My understanding of exercise is that having a body that is moderately aerobically fit with good muscular strength means that it will much more easily achieve my daily physical responsibilities, in a gentle way that doesn’t leave me exhausted or in muscle fatigue and pain at the end of each day or work week. Knowing what exercises I personally need to do has not come from what Serge Benhayon or Universal Medicine has said, but from feeling what my body truly needs to be supported.
Exercising in a way that is about feeling what my body needs and how it responds to each exercise, I soon felt that if I did too much exercise or pushed too hard, the exercise would counteract what I was working towards – to feel more energetically vital in my body and more able to stay gentle throughout my day. Instead, I would feel somewhat exhausted, hard or disconnected from my body at the end of the day. Exercising at too high an intensity, obsessively, competitively or to perform or look a certain way also felt very unnurturing and un-loving towards not only my body, but to me too. And these were things that I had also been inspired to change – to be more honouring of my body, more self-aware and more loving with myself.
Discovering a way of exercising that is gentle and honouring of what is felt in my body has been life changing for me. In the past I have participated in over 20 years of extremely intense sports including athletics, football, netball, swimming, basketball, triathlon, marathon running and adventure racing at state and national levels. Not only has it allowed me to change the way that I work out my own body, it has also changed the approach that I have towards my work, in the field of exercise physiology. It’s not so much changed what exercises I do or what I recommend to others, but it’s changed the way the exercises are done. I now see that in the past I have worked as a sports trainer or rehabilitation consultant to try to help people who wanted their bodies to look better, get the right size or shape, be pain free, or to perform better in their sport. When the focus was on such outcomes, the exercise was performed in a way to try to achieve the outcome, usually at the highest intensity possible, to get there as soon as possible. By exercising in such a way there was very little consideration of how the body was truly coping or responding to the training at the time, often resulting in further pain and injury, or no change at all. It was very disconnected to the body, and more mentally designed, based on how to get to the outcome.
I can confidently say that the inspirations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, about being more connected to me and my body and being self-loving and nurturing, have allowed my exercise and my work to become of greater quality and integrity. No one has told me how to exercise or how to work, this all came from connecting more deeply with myself and my body. At work I now take the time to connect to the person, feel their whole needs, and ensure that the exercises we complete together are in line with the needs of this person and where their body is currently at in order to develop not only a fit and strong body, but also one that is energetically vital, gentle and connected. Exercising in such a way is much more honouring and also very enjoyable and often results in a change to not only what type of exercise is enjoyed but also the intensity or duration of the exercise.
By Anonymous
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
I have found that when I have copied another in what they have been doing or have been told what to do and I have listened without discerning first whether it was true to me it never lasted. When the impulse comes from my own body it’s real and there’s no doubt that what I am doing is supporting my body because it is coming from me and therefore from no influence from outside of me.
A very important, well written and simple blog for not only exercise science but the laws and energetic science of all actions. It is proof that there is 2 x types of intelligence we can listen or align to. One of the body; or one of the mind. “No one has told me how to exercise or how to work, this all came from connecting more deeply with myself and my body.” And important to NOTE:
“It’s not so much changed what exercises I do or what I recommend to others, but it’s changed the way the exercises are done.” A more joy-full experience through connection to the body.
I have been starting to go to the gym after 8 years. I find the intensity in which people exercise has gone up, there is a drive, a competition in their training that is excessive. It feels and is abuse to the body to push it like that with bigger weight, faster running etc. It is quite challenging to stay in gentleness and delicateness and honour my body but my body is loud and clear telling me it is made to be love and need no punishment but exercising connected to my body.
When I look around it seems like the focus is on pushing the body instead of co-operating with it in terms of what it is communicating with us and what it truly needs. It’s quite easy to override how the body feels and just treat it like a slave under our will to create a pretty thing but the body is very intelligent and communicates in a universal language and don’t need a translator unless we ignore what it is saying to us. Then the translator has to come in the form of an injury.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a fit and strong body except when it has been attained at the expense of the body rather than in honour and support of it.
“Discovering a way of exercising that is gentle and honouring of what is felt in my body has been life changing for me” I used to go to the gym and felt bad about myself if I didn’t feel like pumping hard. What a blessing to discover that there is another much more gentle way to exercise that my body really loves. Feeling my body as I moved was a whole new revelation to me, when I used to distract myself and get it over with as soon as possible!
I used to exercise years ago to clear my head and not notice what was happening in my body. Nowadays I exercise much more gently with the focus on my body and what it feels like it wants to do, rather than push it hard. I was explaining this yesterday to someone who said how great it was to run for an hour, (he didn’t much enjoy it) but that was his cardiovascular exercise done for the day. It was interesting that his body is telling him not to push so hard.
I absolutely love this approach to exercise as well – learning to feel what exercises support the body – it is much simpler and simply makes so much more sense.
The beautiful mixture of exercise and tenderness is the real deal!
Reading this blog brings back memories of when I used to go to the gym, working out and feeling exhausted afterwards. All I was concerned about was losing weight and the appearance of my body. These days, I love walking and the exercise is very different in that I am connected to my body, I am aware of my breathing (whether it is gentle or not) and most of all I am present – there is no abuse to my body and a feeling of not trying to get anywhere but a staying with me. Afterwards instead of the exhaustion, I feel refreshed and energized.
The awareness you have developed and brought into your work is profound & inspirational. It makes complete sense to exercise with a connection that honours where the body is at and what it truly needs, and to do this in a self-loving and nurturing quality is just a gorgeous approach to something that can otherwise be experienced as quite unpleasant.
I know for me that it became clear from Serge Benhayon’s presentations what was too much exercise – and for me it was when my breath became ‘ragged’, having to open my mouth to take in great gulps of air. Over time I’ve developed a fitness programme when I can raise my heart rate, and my breathing but remain with a gentle breath and so remain with me… not pushing too hard. It puts so much less stress on the body, and using my awareness of my breathing is a great marker of not pushing too hard (which in the past has led to injuries etc).
The outcomes we want from exercise is such a key point. When we are desperate to achieve something through exercise we can be very hard on ourselves and can make it a real slog. But the process itself can be so much fun when we remove the need to achieve and can enjoy exercise and the simple act of moving our bodies. We were after all made to move so we might as well have fun doing it.
I agree Stephen, so often exercise is outcome driven or based on an ideal outside of our bodies that we have to achieve whether it be a competition or a certain body shape or weight. This puts the body immediately into compromise and trauma. It often means we have to over-ride the body. If we let go of outcomes and develop our awareness of our bodies then we can exercise according to what the body feels from the inside which does not compromise or traumatise the body because it always takes the body into account.
I can really relate to being outcome driven when undertaking exercise and also that I drove myself to get it over with as soon as possible in total disregard of my body which led to physical problems and also exhaustion – the complete opposite of what I was trying to achieve! Having fun and feeling what my body needs is so much more enjoyable and supportive of my body and myself.
Thank you for the post I found it interesting as well as confirming for me how exercise should take place for me.
I have also found that re-defining my exercise routine to make it gentler has been much more supportive for my body and how I am able to go about my daily life. This has come about by trusting my body to tell me how much exercise is needed on any given day.
Hi Stephen, I like how you have talked about there being a changing daily amount of exercise that the body actually needs.