Your Body Is a True Friend

A few years ago, one of my students was suffering with indigestion, so I recommended handstands. Since a beginner can’t stand upside-down spontaneously, for her sake, I studied how anyone could safely do handstands.

First, you develop arm strength with push-ups, and core and lower back strength with sit-ups. Next, you do handstands against the wall, and when you have more confidence, you try without using the wall.

This student, who had trouble doing even 10 push-ups at first, became able to walk over 100 steps on her hands in six months with this method. In addition, the indigestion became old news, and she changed and became so outgoing (and proactive) that the people around her were amazed. All it took was training her body for 30 minutes a day for six months.

If you want a life of success, you need to train your physical body. Luck and opportunity are available for anybody. But some people catch the opportunities that come their way and others miss them. No matter how good of an opportunity is given to you and what excellent ideas and plans you may have, if you don’t have the power to execute them, it’s hard to produce the results that you want.

Everybody has probably experienced a situation where they want something desperately, but their body refuses to cooperate. However, with steady training, over time you can give your body enough vitality to be able to run with power at any time toward the goals that you want.

Besides physical power and health, when you train your body you also develop mental power. You cultivate self-discipline and the ability to control yourself, as well as your sincerity, your sense of responsibility, and your willpower. Senses that had become dulled wake up, and you come to have the strength to observe your thoughts, emotions, and habits with clarity.

I learned this lesson from personal experience. After failing the college entrance exams twice, I felt pretty discouraged. Then one drizzly morning I was walking in front of my house with nothing to do, and suddenly, I wanted to run. After running for about an hour in the rain, I felt better. So the next day I ran again, and the day after that. For one year I ran every morning, rain or shine. The clarity I acquired brought new hope to my heart about my life and my potential.

So many other people have also told me that just by getting up one hour earlier than usual and going jogging, they distanced themselves from alcohol and cigarettes effortlessly and even improved uncomfortable family relationships. In the process of training their body, their attention and ability to observe themselves increased. As they watched themselves more deeply and closely, they could see themselves more objectively, giving them greater understanding a new perspective on life. This perspective and the power they developed helped them make better choices for their lives.

Running, push-ups, abdominal breathing, traditional martial arts . . . any kind of physical exercise will work. Master at least one way to train your body and refine it constantly in your daily life. Set your goal and keep practicing and overcoming your limits.

Our body is the house wherein our spirit dwells, and it is the partner who is with us our entire lifetime. Take care of your body and it will become a best friend who always helps you.

What do you do in your life to take care of your body?