Exercising Naked

...is a lot more difficult than it sounds, particularly when the metaphor is understood.

Let's take the mechanical beast, which we've discussed before - the treaded moving sidewalk that can be controlled with the push of a view buttons. Hills, intervals, walking, running, jogging, trotting, it's all there, conveniently housed in steel, plastic and bundled electronic goodness for the exercising public.

Instructions are there, fed either electronically or through simple print into the system, and they touch on any number of details, but they're all EXTERNAL; exercising naked in this context is about the internal.

People layer up to go out into the cold, and it's good practice, primarily because its conscious. Exercise, on the other hand - walking running lifting jogging cycling that fine line between pain and bliss, lends itself to unconsicous reacting - a sort of primeval planning that is more B from A then first a, then B.

Take the shadechaser challenge. Hit a treadmill, and park your electronics. That's layer one. turn off the tv that is brought in piping hot for consumption; turn off the stereo. That's the obvious layers. But to get totally naked and exercise, you have to go deeper.

Neti neti.

Tune into the inner voice, and listen to the chatter. Not too long, just enough to get some perspective, that you are not the thoughts, you are what is watching the thoughts. Or something farther back.

Neti neti

Distance is a metaphor, but ulitmately it has to be discarded as well. Distance suggests that you are separate from what is being experienced, and as there is only one, this could never be.

Now quiet the thoughts and listen to the breath.

Ignore the hottie to the left or right, ignore your urges and heat, the pain and redemption of exercise.

Work with mantra, then breath mantra, then breath as mantra

Become absorbed, and naked.

And when you think you have it under control, exercising completely naked, when you're convinced you are balanced in the SPACE, open your eyes from half-mooned trance highway between the manifest and the semi manifest, and look at your urges.

Then, push your pulse up to 180 and see what it feels like to be raw - beyond nakedness, and yet, somehow clothed again.

neti neti.