good where you`re right on top of any fitness trend image going in the market. I am reminded of when I was once teaching stretching in a prestigious fitness studio in Munich. There were many pretty models in my classes…I like pretty faces and bodies. What I didn`t feel so good about – was there wasn`t anybody at home in the body. So, one day I had an idea to help them feel their bodies. At the end of the class I invited them, “Now, let`s complete todays class by polishing our nipples, like this” I demonstrated and smiled. They also polished their nipples…and…they enjoyed sensing their bodies for a moment. The fitness studio manager grabbed me after the class. I was actually not so concerned about what she thought – and was surprised at her enthusiastic response. She said that she appreciated very much the awareness I brought to people`s bodies and to actually see the models response thrilled her. The manager was training fitness and aerobic instructors through out Germany and was asking me to tour with her.

Even though I liked being invited, this was not where I wanted to put my energy. I was teaching in fitness studios and knew it there was an identification on “image” ambition and little interest in fun and meditation. I was interested in teaching “ the witness part “. I had already led and organised “Fitness for the Witness” trainings in Australia incorporating meditation with movement. Aikido, Yoga, Kinesiology ( muscle testing ), Dance, Running, Aerobic, Workout and Stretch classes aimed at bringing consciousness into the body. I later introduced “ Fitness for the Witness” in Poona ( a meditation centre ) in classes, groups and trainings, designed to explore and integrate “fitting” into your body. You can then practice and create your own programme, unique to your own body by watching and sensing your connection with your bodies wisdom. I enjoyed giving individual “Fitness for the Witness” sessions to support finding what each persons body needs and being a spiritual body detective. I taught and coached - running, swimming, zennis, dancing and stretching/strengthening with the orientation on anchoring in the “watcher”. Tennis became “Zennis” with the addition of consciousness = a Zen approach. Watching professional tennis players experience their game while “watching” themselves was delightfull to watch.

FITNESS FOR THE WITNESS had begun when I was an Australian sprinting champion. It was a joy to round the 200 metres track curve, leaving the ground, becoming weightless, airborne and then landing across the finishing line in a body, after a “no – body” had just ran the race. Fitness was fun, I loved to train, practice and workout. Running meant training with the men – I was faster than the women. Sprinting was about having a very fit well tuned body, being alert, present and at the same time it came easy, felt natural, light, totally alive, free and powerful. The competition however, was stressful and at some point I`d had enough. The carrot dangled in front of the donkey called “Olympics” was not enough to keep the sprinting shoes and starting blocks hot. I went solo and turned to Jogging – Ahhhhh…the meditation changed to breath and feet mixed with diaphragm – all taking off from the earth.

Again – a “no-body” flying along any nearby dirt track in the early morning. This became my meditation. Breathing into the whole body and its 50 trillion cells; Awakening to parts of the body that revealed themselves through the movement. I had discovered body scanning in action…sensing the body from within. It was as if an ocean had come to the desert, light filled what had seemed darkness inside of the body and the picture became more whole. Jogging was just as uplifting and grounding ( earth and sky meet ) as the sprinting and competition had been.
It continued as a meditation…”the runner disappeared and only the running remained”. The running also moved awareness to sensing and inner orientation…watching the body from within while moving on the outside. Breathing was about noticing lungs, rib cage, diaphragm, shoulder blades, organs, bones, blood carrying nourishing oxygen and connecting the whole body. Feet had souls, were weighted, lifted from above; Alive bones and ligaments tuned in awakening through the movement. As I ran, I watched the body align itself…the legs, hips, shoulders and spine balanced the skull on top and the senses were relaying information…I was watching eye balls “ seeing “ the environment, the ears “ hearing “ sounds as the body connected harmoniously with the outer space. The meditation was watching myself.

I found that changing the rhythm of the breathing opened previously unconscious places in the body and to where energy would then flow. I practiced dropping the breath from the chest to the belly and accessed a life force…Chi. I discovered Dantien (as the Chinese call it ) or Hara ( as the Japanese call it ) and found that by using this life source ( universal energy ) to support the movement it created more ease, power and flow. My movement as a meditation took me into exploring Eastern oriented practices such as Yoga, Tai-Chi, Feldenkraus and Aikido. This I combined with a Western approach to Fitness integrated while training as a Primary School Physical Education teacher and Fitness Instructor. When we did the “pinch test”, weighed ourselves and were told this is part of being “fit” I wondered what did it mean? Did we have to “fit” into “fitness” image or squeeze into a size of clothes `fitting` someone elses idea of what a body should look like? I actually see `fitness` as `fitting` into your own skin, inhabiting and `fitting` in your own body – best done by taking care of it.

The body is movement … it`s about moving, that`s its language. So why not find out what “fits” its needs? Moving provides sensory awareness or being in and experiencing your own body. Discovering what exercises it`s like rather than doing to it what you are told is good for your body. Find out what it likes and needs.

By sensing and listening to my body, I was able to create a new healing fitness programme which was `fitting`to what its recovery needed after a bus accident. The doctors said they believed survival from my injuries was due to me having been very fit before the accident. A completely incapacitated, broken boned body did not stop my fitness programme. Theoretically, fitness is defined as a combination of threes …Stamina, Strengthening and Stretching…In my new Healing Fitness programme I began to discover “Less Action and more Non-Action” ( Wu-Wei as they call it in the East ). The fourth discovered was sensitivity. The witness become empowered - “Bringing awareness into the body empowers it”.

At first, it was only very soft stretching as everything had tubes, weights and pins attached and actually there wasn`t much that could move. Stretching was about creating space, ease and comfort in any places possible and relishing even a bit of a second of no pain. Stretching brought clarity and consciousness into the body. This awareness empowered the body and its health resilience’s. I didn`t do the healing – the consciousness created from the moving and sensing was helping the body do what it naturally knew – to take care of and heal itself. The stretching helped fluids to flow, lympth, connective tissue remained lubricated, elastic and blood transported nutrients, oxygen and chi throughout the whole body. As I gained mobility, I added some strengthening exercises which developed tone and supported giving me a clearer sense of my body, its boundary and definition. When my 2 broken legs began to heal enough to begin to move, I added the stamina programme.

I still had to lie flat on my back because of the broken spine so I bicycled in the air and did movements with my arms and legs that would get the heart rate up over 70% for 20 minutes. That way I moved into an aerobic level and into another energy level. I did look like a turtle upside down flapping its legs in the air. I was comfortable looking like a turtle and that was how I could support the bodies health resilience Gathering Chi into the blood via oxygen, internally strengthened the life source resiliences. Consciousness brought into the body vitalised health potency “Every little cell in my body was happy”. The body needed my care and loving and so the Fitness programme was designed to support this.

My fitness programme has changed, now. After my bus accident in 1994, my doctor decided a broken back and running didn`t agree. I tried to convince him otherwise; however my back actually agreed that he was right. So I took the offer and changed this part of the programme to a new regular daily practice. Combining and alternating different movements such as walking ( with my heart rate up ), dancing and stretching now supports “Wu – Wei“ fitness: Less action and more meditation – Enjoying the one who is “watching“ the action, sensing and somatic movement. Fitness for the Witness is simply about bringing consciousness into the body supporting you to “fit“ into your own skin at an optimum comfort and efficiency. That way the bodies health potential is available for taking care of itself. What body suit ( referring to the morning choice of the body in the wardrobe ) you want to wear is about getting to know your own body and what suits it. Not about “when my body is in a better shape then I will be happier”. Your attitude to your body affects it. So, treat it well as a friend, a temple, tending it with love, care and responding to its daily needs. Create a fitness programme that accommodates its potential. By maintaining a body as a Rolls Royce rather than a bicycle, it will operate that way. A fit body can take care of itself, function well and run smoothly.

You can get to know it through its direct language – Moving with Awareness and “fitting” into your own Body. Anything that brings consciousness into the body in a LIGHT AND EASY WAY empowers it. 50 trillion cells celebrate life potency…awakening…bringing peace and joy.

RUNNING can be a meditation, jogging, dancing, swimming – any thing can be a meditation. My definition of meditation is: Whenever your body, mind, soul are functioning together in rhythm it is meditation, because it will bring the fourth in. And if you are alert that you are doing it as a meditation – not to take part in the Olympics, but doing it as a meditation - then it is tremendously beautiful.
OSHO

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