The inspiration to be stronger

Integral Strength Pod

I've had time to reflect on what this strength training practice means to me.  In this time I have taken a break from strength training and I have had the opportunity to look for meaning and inspiration for why I should devote more energy to the practice of getting stronger.

What I am continually battling in this practice is the aspect of ego fulfilling versus ego transcendence.  Is the need to be bigger and stronger through this practice an expression of vanity - an identification with a mental image of my body giving me a greater sense of who I think I am… or does this practice enable a way for me to see beyond this vanity - beyond the self identification and gratification - to a deeper perspective and experience.

This is important as I am unlikely to want to pursue this practice if the depth that I am drawing inspiration from is predominantly vanity focused.  It's the reason why I left strength training 10 years ago.  The traditional texts and magazines associated with bodybuilding reinforce my and other's perceptions that there is little overall depth in this practice other than to look good.  I have recently bought a couple of books directly related to bodybuilding practice and other than some useful techniques; I could not say they were effective in injecting a deeper purpose to why I should lift heavy objects on a regular basis.

Intuitively, the strength training practice over the past year has been part of the catalyst for a positive shift in my awareness, relationship with my wife, my presence of mind, depth in my meditation, and to the vitality in my body.  Inspiration enough to continue strength training but not to deepen it beyond its current form.  

I have been looking tor inspiration and purpose to take me further and deeper to the potentials of this practice.  There are three perspectives I have found so far that are assisting me in this aim:

• ILP (encompassing the Integral Strength Pod and the work by Shawn Phillips)
• The Bodhisattva Vow source book
• (and of all places) Eckhart Tolle book A New Earth

Let me share the Bodhisattva Vow with you and how I am relating this to a renewed inspiration to strength training:

“Taking the bodhisattva vow has tremendous power for the very reason that it is not something we do just for the pleasure for the ego.  It is beyond oneself.  Taking the vow is like planting the seed of a fast growing tree, whereas something done for the benefit of ego is like sowing a grain of sand.  Planting such a seed as the bodhisattva vow undermines ego and leads to a tremendous expansion of perspective.  The bodhisattva vow is the commitment to put others before oneself.  It is a statement of willingness to give up ones own well-being, even own enlightenment, for the sake of others.  And a bodhisattva is simply a person who lives in the spirit of that vow, perfecting the qualities known as the six paramitas - generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and transcendental knowledge - in an effort to liberate beings.”

My own bodhisattva vow is to let go of my current egocentric approach to spiritual development use a deepening expression of strength training, yoga and meditation to have an increasing capacity to be able to unceasingly help others along a path of greater health, vitality, strength, awareness and peace.

I'm sharing this vow as my own commitment to this pod that in whatever capacity I have I will connect and help others grow through strength training in deeper ways other than just on the scales.  

Damon

Re: The inspiration to be stronger

Damon,

I’d like to deeply Thank You for the beautifully rich dedication. Truly, this is a wonderful gift. I’m looking forward to our journey together here as I too am deeply committed to evolving strength training “beyond the scales” as you framed it.

I am passionately driven to embrace the full spectrum of what is possible within this wonderfully rich and widely misunderstood practice.

With that said, thank you for sharing your honest candid strugging with the ego, vanity and your intense drive to shift beyond this conventional relationship with strength training.

I’d like to offer up a few suggestions of my own that might be of interest to you and others struggling with these or similar dynamics.

As for strength training being ego fulfilling as opposed to ego transcending I’d like to say that these two do not have to be fundamenally opposed. You can continue to develop your ego, strengthen your ego’s ability to function, increase your ego’s capacity to manage itself, its core internal dynamics, improve your effectiveness in the world, navigate relationships with more skill and so on. All of this does not necessarily create more of a barrier for transcendence, this would include being bigger and stronger in the more conventional sense.

The stronger your ego - or to frame it another way - the more developed your ego is the more effective you are at acting and being in this world of form, whether that’s skillfully connecting with someone, lifting 280 pounds or managing your own internal issues without reacting unconsciously. Strength training can be used to develop the ego’s core capacities (physical, emotional and mental capacities) and as a result can enhance your ability to act on and bring your life’s purpose into greater fruition within the world of form.

This is not in any way fundamentally opposed to transcending your ego. In fact, the greater your ego strength the easier it is to transcend ego (of course strong well developed ego’s have their own typical “sticking points” that must be worked with skillfully as well). Generally speaking though, the weaker the ego, the more dissociative the spiritual awakening tends to be and thus the more distorted the realization becomes as it finds its way into form through and as a individual body-mind.

Now I am assuming I’m casting “ego” a little bit differently than you were using it - nonetheless, I wanted to share it because it’s important. Not all of “ego” is pathological or obstructive to spiritual development and awakening.

Let’s dive right into some of the issues you brought up though.

I’m assuming that reinforcing vanity is one aspect of what you’re calling “Ego Fulfilling” - going with this definition I would say that one trap you’re seeing quite clearly is the identification with one’s appearance & perhaps one’s accomplishments.

Vanity’s “sticking point” doesn’t have much to do with the “appearance” nor the “accomplishments” themselves in my opinion. What’s “challenging” about vanity is the self grasping and identification with these elements and the way the ego contracts its self sense around these objects.

There’s absolutely nothing problematic with appearance or accomplishments even if they are “superficial.”

The challenge emerges in how the ego establishes a struggle and thus a sense of self oriented around these objects.

My question is this, your more “egoic” sense of self is struggling with vanity and something deeper. Ego reinforcing and ego transcending as you put it. Fundamentally my sense this is just a more evolved and sophisticated egoic struggle.

Your struggle with appearance has got you whether you look good or not because you’re invested in- that is to say you’re attached to - the meaning of how you look. Whether you have a more yogic look, perhaps just the appearance of a meditator, one of a strength trainer or of someone who eats fast food and watches TV 24/7 your particular ego loves to create a struggle around how you look and how this dictates how you’re seen in the world.

I’m obviously speculating here, so please take all of this “you” with a grain of salt. I’m simply offering up my own reflections, my intention is to spark some insight within yourself.

With that said I’d like to turn this to ego transcending… exactly what is it?

This is quite the subject matter, but I’ll toss out a starting point. Ego Transcendence is the part of you that fundamentally does not struggle (if ego’s basic process is itself struggle, then truly this part is indeed transegoic).

That’s to say it is the part of you that is completely OK with the very struggle we’re discussing. There’s no problem with any of it.

This part of you is the part that does not seek. I believe this is at least part of the “deeper experience” you’re pointing to.

My guess, and perhaps my hope is that this basic ground of being is what strength training is helping to realize more fully. I hope this deep stillness is what is creating a positive shift in your awareness, a shift in a central relationship, has impacted your presence of mind, deepened your meditative practice and increased the vitality you feel within your body-mind.

Yes the literature is shallow, but don’t be fooled by this. Read the shallow literature or don’t take what’s useful or discover on your own. Regardless of how you proceed I’m thankful you’re one of the few Strength Training beyond its current form…You’re doing both by simply lifting with your full engagement.

Looking forward Damon,
~R

Re: The inspiration to be stronger

Rob

Thankyou for the deep and insightful reply to my post of nearly a month ago. Its taken me a while to reflect on how this relates to my struggle of this practice and its capacity to develop and at the same time has the potential to regress the capacity of the ego.

Two of the statements really hit home:

The stronger your ego - or to frame it another way - the more developed your ego is the more effective you are at acting and being in this world of form, whether that's skilfully connecting with someone, lifting 280 pounds or managing your own internal issues without reacting unconsciously. Strength training can be used to develop the ego's core capacities (physical, emotional and mental capacities) and as a result can enhance your ability to act on and bring your life's purpose into greater fruition within the world of form.

I really connected with this statement.  I feel the greatest benefit that the practice of strength training has developed for me is this “development of the ego's core capacity”.  Physical is the most obvious.  Even at a physical level I have found this practice is the most effective and efficient way of developing a physique that is strong, energetic and healthy.  What has been the surprise is the emotional, mental, and dare I say it spiritual developments that have happened as a direct consequence of this strength training practice. 

I have been taught and read many philosophical thoughts on life and self that deny the strengthening of the ego - that transcendence only comes through detachment and formlessness.  It is perceived that if one develops the intent towards greater capacity that these are attachments that are the “Ego-tistical” self seeking.  So one interprets the seeking of strength training as an act of strengthening the small self, a selfish practice only to satisfy a vanity that covers up deeper dysfunctions.  Im taking this to its extremes, but it is perceived as this intent amongst those who cant see the deeper capacities of this practice. 
Which leads to your next statement……

My guess, and perhaps my hope is that this basic ground of being is what strength training is helping to realize more fully. I hope this deep stillness is what is creating a positive shift in your awareness, a shift in a central relationship, has impacted your presence of mind, deepened your meditative practice and increased the vitality you feel within your body-mind.

I've interpreted this as the deeper state shifts that happen as a direct consequence of this practice.  After a deeply focused session of weights, with all the tension, fear, energy behind me - what is left is a deep meditative “state”.  My body feels most alive either after a deep meditation or after exteme exercise.  However what I feel that there is a fundamental difference between the two states.  Rob maybe with your experience of both forms of experience that you could outline the difference and similarities that emerge between the two.

My last reflection to your post is related to the “struggle”

There's absolutely nothing problematic with appearance or accomplishments even if they are “superficial.”  The challenge emerges in how the ego establishes a struggle and thus a sense of self oriented around these objects. My question is this, your more “egoic” sense of self is struggling with vanity and something deeper. Ego reinforcing and ego transcending as you put it. Fundamentally my sense this is just a more evolved and sophisticated egoic struggle.

This struggle never ends.  Even in some of the most spiritually evolved humans on the planet seem to struggle with this.  I think my original statement of linking my need for strength with vanity is linked to an ongoing struggle that face us all at different levels of development.  I can see this through your words and accept that it will be an ongoing struggle.  What can shift is probably my relationship to this struggle - an acceptance through awareness that my ego has the capacity to be more evolved and seek more superficial experiences.

Damon

The Mechanics of Motivation - The Shawn Phillips Project

Integral Strength Pod

Shawn Phillips has emarked on quite an ambitious project that is worthy of mention and relates to the initial intent of this pod thread so I posted it here.
 

The project requires each of us to share the single most effective tip you've discovered for staying motivated and achieving your goals. His plan is to get as many people as possible to share their most powerful, most effective motivation tip or technique in order to determine the “21 Most Effective Techniques For Creating And Sustaining Unstoppable Motivation”.

In return he has offered a link to a free copy of the 21 top secrets to fitness motivation and an invitation to a LIVE Motivation Secrets teleseminar.