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Not only is that true on Stranger Things, the Netflix series that has me feeling so nostalgic for my American, suburban childhood and Christmases, but it's also true when we invert our relationship to gravity.
There are very few goals I set for myself, not because I'm not ambitious, or because I'm not motivated. It's because for me, if I set a goal, I have typically found a way to reach it - regardless of how it suits my emotional and physical health. In my twenties, it seemed like a totally logical and good idea to trek the 40 miles of the Maryland section of the Appalachian Trial in one day. And to get up at 4:30 am to go for a run to beat the summer Washington, DC humidity. Now, in my late thirties, I realize that my body is different every single day, and I want to listen to it more. Now, I seek out ways to balance myself, my life, and my day-to-day emotional state. Goals sometimes hinder my own bodymind connection. This all may sound counterintuitive. But so is floating in a bridge with the Wunda Chair. Really, Stephanie? you want me to push DOWN on the pedal to float UP?
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It amazes me to think that as a kid during the summer, I would wake up, be driven to Elite Gymnastics in Waldorf, MD, an hour away from Columbia, where I grew up and proceed to bend, flex, arch and curl in extreme ways as part of the warm-up that bodies go through when training in competitive gymnastics – and then spend another 6 hours practicing skills, 5 days a week. Or even that not that long ago I would wake up at 5:30 am and get my run on throughout the neighborhood, pounding the pavement in an effort to get my 5K under 20 minutes (which I finally did, once, thank you very much.)
Fast forward to the present, where I wake up, sit on the edge of my bed, and yawn and stretch and take deep breaths, before I take a moment or 2 to close my eyes and focus on my day. Then I get up, visit the bathroom, visit the kitchen and start the hot water as I drink a big glass of lemon water, maybe yawn some more, and eventually drink my tea, head to the studio to lay on the roller or do some arch and curl on the Gyrotonic tower or footwork on the Reformer. Only then do I feel ready to focus on my clients and the rest of my day. The older I get, the more value I place on warming up and waking up - inside and out. Plus, the kinder and gentler we can be to our bodies and minds and spirits is simply better, and here are a few reasons why:
6/26/2019 0 Comments little steps go a long wayYou know what I love best about our sessions? When you correct your renegade shoulder creeping up to your ear without a cue. When you "do-over" Hundreds prep because you knew you could have reached more through your legs (and perhaps you knew I would ask you to do it again anyway because I knew you could have reached more). When we’re working on plank, and I say, "Ok, come on down" but you hang on for an extra extra 10 seconds. When you finish leg series on the Spine Corrector and sigh with a big smile on your face. Or you come in and tell me that you used your abdominals yesterday while gardening.
It's amazing for me to watch you grow into your own awareness, take pleasure in movement and feel satisfied after the intensity that comes with this incredible bodymind work. |
Authori'm stephanie. my last names mean "hedgehog" in Czech and "pretty calf" in French. i have an MA from Oxford in English lit, and a MFA from Riverside in experimental choreography. i like to write. i have lots of thoughts on the body. and i want to help you understand your own better. oh, i'm also plant-based and love to bake with vegan ingredients. |
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