The perfection of the body, as great a perfection we can bring
about by the means at our disposal, must be the ultimate aim of physical
culture.
The new work of transformation
At this day and age
the unity of mind and body is a widely recognised and accepted fact and
the totality of life is universally emphasised. It has become
commonplace to say that we have to live a healthy life and that, without
health, we cannot achieve or retain anything accomplished. If we are to
build bodies that are ready to become fitter instruments for the new
work of transformation, health should not merely be defined as just the
absence of disease or infirmity. It should be a powerful tool that gives
us the ability to sustain adaptive effort ('adaptive' in the sense of a
progressive overloading of the system) and use it to imply body power,
vitality and ability to resist fatigue.
All levels of the being
It is now a known fact
within the scientific community worldwide - and also in the world of
coaching - that even if one wishes to develop only one aspect of any
formation, one cannot ignore the whole. So it is with the body: it is
like an orchestra, each part integrating and working in unison with the
other parts. The Integral Yoga emphasises the need for integral
development of all levels of the being. Our aim should be to develop our
physical capacities and attributes to their perfection through a
consciously chosen programme. The notion of perfection implies a
harmonious and complete development. Just as we train the young mind
through studies of various subjects (e.g. language, mathematics, arts,
history, science etc.), so also the body needs development and training
in a comprehensive, varied programme that covers all different parts of
the physical being.
Comprehensive programme
Auroville's aim is the
development of this comprehensive programme for physical education,
providing activities which incorporate and develop movement, mobility,
control, health, fitness, strength, stamina, challenge, and body skills.
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