In the same way that weight training works primarily with the body, meditation works primarily with the mind. Will the mind be supported by a dedicated gym routine? Indeed! Will a variety of aspects of our lives be supported by a dedicatd meditation practice? Totally.
Could it be that this is because the mind is the primary source of our suffering? Indeed and totally! All teachings that surround meditation have one clear purpose, which is getting to know the mind. If we’re feeling stressed or worried, it originated in the mind. If we are overcome with grief, this suffering is a response to thoughts that originated in the mind. If we are in love or enraptured with joy, that experience, at least as it is contextually registered, reported, and sustained, arose from the mind.
Getting to know the mind is perhaps the most reliable path to freedom. It will not change the ups and downs of life—those are inevitable—but it will produce greater freedom in choosing our responses to the ups and downs.
You might say that getting to know the mind—directly— creates the path to creating the world you’d like to live in. And you may have better work-outs!
Happy meditating!