Sri Chinmoy was a staunch advocate of physical fitness as a way to keep the body healthy throughout the aging process and to give ourselves joy.

Physical fitness helps
The body, vital, mind and heart
To be happy.

– Sri Chinmoy

From his spiritual point of view, Sri Chinmoy believed that if the body wasn’t strong, we couldn’t devote time to the inner life. If we woke up sick and unhealthy, where would we get the inspiration to meditate or pray?

The body needs proper training so that it will be fit to receive the message of the soul. If the body is strong and healthy, it can receive the message of the soul unreservedly, and we can become a perfect receptacle, a perfect instrument. At that time the soul’s aspiration and the body’s aspiration go together. So please exercise regularly. – Sri Chinmoy