Natural Health             November 2006
WORD PLAY
Strengthen Your Body and Mind With A New Way Of Exercising That Uses The Power Of The Spoken Word
By Michele Bender

The right word can change how you feel about yourself and others.  It can make you stand still or act impulsively.  It can even change your life.  “Language is the foundation of our emotional world,” explains Maryann Troiani, Psy.D., co-author of Spontaneous Optimism: Proven Strategies for Health, Prosperity and Happiness (Castle Gate, 1998).  “Just changing a phrase like ‘I feel overwhelmed’ to ‘I feel challenged’ can make all the difference between a feeling of failure and one of achievement.”  Try it for yourself: Hold the word overwhelming in your mind.  Think about it, focus on it, explore it, for at least a full minute.  Now do the same with challenging.  If you felt a burst of energy and inspiration after focusing on the latter, you understand the force of words. 

A focus on words is the concept behind a new form of exercise called IntenSati, itself a play on the words intention and sati (an ancient word for “mindfulness”).  Created by fitness expert and life coach Patricia Moreno, IntenSati is a cross between high-energy kickboxing and mind-mellowing yoga.  But what makes it most unique is its reliance on words to enhance its effectiveness.  “IntenSati is an active meditation that helps your mind focus on the positive by combining words with movement,” explains Moreno.  “No move is complete without the phrase or word that goes with it; you simply can’t have one without the other.”

The result is nothing short of transcendent.  Practitioners memorize a phrase and the move that accompanies it, then put a string of such phrases together to create a flowing sequence that connects mind and body.  The concentration required not only clears your mind of negative thoughts and imagery but also helps you reap greater physical benefits.  Moreno’s students often say they find themselves relying on the word sequences – she calls them “intentions” – for mental strength even when they’re not in class.  “Your brain connects the phrase to the movement, so thinking of the phrase can take your mind to a place where you feel powerful and strong,” says Moreno, who teaches at Equinox Fitness locations in New York City. (For more information or to order a workout DVD, visit intensati.com.)

In honor of the holidays, Moreno has created an IntenSati-inspired sequence based on gratitude, which she believes goes beyond being thankful for material possessions.  Her intention goes like this: “Love and gratitude are the seeds of joy.  Grace flows freely when I bow to all of life.  Today I choose gratitude and thankfulness.”  The message, she explains, is that the more grateful you are for the riches around you, the more joy and freedom you’ll feel.  “It’s a profound sequence when spoken,” says Moreno.  “But it’s even more intense with the action.”  Proceed slowly, training your mind to connect each phrase with its move before going on to the next.  Once you’ve learned each move and its phrase, put them together…and reap their powerful message.

• Stand with your feet as wide apart as possible (about 3 feet), toes pointing out.
• Squat down, making sure your knees don’t extend past your toes (If they do, move your feet wider apart).
• Touch the thumb of each hand to its index finger so they form an O.  Bend your right arm and place your hand on your heart while extending your left arm out in front of you.  Look through the O of your left hand.

Repeat “LOVE” with this movement.

• Stand with feet together, toes forward.  Slowly lift your right leg off the floor and bend it so your right foot is level with your left knee.
• Hold your hands in prayer position in front of your chest.

Repeat “AND GRATITUDE” with this movement.

• stand with your left foot about 2 feet in front of your right foot and reach down so both legs are bent, with your right heel off the floor.
• Place your right hand on the floor, fingertips together, and your left hand on your left thigh.
• Look down toward the floor.  “This mimics the action of planting seeds in the ground and reminds us that what we sow is what we reap,” says Moreno.

Repeat “ARE THE SEEDS” with this movement.

• Stand with your feet together, toes forward.  Lift your right leg off the floor and bend it so your right foot is along side your left knee.
• Place your left hand on your heart and extend your right hand toward the ceiling with your right thumb and index finger forming an O. 

Repeat  “OF JOY.” with this movement.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.  Bend down, placing your left hand above your right knee and pushing your hips back and to the right.  Flex your left toes so they come off the floor and they come off the floor and find the place where you feel a good stretch in the back of your thigh. 
• Turn your upper body to the right so you’re looking up and extend your right arm toward the ceiling, then release your left hand from your leg and let it move toward your heart, with the thumb and index finger of each hand forming an O. 

Repeat “GRACE” with this movement.

• Stand with your feet together, toes forward.  Lift your right leg off the floor and extend it straight in front of you at hip level, toes pointed.
• Extend both arms toward the ceiling.  Hold, then lower to your sides.

Repeat “FLOWS FREELY” with this movement.

• Stand with your feet together, toes forward.  Lift your right leg off the floor and place the right shin above the left knee.  Make sure your right foot stays flexed.  To help balance, firmly press your ankle onto your thigh above the knee.
• Hold your arms out to the sides at shoulder level, form an O with your fingers, then bend forward at the waist.  (Beginners should remain upright.)

Repeat “WHEN I BOW TO ALL OF LIFE.”

• To close the practice, stand up and put your feet together, toes facing forward.  Place your hands in prayer position in front of your chest, close your eyes, and bow your head as you repeat these words: Today I choose gratitude and thankfulness.