On Making Movement YOURS...
It’s Friday; does anyone else sometimes find ‘short’ weeks feel longer?...I did this week. And as the busyness of the fall season sets in, I’m very aware of my need for regular movement. Movement for me is an absolute necessity. It helps me combat stress; it gives me time to pause and reflect and be with myself; it helps me to feel so many things-sometimes strong, sometimes peaceful, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes energized, sometimes responsible. It helps me sleep better. It helps me shake the energy of the day.
And I get it; this isn’t rocket science or new messaging. That said, the ‘wellness’ world (the quotations are purposeful) is still sending strong messages of Should’s and Toxicity that is unhelpful to lots of people. So again, of course we know movement is helpful and nourishing but I think we need to work hard, collectively, to spread the word that there is no one size fits all and that traditional ways of moving aren’t the only or best.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that to make movement work for me, I’ve had to make it mine-and I’m still learning what this means all the time. So far, it means listening to what my body is asking for each day (Is it tense? Does it need a stretch? Is it feeling energized and wanting to get that out? Is it feeling social and wanting to gather at a class of collective sweaty energy? Or is it walking the neighbourhood walk speaking to me? It is feeling empowered and strong? Is it feeling tired and needing to move slowly through the day?). It’s a daily practice of pausing, listening and doing what my body is needing. Sometimes, it means very gentle movement like stretching…sometimes it means weight lifting to rap…sometimes it means barely moving at all (I call these my days to Sloth out…just look at a sloth’s face!!! Calm and happy and sloooow moving…).
In my younger years, I heavily bought into the narrative that movement must be working out-in a gym, or doing a sport, or running. Early on, this worked! I enjoyed going to a gym to do classes or play basketball or go for a run etc. But then, as life changed and my body changed and my mind changed, I didn’t always love a traditional workout. And in fact, it began to feel obligatory and like some kind of chore or punishment at times. You see, at that time (and sadly, I think still today…), girls and women got incessant messaging about ‘being fit’ and how to ‘take care of their bodies’ in really toxic, mainstream, opposite of individualistic ways. Frankly, my adult brain feels strongly that it’s bullshit, and I’ll spend the rest of my life working to undo this messaging and challenge and change it for the generations to come.
If you hear nothing else from this, hear that what movement means to you is up to YOU-you have the right to make movement your own and do what feels best for your body. Everybody has different needs; and if movement is one of them, do what’s best for you.
Tonight, I’m headed to a Candlelit Reiki Flow class with the one and only Shanel (follow her if you’re not familiar with her wonderful, wise soul @fromtheheartandsoul). It’s a warm, slow, restorative class that leaves me feeling the most relaxed I have ever felt for real.
I’m grateful to have been able to return to my love of movement roots…but with a wiser mind and more compassionate heart.