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Will-Power Can Aid the Development of the Physical Body · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  A woman recounted her experience of living in a small,
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  intentional community during her 20's.
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  The community arranged to get broken bags of cement from a
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  nearby production facility at no charge.
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  She was tasked with driving a van, loading up the 40 LB bags
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  and bringing them back to the location where they were
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  unloaded and stored for later use, building a wall.
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  She was a petite woman, 5 foot 2 and 108 lbs at the time.
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  She did this work for some months, eventually moving
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  hundreds of sacks. Looking back, she indicated that
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  while she carried out the task, she struggled with it.
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  It led to long term lower back issues which she continued to
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  experience even 40 to 45 years later.
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  Despite the repetitive weight lifting she was doing.
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  It did not build up her body, but actually undermined its
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  basic stability. Long term efforts made with the
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  conscious will and intention of building up the body, such as
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  occurs in a systematic course of weightlifting, can bring about
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  strong development of the musculature.
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  In such instances, not only is there the use of willpower to
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  focus the energy, but there is generally associated with that
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  will the intentional development of a systematic approach using a
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  discipline developed for that specific purpose, the mother
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  notes quote. You.
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  See if the matter is considered in its most modern, most
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  external form, how is it that the movements we make almost
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  constantly in our daily life, or which we have to make in our
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  work if it is a physical work, do not help or help very little?
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  Almost negligibly. To develop the muscles and to.
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  Create harmony in the body. These same movements, on the
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  other hand, if they are made consciously, deliberately, with
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  a definite aim. Suddenly start helping you for
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  your muscles and. To build up your body, there are
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  jobs, for instance, where people have to carry extremely heavy
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  loads like bags of cement or sacks of corn or.
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  Coal. And they make a.
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  Considerable effort. To a certain extent, they do it
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  with an. Acquired facility, but that
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  doesn't give them harmony of the body, because they don't.
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  Do it. With the idea.
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  Of developing their muscles. They.
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  Do it just like. That and someone who follows a
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  method either 1 he has learned or.
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  One he. Has worked out for himself.
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  And who makes these? Very movements.
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  With the will to develop his muscle or that.
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  To create. A general harmony in the body.
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  He succeeds, therefore in the conscious will.
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  There is something which adds considerably to the movement
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  itself. Those.
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  Who really want to practice physical culture as it is
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  conceived now? Everything they do, they do
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  consciously. They walk downstairs
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  consciously. They make the movements of
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  ordinary life consciously, not mechanically.
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  An attentive eye will perhaps notice a little difference, but
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  the greatest difference lies in the will.
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  They put into it the consciousness they put into it.
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  Walking to go somewhere and walking as an exercise is not
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  the same thing. It is the conscious will in all
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  these things which is important. It is that which brings about
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  the progress and obtains the result.
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  Therefore, what I mean is that the method 1 uses has only a
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  relative importance in itself. It is the will to obtain a
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  certain result that is important and quote.
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  Reference Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Powers within, Chapter 5,
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  Willpower, pages 51 to 52.