Fitness is my Religion

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” Buddha provided us with this piece of wisdom as he knew that the only way to true self-discovery was a true effort. You can’t save the world but you can save your world, be the centre of your universe.

Speaking with Mark Miller – @MarkthaMonk there are a few things that resonate with you, first of them being power, the second …. insight and the third is just plain confidence bordering on arrogance. All these characteristics make him the first character that one would pick in a game such as Mortal Kombat. Who doesn’t trust the bald strong “gym rat”? Even though he looks like he has been chiselled to replicate a demigod, his intellect is at the heights of Olympus. He has different interests as his mind has doors open to film, real estate and one designated for hot takes. As his “Movado is better than Kartel” notion is something that would engender a second glance. But being strong in mind and body is something that Mark credits himself on, as he doesn’t back down from any challenge especially in a country where Vybz Kartel is more an idea than a man.

It is said that “Life is uncertain. Death is certain” but death being something being certain doesn’t certify the effect that it will have on you. Mark lost his mother and the effect it had on him was catastrophic. The weight he felt was heavier than any bench press or any deadlift and this rep was something that he couldn’t lift because his heart was maxed out with pain. He speaks about not facing any major obstacle until then and sadly that was the straw that broke the monk’s back.
As he puts it “Up to that point in my life, I can say nothing bad has ever happened to me”. -“Me wanting to die every day”- was the hidden pain that Mark endured as anxiety attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts were notorious during the time after his mother’s passing. “The day that she went into surgery, mi never think much of it because as a family we been through a lot and made it through“…. -“When daddy called me, it was most distraught I have heard him”.-

Mark lost his mother that day but other members of his close-knit family lost someone quite dear to them as well, his brother lost his mother that wouldn’t get to see him grow up to be the brilliant footballer who was fought through a heart defect, his father lost the love of his life who was not only cared for her family but cared for the sick as well as an established nurse. His father was a robotics specialist and even though he made hearts of metal, he couldn’t fix his heart of clay. A family lost their heart, their love and Mark lost a piece of his soul.

Finding peace when your entire mind, soul and body are at war, is a difficult thing as they all storm the beaches of Normandy daily. Only with a confederated effort will we truly grow as individuals. We can’t do it all on our own and we all need help, we just have to ask for it.

“The past presents stuff that affects today but what we make of today is what today is” Mark shared that with me and he said when he identified that is when his growth began. His brotherhood of North Block on the UWI Trinidad -St. Augustine Campus assisted in developing spirting within him like the ancient warriors of Sparta they all marched together against the war of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide and like Leonidas; Mark didn’t stop fighting until the battle was over.

His brotherhood was just a start as also he developed a fascination for eastern religion and his readings of teachings by Confucious, Buddha and Laozi; all created a lighthouse of peace that beacon shone bright into an ocean of turmoil as it called all ships filled with his anxiety and depression to safety. It is said that Spiritual Materialism is the belief that a certain temporary state of mind is a refuge from suffering,

Mark’s interpretation of that but his state of mind is not temporary as his mantra for life is love and light and he has become a refuge for eternal wellness. Furthermore, this dedication with/for/towards eastern religion put him on to his personal path to monkhood as he became bald ( his hairline was already receding so it wouldn’t be missed) teamed with a minimalist reform and discipline crafted by Buddha himself. Chögyam Trungpa said, “The path of truth is profound and so are the obstacles and possibilities for self-deception”. Mark’s discipline towards his truth was something that he has earned and will definitely reap his reward.

Mark has grown but how did he reach this far? The simple answer is having a close network of love and light beaming down upon him. He shares that his friends were the one that encouraged him to start the gym and assisted in creating/marketing his brand. His dedication to his brand is based on developing discipline as he took step by step acts such as staying up all night to find the right font for his logo, trying to oust Machel Montano as the only Monk in Trinidad, developing workout calendars and routines.
Even before getting his first official client, Mark used his friends as lab rats, as this mad scientist of fitness made steps in perfecting his formula. Mark believes he must help people but he chooses to help who he can as he believes helping those that you can help bonds both your goals together as you strive for the end product. The clients, who benefit see clear results as he does his job very well, as his disciples of ActiV all find solace at the temple of the monk.
“The master lead by emptying people’s minds and filling their cores, by weakening their ambition and toughening their resolve.” ― Laozi

Mark is a master of his craft and I do believe he empties his clients’ minds as he takes away all their distractions, he fills their core – literally with muscles – , he weakens their ambition by having them focus only on one thing, and that is wellness, and he toughens their resolve by having his clients endure a gauntlet of strength. He didn’t become a master overnight but only by learning his craft, this young grasshopper of love and light is cutting down fields of insecurities.

“Even when mi depress mi have confidence” – Mark Miller