What is Meditative Fitness?

I am a professional basketball player who trains 1-2 times a day.

I make a living by staying fit and shooting a ball at a basket. Dream come true for me. But I can assure you that, while it looks like many athletes are physically fit, it does not mean that they are overall healthy. And this is not just for athletes, the same goes for everyone.

Well, first, let me define what health is to me.

Health is not just physical. It is not just eating a wholesome diet, working out through physical activities and looking fit.

There is a total of 4 planes and 12 auric layers that are part of your body.

But for now, let's just stick with the physical plane.

1. Physical

2. Emotional

3. Mental

4. Spiritual

A lot of professional athletes have come out from different major sports saying that they need mental help. PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES who are making millions and have the best trainers and dietitians in the world, are coming out and stating that they are not okay mentally.

Same is true for so many individuals that you and I come into contact every day. They "look" fine, go to work, walk around with a smile on their face, and you may never suspect that the reality of things could be completely different.

WHY?

Because our overall health consists of having a balance between the four different planes: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

And in order to have that balance you must train not just physically but also meditatively.

If you are saying that physical training will take care of your emotional and mental state, yes, you are somewhat correct. There is enough research and evidence that through weight training in particular, you build mental endurance and improve brain function.

But it does necessarily bring awareness to the subtle parts of your life.

Relationships, emotions, feelings, suffering, attachments, ego, joy, doubts, confidence....

This is something that every single one of us deal with on a daily basis. But few, actually take the time to sit down and observe, become aware of all the subtle energies and experiences that is happening within.

And if you learn how to turn your attention inwardly, not only will it change your brain, but it will also transform your life.

Learning to sit down and observe yourself will manifest in a persistent well-being that is independent of what happens externally.

Too many people are wearing masks and pretending to be okay.

Enough of that.

There is great power in recognizing and admitting that you may not be okay. That is where the transformation begins.

Meditative fitness is the vehicle.

It's been around for thousands of years and it still works just as powerfully as it did for Buddha thousands of years ago.

The Set Up

Let me first make it clear that meditation is not closing your eyes to nap. You may say you're meditating when you're working out, running, playing a guitar, painting, or doing some other activity where you loose sense of time because your full attention is on that particular thing that you're doing.

That is flow state. But it is not meditation.

In flow state, you will not gain insights into the deepest parts of yourself.

The mind, the sensations, the expansion and contraction of thoughts and your whole existence...

This can only be done through sitting with a straight back and focused attention inwardly.

Which ultimately, leads to voidness and connection with the whole existence all at once.

I've received many questions on what to focus on when meditating. Personally, I do different meditations. Mantras, walking meditation, visualizations... But in my opinion there is one that is fundamental and the base of everything.

Vipassana.

It simply means observing your thoughts, emotions, feelings, sensations. Whatever arises let it be without judging or dwelling on it. Simply observe. It is natural that the mind will jump around. This is called the monkey mind. Like a monkey jumping from one branch onto the other. All you have to do is observe.

And from there we can start shifting gears.

THREE SPEED TRANSMISSION

This is a concept I learned from Keneth Folk. He spent years in solitude, weeks and months in meditation retreats, and learning different techniques from various ancient traditions.

For years, I've struggled to find one tradition to completely immerse myself in. Because i found it fascinating to study the differences and similarities between the different branches of Yoga and Buddhist traditions.

And after reading Keneth's text everything just fell into place for me because he made it clear that it was okay to do that, since that was the way he learned as well.

Through so many years of meditation he found a concept that he learned from different teachers and ancient traditions. He systemized that concept into what is now, known as the three speed transmission.

First gear: WHAT?

When sitting with a straight back and closed eyes bring your attention to this exact moment. Focus on the six senses:

1. Seeing

2. Hearing

3. Touching

4. Smelling

5. Tasting

6. Thinking

Second gear: WHO?

Then, bring your attention to the one who is observing. Ask yourself:

Who am I?

Who is this happening to?

Third gear: Thats it!!!

"It’s over. Surrender to the situation as it is in this moment. Then, go beyond even surrender, to the simple acknowledgement that this moment is as it is, with or without your approval. Even your effort to surrender is a presumption, a last-ditch effort to control the situation; by agreeing to surrender, you imply that you have a choice, as though you could choose not to surrender. This is not so. You are not in charge. You are the kid in the the back seat with the plastic steering wheel. This moment is already here and nothing you can do or not do in this moment will change it."

When you catch yourself drifted in thoughts, that is when you downshift back to second gear, or if needed first. Once you gain momentum, you shift again to second and third.

Next question: how long do I do this for?

My answer is everyday. However, I do understand that we all slip up on our routine and habits. That's okay. Just try to make it a habit of doing it everyday. And soon you'll find yourself that this becomes a part of your routine just like brushing your teeth.

Start out slow. Maybe it's 10 minutes. Then, 15 minutes. And keep gradually increasing. My aim for this practice is 2 hours a day. Ideally, about 60 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes in the evening.

Again, it's just like lifting weights.

If you haven't done any weight training in a long time. You want to start out slow. As you are lifting weights you may experience joy, increase in energy, clarity. But the next day your body will be sore.

Same with meditation. Except you may experience that within one sitting. You'r back will start hurting. Thoughts going crazy. You'll want to scratch your face because it's itching. Maybe, you'll start sweating.

It is all part of the process.

As you keep lifting weights, days go by, and you notice the need to increase your weights because your body has adjusted.

Again, same with meditation. Increase your time.

Observe.

And enjoy the ride.

With time, incorporate this into your everyday life. Throughout the day remind yourself to bring attention to the observer.

Who is observing and experiencing whatever that is you may be doing in that particular moment?

The whole process is cyclical. You'll experience tranquility. Agitation. Pain. When you experience that, bring your whole attention to that particular feeling. Where are you feeling it, how big is it, give your full attention to it. Next thing you know, it's completely gone. Because everything is just a mental representation.

That's growth.

That's evolution.

That's ChitLife!!!