“The primary purpose of Asceticism is to strengthen the will and to become master of one’s urges, which otherwise increasingly take control. By all means, we can call this struggle for true self-control a cultivation of the whole human being, for without it a creature endowed with reason sinks to the level of a beast .” – Peter H Gorg

Desert Strength Methodology

This is not your everyday coaching/fitness process. After initial greetings, we first enter into a mental solitude, where we act as if there really only us (one of us) and the Creator, God. We want there to be a clear and direct access line to this and this alone, during the entire duration of the session. This mitigates distractions, offers more direct help from the Holy Spirit, and sets the battlefield in the right perspective. God and Us verses our sinful nature, obstacles, and inner chaos.

At Desert Strength, we begin with a spiritual exercise whether it be a palm, prayer or reading from Holy Scripture. We focus on the health of the Spirit and work our way towards to body’s physical wellbeing. While silently reciting this spiritual exercise, we also offer silent prayer intentions during a 2-3 minute warm up activity, giving clients the opportunity to offer this workout and growth for a loved one, a persecutor, or a any common good, such as world peace. This puts the brain into a state of gratitude and allows the energy from the spirit to flow into the nervous system, filling the blood with hope and the willpower to meet the challenge head on. Every step is very calculated to have the mind be ready to push the body towards optimum performance.

After warming up the body, we’ll commence with applicable stretches, while meditating on our offering for that week. (Each week, clients are encouraged to give up or reduce dependence on a habit that is unhealthy, addictive, or unholy.) This meditative prayer is one of the most essential parts of the program. It connects the lengthening of the muscle fibers and increased Range of Motion around the joints, together with the increased feeling of control over our desires. While increasing our physical flexibility, we’re also increasing our mental flexibility, allowing our ‘willpower’ more conscious reign over our everyday choices, habits, and routines.

Then comes the core of the workout, with a low intensity set of exercises to start, followed by a higher intensity, and then finally a lower intensity again to finish the core part of the workout. Each day will workout different muscle groups with some small overlaps. During this time, the client will be completely silent as they battle their inner thoughts. There will be some imagery shown by the coach to offer inspiration as the client marches face forward to meet their challenge and struggles head on – letting their moving body and silent mind do the talking while quelling the negative, unhealthy, and evil thoughts that creep in. Its important that there is no noise here at all. No Music, no shouting, Nothing. To really battle the inner struggles, we need the silence of the desert to see the good from the bad, and clean up our minds. By working out in the toughest of environments with no distractions, we prepare ourselves for being able to workout just anywhere and everywhere. We hand over our ‘Excuse Card’.

After the Core part for the Workout is over, there will be the option for a Indulgence Iron (Indulgence means a remission of all temporal punishment due to sin that can be granted when certain things are done within the church by an individual that ‘go the extra mile, so to speak; While we of course won’t be offering real indulgences with priestly power, we will of course offer a special prayer for the individuals(s) that participate). The Indulgence Iron is a intense activity lasting no more than 2 minutes, usually built around High Intensity Interval Training, designed to increase the clients Heart Rate towards its max. During this period, the client is encouraged to reflect of a verse, memory, or person, that gives them the most strength and vitality.

At the end of the workout there is a cooldown, where a prayer will be read, and public intentions will be offered (if desired). This is where the silence is finally broken. By Combining these three elements – solitude, silence and prayer, – the desert strength protocol optimizes the growth efficacy of our spiritual, mental and physical health. Each part is tested and pushed to be stronger. It makes for a balanced, but equally rewarding health program, designed to make us healthier in all areas of our life, without neglecting one of multiple keys to eternity, peace, or longevity.