I’ve created a Bioenergetics Checklist which focuses on 6 components to “charge your battery” and help you increase your overall energy and life force. Those six components are:
- Movement and Exercise
- Food
- Water
- Light
- Grounding
- Oxygen
I would like to start with movement and exercise, a component we put as a cornerstone of our programs and one that I have spent the most time over the last 30+ years working to master.
I have written about the Distinction Between Exercise and Movement and our “Way” of exercise in previous emails which are now posted on our blog. I have also written about the Path of Mastery. When I consider the connection between martial arts, yoga, and our “Way” of exercise, I see the common thread to be “Mindful Mastery.”
During the first part of the year, we used the “Five Mountain” structure from Mark Divine’s, Unbeatable Mind program to discuss how you can create an integrated training and practice to work on self mastery and becoming your best self. For example, if you approach your exercise, as you would a martial art, with “Mindful Mastery” you gain much more than the physical benefits but also benefit in the areas of:
- Mental
- Emotional
- Intuition
- Kokoro (merging of heart and mind)
I am planning to do a whole series of workshops and articles to go deeper into these concepts on how to integrate them.
In the meantime, here are some other general benefits of exercise and movement mentioned in Harry Massey’s book, Restore Your Energy with Bioenergetics.:
“Movement literally generates electrical charge in the body, helping to power the body’s battery, because many of the body’s tissues are piezoelectric, meaning they produce electric charge when compressed or stretched. This includes the trachea and intestines, as well as the bones and muscles that are compressed and stretched during exercise.[3]
Movement also supports the flow of blood and lymphatic fluid in the body. It stimulates the tendons and tissues, and it releases certain hormones and stimulates metabolism. It helps protect against chronic inflammation and supports the growth of neurons in the brain.
Just as important as their benefits, movement and exercise are also about preventing the types of problems you definitely don’t want to have, as inactivity is ranked as the world’s fourth leading risk factor of death, contributing to roughly five million deaths per year.[4] In fact, research on over 400,000 people showed that, compared to those who were inactive, those who engaged in at least 15 minutes per day of moderate exercise “had a 14% reduced risk of all-cause mortality … and had a 3 year longer life expectancy.” Those who exercised at least 30 minutes a day on average had additional benefits.[5]
Other highlights to encourage good exercise habits include:
- Exercise is a natural antidepressant.
- Exercise significantly increases the size of the hippocampus, improving memory.
- Exercise can help with relaxation and quality of sleep.
- Exercise can help with weight loss.
- Exercise helps the body manage blood sugar and insulin levels.
- Exercise can help to reduce pain levels.
And central to our conversation here, exercise can help to improve overall energy levels, especially for those with chronic fatigue syndrome.[6”