Eating and Exercising for higher consciousness?

[Daphnedenninghoff23]

I am really curious about how nutrition and exercising can help you on your path to higher consciousness. 
Whenever I go to the gym, the intention behind it is more like "ego-lifting" and wanting to look good. 
After a little realization that made me commit even deeper to the path, going back to the gym felt strange...and not right.

I know that moving your body is healthy. Does anyone have tips or resources on how to exercise and eat in a way that it benefits your path to enlightenment and higher conciousness?

Thankyou 

[Howard]

I suggest you to study about Shaolin monks, it might give you some insights you are curious about.

 

Discipline, consistency.

Finding the middle path (not lifting something too easy when you are feeling lazy, not lifting something you can't lift to appear stronger)

The challenges on the path is in your mind, not your body.

 

Try learning something you might not be able to do so that you're not just lifting for physical attraction.... maybe doing an one arm pull up?

 

 

The part where you don't get caught up your ego with your physical looks is something that will always be there.... It's the same with martial artists holding themselves back and letting things go when some punk they know they can easily beat up tries to start a fight.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Howard

[Michael569]

You can exercise to achieve longevity and overall health balance. To stay agile, flexible and dynamic. Exercise promotes oxygenation of your brain cells and production of some important neurotransmitters. It promotes tissue regeneration and organ health and makes sure that every single cell in your body is well nourished. It also moves your lympathic system which is a waste dumb of your body..once that becomes stagnant, your health will go down the hole. 

At the same time whether you do it for ego or not, there are many benefits to lifting weights for prevention of osteoporosis and retaining a muscle mass....both being important for your vigour and mobility in your later life.

So don't do it for the pride, to look good and show off but do it so that even in your 70s-80s your body will still serve you because once your health starts to go, your consciousness work will be the first to suffer. 

In terms of practical tips: 

• stretching exercises every single day for 10-15 minutes
• lifting weights 1-2 a week. No need to do isolated, just few of the big lifts to keep your bones strong. Focus on squads, bar rows, lifting above head, front squads, lunges and deadlifts. No need to go too heavy either. 
• Bodyweight exercises every day - pushups, squads and pullups can do miracles when done every day even with own weight. Add to this handstands and headstands, movements on all 4, frog jumps, duck walks and all sorts of primal movement (look it up on youtube, its actually a lot of fun)
• Walking daily to keep the lymphatic system running and to avoid constant sitting. 
• jogging occasionally preferably on grass and preferably no onger than 30-40 minutes as that taxes your antioxidant defences too much. 
• Avoid excessively rigorous exercises such as crossfit or don't do them too often, they are very destructive to your body and create a lot of free radicals. 
• Taking a short walk around for every 60 minute sitting. 

Edited August 2, 2019 by Michael569

[Rigel]

If you want to find a reason to be healthy that is truthful(That is you simply want it).

Try eating the standard american diet and stop exercising for a couple days while you sit on your couch and watch TV. It becomes soul crushing kinda fast ahah

Then you can train your awareness to gravitate toward what is most healthy for you  Unfortunately there's no one size fits all for this kind of stuff. Awareness is key. After each meal go and stare at your naked body in the mirror, analyse how you feel and ask yourself: is this really working for me?

 

Edited August 2, 2019 by Rigel

[Sahil Pandit]

@Daphnedenninghoff23 1 word: Yoga

[Mystic_Fool]

On 8/1/2019 at 11:57 PM, Daphnedenninghoff23 said:

I am really curious about how nutrition and exercising can help you on your path to higher consciousness. 
Whenever I go to the gym, the intention behind it is more like "ego-lifting" and wanting to look good. 
After a little realization that made me commit even deeper to the path, going back to the gym felt strange...and not right.

I know that moving your body is healthy. Does anyone have tips or resources on how to exercise and eat in a way that it benefits your path to enlightenment and higher conciousness?

Thankyou 

I think the advice given by Michael569 for exercising is right on. I would add one other form of cardio that I have found to be quite useful...HIIT.

Not only does HIIT provide the benefits of long distance endurance training in a much shorter time, it also provides some other unique heath benefits as well. HIIT has been proven to boast human growth hormone in the body, which will promote muscle gains. It also helps improve your oxygen consumption, which will benefit every aspect of your health.  I find that exercise elevates my endorphins, improves my mood, and brings me more into the here and now, all of which helps increases awareness. 

As far as tips on how eating can benefit your path to higher consciousness, I would suggest a raw vegan diet. The high water content, enzymes, and biophotons found in raw plants help connect you to nature, and who you really are, thereby elevating your consciousness. I've been a vegetarian most of my life, but in the last few years I've transitioned over to a 100% vegan diet, consisting mostly of raw foods, and it has vastly improved my health, and  raised my feeling of connectedness to nature and all living creatures. 

I've found Shans's video's to be very informative and inspirational in making the transition to a raw vegan diet. 

 

[linxx]

I have been on a spiritual path for about 10 years and started a regular exercise regimen (kung fu) about 2 years ago and let me tell you, wow, what a difference this has made for me. For the longest time I didn't feel that great in my body, I would go to the gym and swim or do yoga, but not consistently and not enough to make much of a difference. During that time as well I struggled to be consistent with daily meditation and other things that raised my level of consciousness. Once I committed to regular, rigorous exercise, my body started changing and feeling stronger, sturdier, lighter. My diet has greatly improved over the last 2 years as well. When I started feeling better in my body, it was so much easier to put effort into other things that I had always known I needed to do but struggled to find the energy and motivation to do. 

From my experience, I would conclude that diet and exercise are an essential part of raising your consciousness. Mind and body are equally important components of existing as a human. The body is the vessel through which we experience the world and we are in constant, direct connection with it aside from sleeping or out of body experiences. The spiritual path is about realizing unity, seeing the divine in everything. Our bodies are made of spirit, as is everything else. Therefore it should be given equal love, respect and care. 

[pluto]

Food cannot make you higher conscious or more spiritual but they can provide your vessel(physical body) a higher/cleaner fuel/function for higher consciousness energy to transmute through you. The body is like a universal antenna, the cleaner it is, the more efficient and clear universal transmissions become.

I personally feel best on raw living foods like fruits, vegetables in their natural state but for even higher level spiritual conductivity nothing matches fasting from food completely.

[Average Investor]

I would recommend trying walks. I have used it for hundreds of hours of contemplation and learning. Mostly learning though. It actually got me through a large amount of actualized content. That has caused a spiral effect into many areas in my life. 

Left abusive relationship

Quit nicotine after 5 years 

Went fully vegan 

Lost 50lbs

And gained a wealth of knowledge. 

I can now jog the 6 miles in one go if desired. But try to keep it with consistency. If I can 5 days a week of 6 miles mostly walking, but some jogging. I was able to do all of that stuff within one year and I believe most of that was mostly from walking. I used my new strength to climb a mountain, put in a ton of energy into my small business, and so many other good things. I do want to try and use the time more for contemplation soon though and see how it goes.