may your workout be a portal to presence

a few ways to get more out of your movement practice

good morning 🦋 I began writing this on Monday and then overheard a little interaction on Wednesday that confirmed I am more passionate than ever to dive into this topic. Before I do, I want to share that I hold no resentment or judgment from what went down, and even though it temporarily irked me, I’ve since let it go and said a little thank you to the universe for it as it prompted this share! Long story short, TurF is shifting some classes from 60 min to 45 min to be able to integrate more class times on the schedule. I subbed a 45 min pilates class in what is usually a 60 min slot, and as always I planned it with a lot of consideration to make it well rounded, challenging, and enjoyable (important for me). Well, a student came out and said, quite loudly, “45 minutes just isn’t enough. I may as well just take a rest day.” My eyebrows rose as I slunk back into the studio, choosing to avoid engaging in this conversation, and my immediate reaction was a tricky blend of feeling hurt and judgmental. Hurt because it felt like she was saying my class wasn’t worth her while to attend — if only she knew how much thought I put into crafting that experience!!! Ouch!!! — and then judgment because the statement, IMO, was hyperbolic and didn’t really make any sense (and the snarky part of me wanted to say, “you try planning and teaching this!!”) Now, if this person felt that they require a rest day, I am the first to endorse it! But her remark implied that a 45 min class just wasn’t worth her time, whereas a 60 minute class was. Ironically, us teachers only program about an extra 5 minutes of “work” between a 45 and 60 min class…the rest of the time is filled with longer warm ups and stretches. So all to say, this really highlighted to me how much perception matters when we choose to participate in a movement practice. So often, folks perceive that they are working really hard and doing something super effective for themselves, and yet they’re planning their day as they half hazardly lift and lower their leg while gazing off into the distance looking rather bored. I don’t say this with any judgment, rather, it’s fuel for me to consistently remind people to truly participate — get the most juice out of the squeeze by practicing being embodied. To be honest, I think of movement practices as primarily a practice of being embodied and present…the physical benefits might be secondary for someone with a very busy, swirly mind. People often remark on how I play music that’s nostalgic or highly recognizable, and believe it or not, it’s not just for my own enjoyment — it’s to keep people P R E S E N T! My secret is out!!!! And, as I mentioned in Saturday meta, I plan those playlists with the intention of evoking an urge to D A N C E, because more often than not, when we turn something hard into a dance, it becomes not only more enjoyable, but we actually put forth more effort!

Allll of this to say, I felt called to share some key tools, techniques and ideas to make for a more embodied, joyful practice when it comes to moving our bodies. To infuse the quality of poetry into how we move: thought-provoking, inspiring, grounding, fluid, and MOVING! I really believe that if we are practicing awareness as we move our bodies, we will have a far more effective practice than if our mind has left the building or we are pushing ourselves for sensation. I was watching a student in my Strengthen class on Tuesday who was the definition of embodied: even her toes were getting involved as she took her split squat and pulled her knee in to chest with such incredible precision and focus. Talk about poetry in motion! She made it look like it was part of a dance. Because of this palpable mind-body connection, she possessed excellent form and she was able to rely on her strength to stay aligned (as opposed to a compensatory movement pattern). These two examples of students — one practicing embodied, the other insisting it’s an hour or bust for a class to be worth her while — while quite juxtaposed in their nature, really highlighted the difference in how one can approach their movement practice.

So, whether you’re in a group class, practicing on your mat at home, out for a run or riding your bike — may these tools elevate your next practice 💙 and I have a hunch many of you reading this are already practicing a lot of these already, so reading this might evoke a feeling of familiarity, and perhaps celebration of where you’re at in your movement journey!