No, I am not a monk. However, I learn so much from the way monks live their lives. For years, monks are known to be one of the most present people on this planet. Their ability to stay present, and in tune with themselves is what makes them so unique. The monk lifestyle promotes concentration, mindfulness, and overall more peace. I mean isn’t that in itself enough reason to want to implement some of their techniques into your own life?

Do you ever wonder how beneficial it could possibly be for us as humans to apply some of their teaching into different aspects of our lives?

In this day and age, there is just so much noise around the world of fitness. Honestly, even after having worked out for so many years, I still get confused! So, can you imagine how it might be for someone just starting out in their fitness journey? This is where I found that the monk lifestyle was super beneficial to me.

Monk Habit # 1 – Do one thing at a time. You must be thinking I’m crazy because you probably think this is impossible. I mean as humans we have really become pros at multi-tasking. It is almost as if in our minds we have convinced ourselves that without multi-tasking, we are not productive and won’t finish all the tasks on our list. Can you imagine how it would feel to just focus on one task at a time? For example, something as simple as drinking water. How much more present could you be if focused just on drinking on water? Same applies to fitness – we are so focused on getting through our workout routine that we forget to really connect with each exercise. The mind muscle connection is lacking which directly impacts the results you see. When you do not connect with each muscle contraction, you are essentially just moving through the motions.

Monk Habit # 2 – Do Less. Monks definitely have a very busy schedule, but they also don’t have a to do list that is never ending either. This also gives you time to add intention to everything you do, instead of rushing through everything in life. In fitness, try to create your workout routine with intention. When you focus too much on how everyone else is putting together their workouts, that is a cause for becoming overwhelming and confused. Ask yourself, which exercises in my workout routine will create the best results?

Monk Habit # 3 – Designate time for certain things. By designating time to certain activities daily, monks follow through on things that are most important to them. For example, they have a time designated for eating. You can apply this to your daily routine as well. Which activities are the most important to you and at what time of the day can you schedule those activities for? Specially for fitness – which time of the day works best for you to workout? Once you have finalized this decision, and go workout at the same time every day you are more likely to maintain this habit.

There is a lot that we can learn from monks. Their simple and mindful lifestyle is truly an inspiration. I just listed three of their habits, however, there is so much to learn from their entire lifestyle. Stay inspired!

Sincerely,

Manisha