We are conditioned to applaud output.
Number of kilometers run, number of training sessions, number of yoga classes.
We end up mirroring our industrial output as a society, within our physical bodies. The race to “more.”
Well, output is 50% of the equation.. we actually have another 50% that is Yin energy.
Most people are missing this.
I like to emphasise the effort towards this restorative work. Partly because nobody else does, so it’s important to voice it, and partly because it actually is a massive hack in reaching goals faster.
This year I ran an event with a friend and early mentor of mine, Ironman Triathlon World Champion Pete Jacobs. He had a similar view. He said:
“I like to get in three sessions per day. A session could be training (swim/bike/run), or, it could be a massage, a nap, a mobility session or some physiotherapy.”
Everyone was pretty stunned. Most expected him to talk about his training plan and how to train harder than everyone else. He just talked about rest and recovery though.
This helps to down-regulate the total level of excitation in the body. We are clearer, calmer and more productive in both our training and our work.
So, if it’s good enough for a World Champion to prioritise a restorative practice as highly as a training session, then I’ll take it.
