What Does it Mean to Have DISCIPLINE?

**It means no ONE thing to any ONE person. Discipline hinges on what each individual chooses to be most important in their lives and how they plan to use control and concentration to achieve it.

For me, discipline means allowing myself to do what is healthiest for my body and mind, without indulging too deeply within the distractions and substances that have the ability to derail me and keep me from maintaining alignment and a sense of balance. I'm not someone who posits the importance of health just for the hell of it--I've truly observed in myself how a lifestyle focused on the well-being of myself and others helps to clear literal and figurative "toxins" from festering in my system.

I am never ever one to be self-righteous or preachy or condescending. This simple theory of mine has no religious or political affiliation, or ability to be categorized. I do not work to be healthy in order to impress someone or put others down--I try to be healthy so I can stay sane and have the ability to love and respect others, as well as myself. In fact, I feel much less kind and respectful when I am indulging too deeply in sadness or fear or failure. Putting myself down never seems to help anyone come up.

I am part of a group of friends who have encountered a variety of unbelievable hardships, but we have all been working to use the resources from within our bodies to help ourselves become more fit to handle life's twists and turns. Dedicating myself to achieving well-being is harder than I could've ever imagined, but well worth the energy. I understand some of what I'm saying may border on cliche, or may seem hard to relate to, but health (whatever that means to you) IS something that requires discipline and importantly, YOUR singular vision of WHAT health means!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not allow work, school and others to make you feel that your health (mental and physical) comes second. Health NEVER comes second, otherwise, you will not have the energy and ability to maintain meaningful relationships with others!

Alright, I hope this does not read as instructional or preachy--I simply want everyone to realize that their health is important and to attempt to use discipline as the set of tools to achieve that health. All peace and love and gooey hippy dippy stuff like that :)








Tease On,


Ian

Keeping Motivated Through Self Encouragement

Hey All! It's been a while.

Tonight, I wanted to chat with you all about keeping motivated amid missteps and self-doubt. I have a habit of being extremely passionate about something for a short period of time, before fizzling out completely, and not finishing the project I worked so diligently to begin in the first place. With Pilates and with the structure of the apprenticeship program I'm in, I've had the opportunity to pursue an ambition that I have no plans of giving up as a result of the mental and physical gains I've made.

With practicing, observation, teaching, learning anatomy and doing side projects associated with the method, Pilates has become something more than a hobby, or even a career, but a way of life that has encouraged me to seek happiness and health for myself and others, above everything else. There are aspects of my Pilates education that I struggle with, but I take each challenge and eventual overcoming of said challenge as a deep and important accomplishment that propels me to continue to be a better student and teacher. It's hard not to be bogged down by what seem like cataclysmic failure, be it a bad day, a negative comment from a peer, etc. Because of this seemingly ever present anxiety, I've initiated a regimen of consistent self-encouragement, sometimes verbal, often mental, where I reinforce myself by remembering my strengths and talents and accepting my weaknesses and focusing on improvement. It's a sort of mantra I've taken on--part of a ritual that I hope will propel me to achieve my ultimate spiritual and physical objectives.

Whereas I've often looked at my artistic career and education with a competitive nature that is fueled by compliments and hindered by critiques, I refuse to let commentary or criticism keep me from reaching my ultimate short and long term goals in the realm of Pilates. Because of this, my attitude as a writer and artist has been more positive and less self-critical as of late.

At the end of the day, the end of my life, even, I know I will not regret or reflect heavily upon exact career moves I made, but rather on overall experiences I've had and the positive people and events that inspired me to become the person I am. This is the focus I will try to go into each day with. And I encourage you to do so as well.

Tease On, (for as long as you can :))

P.S. It makes me sad when I make a blog post with no pictures or visual stimulation, so here's a picture my friend took of me after I got my hands on some wild grapes. Soon I won't be able to visit my beautiful Central Park in all its green glory. I better enjoy it while it lasts!







Ian

Look for the FEEL--Body Image and Athleticism

Most of my friends are artists. In many ways, this creates stimulating, engaging conversation and interactions--where it facilitates issues, however, is in the realm of physical fitness.

An issue I see many people, including myself, struggling with, is body image in the face of exercise routines. It is typical to associate physical fitness and athleticism with the jocks in school that may have bullied you or the professional athletes who receive preferential treatment in the face of western culture and law. Frankly, exercise (to artists) can be looked at as an intellectually inferior activity. Because of this system of thought, it's difficult to convince my friends to help me practice on them, offering them free lessons that would normally cost a decent sum of money.

Such negative views toward exercise absorbed from culture and personal experience, as well as from the fear of not being physically fit or attractive enough to work out, can all but force someone like myself to close my eyes out of disgust as I walk past the gym.

I've always been athletic--I was a competitive cross country runner--but I felt left out of the "fit" club because I had a smaller build than most men. This was especially discouraging to me when I would exceed most of my team in speed and ability, yet didn't posses the right look to be considered cool enough to call myself an athlete openly. My point is--

SCREW anyone who makes you deem yourself not qualified, deserving, or good enough to work out. Pilates, as an example, is a complex and rewarding discipline that constantly engages the mind and body and helps people to arrive at a place where they feel physically fit, with the idea in mind that their practice will assist in the longevity and enjoyment of their lives.

Look for the feel.

Do the practice, be consistent, feel the rewards. I see it as detrimental to go into any workout regimen focused solely on achieving a look that our culture categorizes as conventionally attractive or correct at one moment in time. If you do your best to make your body feel better and work more effectively, the physical results will follow. Media representations of beauty change, feeling good is forever.

Different individuals have different bodies. Different bodies make different changes and in fact, change at different rates. Human bodies are constantly in flux as a result of puberty, pregnancy, working out, eating differently, etc. EMBRACE and LOVE those changes as they are ever present and natural.

Tease On (In The Face Of Adversity)

Om,

Ian


P.S. TEASER THURSDAY #teaserthursday (<------ can I even do that on this site?) will appear TOMORROW (Friday) as I was in the city all day and did not have a chance to tease!