Last week's sponsor emphasized healing the body by means of the spirit. This week's has a similar approach, but goes just a little further.
Shawn Philips, who's been a member of this community for as long as I have, just came out with a new book: Strength for Life. (I finished it last week.) And while I'd rather just talk about Shawn—he's practically a neighbor of mine, and has a beautiful new little daughter—this newsletter is about his book, and why it might resonate. :)
(If you'd like to skip my thoughts and just check it out yourself, you can get a
free chapter here.)
My favorite part of Strength for Life—the part that made me laugh for the obvious truth it skewered—was his wonderful observation of "the paradox of health."
People in the United States are obsessed with heath, yet are getting more and more unhealthy. To my mind, merely recognizing this (
what's that all about, hm? It's worth pondering...) is a gift, but Shawn doesn't stop there. Our usual understanding of health just means being free from illness—that is, it's an idea that's expressed in the negative. But this focus on what's wrong, or what
could go wrong, is damaging. A far better approach, he feels, would have us tap into, and elicit, our own inner strength.
Spirituality and strength training aren't often seen in the same sentence, nor do many fitness books recommend a gratitude journal, so Shawn's approach is refreshing. He applies, over and over, ideas of vision and transformation to the topic of physical well-being—and vice versa. For instance, strength training depends on the same sort of 'focusing' that we use when paying attention to "the Now."
But despite the importance of presence (again with the paradoxes!),
Strength for Life maintains that "Today is the wrong day to start any fitness program"—it's what happens
before that point that makes the difference. And isn't this the case with anything in life?
Shawn's supported us for a long time, and so I'm proud to share his new site, MyStrengthforLife.com, where you can download a
free chapter (or order the book directly or just learn more about Shawn and his own story).
In sickness and in, um, strength, :)
Siona,
and the rest of the
Gaia TeamPS. If, after you've
looked at Shawn's site, you think of your own answer to the question in the subject of this email, by all means send it along! I'd love your thoughts, and I'm sure he would as well.
