Don't whine, but win!

When we stop whining, we start winning. The whining mind overly clings to people, to things, becomes selfish in giving and in trusting.

It drains an awful lot of energy. Such a mind crouches and things appear distorted and frightening. This is an uneasy, troubled mind heading for depression.

The body gets affected too — low energy, stiffness in joints, throb in the neck streaming into the head. The body develops little crookedness — a listing, a leaning — that ultimately wear out joints or weaken spots because of obstructed blood circulation.

Straighten out the cringing body, the crouching mind. The mind-body connection is so intimate that there’s a new field called ‘embodied cognition’ being researched — one that urges adopting winning postures to defeat whining thoughts. Here are some examples:
nWhen you find your resolve to exercise weaken, rub your hands together and proclaim fiercely, “I am exercising!”

- When tempted by a fat-filled sweet that’s going to send your blood-sugar level shooting, clench your fists, grit your teeth and say, “I am strong. I don’t want this. I don’t need this.”

- When stung by an intense toothache, curl your feet tight and assure, “Yes, I’ll tend to you. Calm down, be peaceful.”

- Stand tall and resolve determinedly, “No matter how wrong everything goes, I have no right to be down. And I shall never be down.”

When you flex your muscles daily, you strengthen your body. When you flex your thoughts daily, you strengthen your mind. And when you act on your physical and mental resolves, you flex your will and become a powerhouse of positivity, wellness, strength.
When you strike a power posture mentally and physically, your spirit gets a thrusting boost of a rocket. You hurt less. Your sensitivity to pain shrinks, especially when you draw yourself up and stand like a soldier with shoulders squared, chest puffed out proudly. It’s a regal mind-body language stating, “I am bigger and more powerful than you” (the pain or affliction.) It’s amazingly effective.

One power-promoting exercise that I’ve personally experienced as expansive and elevating is:

Touch the skies. Stand with legs placed wide apart like two sturdy tree trunks. Arms hanging on either side, hold a five-pound dumbbell in each hand. Raise both hands together frontward and up as if you want the dumbbells to touch the skies. Feel the stretch in your entire body. Return the dumbbells to starting position by powerfully controlling the downward arc. Do 20 of this exercise, depending on your fitness level.

Note: Do it preferably with eyes focused on a skyscraper or a towering tree.

Simultaneously, let wisdom, not self-indulgence, grow in you. Wisdom gives freedom. Wisdom gives power. Don’t eat foods that weaken you, make you lazy. Isn’t it a powerful statement if you eat something not because habit dictates, not because friends coax, but because your own wisdom guides you?

Broadly, power foods are egg whites for breakfast, paneer for lunch, sprouts for dinner. Or you can take spirulina, a supplement rich in protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Its effect is so marvellous, you feel you can singlehandedly lift heavy furniture!
Self-power is a beautiful asset. Everyday read something spiritually powerful . Reflect on it. Apply it to your own life. Be calm and peaceful amidst all gains and losses — that is true power.   

(The writers are authors of the book Fitness for Life.)