I get asked rather often what therapies, of all the ones I’ve tried – and I’ve tried a few – I personally use and recommend. So I thought I’d post on it.
I’ve tried just about every therapy in Christendom. It’s an occupational hazard. From the noise of it all I’ve distilled things down to a bunch of smooth routines and approaches.
As a general approach, I keep to a morning routine. Routines are good. They create a firm launch pad and determine the tone of the day.
I also do some regular maintenance stuff. Sometimes I think to myself, “my parents would never do this kind of thing…they’d just get on with it”. Also, it can get expensive, all this “maintenance”.
But I justify it thus:
I do a lot, am engaged in a lot, and I need help to ensure I can keep doing what I love to do.
An athlete gets regular physio. TV stars get blowdries. A rally car driver gets their car serviced. I get regular treatments to keep me well and open and energised.
I rotate the various therapies, according to what continues to keep me open and intimate with life. I’m also a little challenged by the idea of taking good care of myself (I forget and burn out very easily) and so some of these healings are about getting into that space. Being intimate. This is important. I don’t buy nail polish or magazines or shoes or throw cushions. I prefer to do this kind of thing.
My daily practice:
Meditation. I practice the vedic style (with a mantra, 20 minutes twice a day). I’ve blogged about it here. My teacher Tim can be found here.
Exercise. I move every morning – a mixture of walking, jogging (I’ve taken to barefoot running), yoga, ocean swimming and home weights. I also ride a singlespeed bike. My thing is this: I set out to move every day for 20 minutes minimum. It’s the “every day” bit that matters to me, and my aim is to simply get blood flowing and to feel fresh and to get into the outdoors. I don’t focus on “getting fit” or losing weight. It’s also about flow and agility and feeling vibrant.