When you consider the rise in popularity of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and quick workouts that pack a punch, it is easy to realize the benefit of short bursts of exercise to stimulate the mind, awaken the body, and rejuvenate the soul. In our increasingly busy lives, we require shorter and more intense exercises that we can do from anywhere and get back to life feeling rejuvenated, accomplished, and inspired.
One Minute Exercises are something that Ilchi Lee, CYE founder and mind body expert, has been focusing on recently.
In last week’s Wellness Guide, we talked about the benefits of exercising for 1 minute, 10 times a day, for a total of just 10 minutes to combat the effects of our western jobs and sedentary lifestyles that keep us sitting for much of the day. It is important to maintain the flow of energy through the body and open the channels of communication between the brain and the body.
When we strengthen our mind-body connection and intentionally stimulate both the physical and energetic bodies, we are able to combat the ill effects of sitting all day, as well as establish life-changing habits that will benefit our health for years to come.
Forming, and sticking with, new habits can be a challenge, however. With time constraints and the pressures of day-to-day life, it can be hard to stay consistent and develop the accountability needed to really make a difference. That’s why we are in the process of developing a new app that will help you develop select a custom routine to stimulate mind and body with inspired movement and track your progress in just 10 minutes a day.
In an excerpt from Ilchi Lee’s newest book
I've Decided to Live 120 Years, to be released early December 2017, he states:
An important point of One Minute Exercise is that exercise should be incorporated into daily life, not separated from it. In other words, life is exercise and exercise is life. If you do one minute of exercise every hour in your daily life, you encounter Heaven within you and lead a life that reminds you of your wholeness and creativity. In this sense, I also call One Minute Exercise, Tongchun Living (i.e., a life of communing with Heaven).
The reason we practice Tongchun Living is to keep our consciousness awake. We don't really exist unless we are aware of that. Though we have consciousness, it is not a living awareness unless it is awake. We practice Tongchun Living every hour to stay awake. Then our habits and constitution really change. We change to have a constitution that allows us to take responsibility for our own health, a constitution that lets us create our own happiness and peace.
Passion is not something you develop because you're young or because you have a good environment. Nor should you hope that other people will raise the temperature of your passion or that your passion will be revived by a better external environment. Passion is not something someone gives you. It's something you make and develop yourself.”
Another interesting and empowering aspect of 1 minute exercises is the idea of opportunistic exercise, meaning that it's an easy way to exercise whenever you get the opportunity to for 1 minute every hour. It alleviates the thought of having to go to a gym or invest a lot of time to get exercise in. It's about doing what you can when you have the opportunity—given your current space, location, and time. This is how you become the master of your life not controlled by your environment.
Cultivate your physical power, heart power, brain power.
In order to be self-sufficient in terms of health, happiness, and peace, you need to develop three kinds of power: physical power, heart power, and brain power.”
Ilchi Lee describes the three different types of power required to live a radiant life in a holistic way. When you focus on the body as a whole, you come to realize that everything truly is connected, and furthermore, that when one aspect of your self is out of balance, the entire body can suffer.
Doing just 10 repetitions of 1 minute exercises each day can truly help you discover your true nature, your self beyond the ego and expectations of daily life.
You can do whatever type of exercise that calls to you, but moderate to vigorous exercises where you can effectively use your muscle strength and increase your heart rate within a short period of time—such as push-ups, squats, sit-ups, running in place, or holding a plank—will be the most beneficial. You can also include breathwork, body tapping, meridian exercises, and other energy work to stimulate the flow of ki energy specifically.
Have fun with the exercises and you’ll see that they will bring you so much joy. You can even do jumping jacks, jump rope, or try your hand at the hula hoop! There are no restrictions to what you can do, as long as you’re moving and having fun, you’ll be doing a lot of good for your body.
Get creative with the exercises you do and take note of how you feel before, during, and after the exercise. The progression of your stamina, muscle strength, ability, and energy level will experience peaks and valleys, but when you are continuously moving in the same direction, you are sure to experience a positive result.
When you begin to be an active participant in your life through intentional movement, you will have a positive effect on those around you and you may even inspire others to begin doing 1 minute exercises. Passion has the tendency to have a domino effect. When you are seen living in your truth and being passionate, you are an example to the world that they too can live in this space.
Commit to yourself, your passion, and your ability to naturally take your health into your own hands.
To your radiant health!