Intergraring Bodybuilding with Awakening

[Anton_Pierre]

I have noticed that there could be major benefits of awakening on a bodybuilder. For example, they will have a greater disipline, pain tolerance, body awareness etc etc. 

[CreamCat]

That's TJ Reeves. You should find his videos on youtube. Bodybuilding and awakening are a powerful combination.

Edited April 9, 2019 by CreamCat

[noselfnofun]

I use to be really into bodybuilding, I didn't find there was much of a link between it and the awakening process, if anything it actually made it harder as bodybuilding was focused on glamorising your body and sense of self. I got injured and had to stop lifting and i was like what did I care so much ahah. 

However I do think you can defo incorporate the process of training with mindfulness and meditation, i remember I had some amazing lifting sessions after coming of vipassana retreats, you could really be with the movement and feel your whole body in the exercise. If you do it from the right place it can be great. Check out dorian yates, an old ex world champ who is now heavily spiritual. Cool guy and I think ken wilber use to workout alot if im not mistaken.

martial arts are better I think. 

[Cocolove]

e.g. frank yang, not enlightened but does conciousness work. He talks a lot about the two, I would say he integrates them

[integral]

- The biggest mistakes spiritual teachers make is they ignore the body. Activating the body drastically speeds up a students progression to enlightenment.

- For example the person should be conscious of the entire body simultaneously in every situation. With enough training the body will continue to expand outwards until it incorporates other living and non-living things around it. 

- Example when standing all muscle should be at the edge of relaxation, any more relaxed and you would just fall over. But while maintaining solid healthy posture... Keep this kind of thinking with all tasks.

- Like when typing, my fingers are fully relaxed, im also aware of my feet and seat and the bodies of my coworkers. I feel there bodies as if it was my own, of course there is no magic here if they do something i cant see or hear then i loss the connection. 

- When holding a piece of paper for example the paper will be held in my hands gently. Im conscious of the entire chain of muscle structure that is keeping that paper in my hands simultaneously. All movement is a full body movement. All muscles in full coordination and in awareness.  

- Muscles not in use should be fully relaxed, muscles in use should be at the edge of relaxation, this is how all athletes use there body during exercise. This maximizes endurance, the body is both at rest and at work at the same time. 

- This also has the added benefit of consuming far less energy, lowing cortisol and putting the brain closer to a defuse state. 

- Ignoring the body is a critical mistake. 

- Become strategic about using the body.

Edited June 2, 2019 by integral

[Commodent]

I don't think gaining muscles only for the sake of gaining muscles is very helpful. I was into it for a couple of years, and I noticed I did a lot of things that did not feel good to my body. Overeating being one of them. There is also something very soul-deadening about just standing in front of the mirror and doing the same reps over and over.

Working out in order to have fun and get more in tune with you body, now that's another story. Now I practice BJJ and calisthenics, and it's enjoyable on every level.

[Inliytened1]

This is a very interesting topic.

The problem is most bodybuilders are clueless about the bigger picture.  They are consumed with their appearance, and have made an identity out of it.

They'll go to the extremes like taking steroids to have that look.

They're so consumed with themselves and their own ego its pathetic actually.  Because its Ego to the billionth degree.

Now the fully awakened person or opposite of this works out to stay healthy..not to look good for anyone but to feel peace with themselves.  They no longer even need to look in the mirror frankliy.   They understand and are conscious that the guys and gals in the gym with him ARE him - he doesn't need to be bigger or cutter.   He's just himself, because he is everything.  And nothing - the body is made of nothing - and he's aware of that.  

Very interesting.  When i was younger I used to be big into bodybuilding and wanted to take steroids to be as big as everyone that did.  Because i did have the genes naturally.

But now I'm awake and i see how silly they are and how lost they are.  

I still go to the gym all the time - but so much more conscious.

 

[Anton_Pierre]

@Inliytened1 Yeah, I have been more focused on the fitness aspects now also, I liked old school body builders because they had a lot of stomach awareness (vaccumm poses)

[Inliytened1]

@Anton_Pierre yeah i like it too and you can still enjoy every bit of it just in a conscious way.  A conscious guy is probably not gonna be shooting himself up with steroids because he is conscious of the big picture.

[Nahm]

On 4/9/2019 at 8:42 AM, Anton_Pierre said:

I have noticed that there could be major benefits of awakening on a bodybuilder. For example, they will have a greater disipline, pain tolerance, body awareness etc etc. 

????

[Anton_Pierre]

@Inliytened1 I see bodybuilders wear hoodies and they only focus on training instead of mirror gazing. I like Phil Heath's advice to take physique pics and focus on what you want to sculpt so that your body in a sense is an art project.

[Sahil Pandit]

@Anton_Pierre Not only through body building, but any physical discipline. Taking running for example..

. You can practice meditation, mindfulness, zen, as well as self inquiry while running. 

[DrewNows]

Body building is a mastery skill that can lead to higher states of awareness but bringing high awareness into it could definitely result in speedy progression 

[Sahil Pandit]

@Anton_Pierre Bodybuilding while dropping the materialist paradigm is key

[Anton_Pierre]

@Sahil Pandit

I am really into bodybuilding, I still am, but I am coming back into it with a fitness mindset along with avoiding materialistic paridgm and narcissism.

[cetus]

The Buff Buddhist"

[Sahil Pandit]

@cetus56 The Monk Hunk 

[Inliytened1]

@Anton_Pierre nice that's the way to do it

 

[Anton_Pierre]

@cetus56 Buddha-Building

[integral]

From Integral theory, as ken wilber has found vai experimentation with hundreds of people is to practice/train multiple aspects at the same time.

Look into Integral Practice... In his research people who activated the body with some kind of resistance exercises did better then does that didnt.

This is the closest we have to spiritual studies.