Why I love Mindful Movement Part 2 - Confidence!
In preparation for launching the new and greatly upgraded Wanderful Bodies website last month, I wrote my blog to share a little more deeply why, for over 40 years, I have continuously chosen mindful movement. As it turned out, I have a lot to say on the subject so the decision was made to write several installments, the current one you are reading being the second.
In part one of my shameless plug/blog on conscious movement, I spoke about the incredible physical strength that moving my body in this way has built. At this moment, I am a woman of 48 who is a mother to a very energetic 5-year-old, so having the energy and the strength to chase her around is extremely important to me. Just yesterday we played a game of tag at the beach and she got tired before I did. For me, this is a big check in the win column. I also love to hike, explore and play in our world, all of which require a certain amount of confidence in my body and what it is capable of. Basically, I enjoy freedom, so I seek to limit my body’s limitations whenever I can. And I find that my daily movement practice is essential to this in order to live my best life.
This is where I start getting a little excited. This is where it starts getting really interesting. Every moment we show up for ourselves in a way that we weren’t able to before, changes the wiring in our brain from one that is solely able to repeat old patterns, to one that is able to adapt to new things. This may seem inconsequential at first, but every time you make the choice to get off the couch, every day you wake up an hour early, and every class you begin and complete, you are building not just physical strength, but your trust in yourself.
Showing up consistently for your mindful movement practice will most definitely change your body. It does this because our bodies are made to respond to pressure and challenge. The brain is the same way. By presenting our minds with new ways to engage with our physicality, new ways to move our joints, and new ways to practice patience as we slowly gain the strength it takes to meet new goals, we change the way that we interact with ourselves.
We begin to see that we are capable of committing to new challenges. If you are anything like me, you probably have a long list of things that you’d like to do but haven’t gotten to yet. Maybe you’ve been busy. Maybe there’s a lack of funds. Maybe you’re just flat-out scared. All of this is totally fine and totally human. But hang out in this space of wishing and not acting too long and you start to convince yourself that you CAN’T. And that is a super sucky place to be.
Let’s say you are a human who has been meaning to add exercise to your life for a while but stuff keeps getting in the way. There is always something that comes up; your work, your kids, you get sick, you’re exhausted, you’re broke. And while all these things are blocking you from your workout, your life just keeps marching on. Pretty soon it’s been a few years since you’ve engaged with your body and you are feeling it. Your joints feel achy and stiff, and you may even have headaches resulting from less-than-ideal posture. You look in the mirror and criticize more than you compliment. And though you know that you will feel better if you move your body, there’s a part of you that constantly talks you out of it because real lasting change is scary. It’s a giant blind leap into the unknown.
You are now at odds with yourself. You know that adding movement will improve your life but your brain is arguing for safety in the familiar rather than for your actual health. You no longer trust yourself to show up and take those first steps. Your belief in your ability to shift for the positive is failing, especially in the face of many obstacles. And in your heart, you are very aware that you are choosing to let yourself down.
If this is striking an uncomfortable cord, please take a deep breath and understand that I see you and I have been there. I have been injured, sick, tired, heavy, frustrated, and completely stuck in my inability to act. Please know that you are a beautiful and worthy human. There is always a way out and forward. I believe in you. Please keep reading.
This is in no way meant as a tirade of criticism. I am simply laying the groundwork for what I know you are capable of with an example of how trust works. When someone you love shows up for you, over and over, you trust them. You know you can rely on them to stand by you. You know you can believe the words that they say and that when the chips are down, you can turn to them for love, support, and a helping hand. You know they will follow through on what they promise. You lean into them, you open up to them, and you develop affection for them. You feel safe with them in a way that allows you to be fully yourself, knowing you will be loved and accepted for you, exactly as you are. It’s a beautiful feeling to be involved with someone in this deeply authentic way.
And my friend, our relationship with ourselves works exactly the same way.
When you have a goal that takes some effort to accomplish. One that has been in the back of your head for some considerable time… taking up a new movement practice for example. When you begin to stop thinking about it and actually do it, you begin to walk your way out of that self-trust deficit. Little by little, day by day, over and over, you start to show up and move your body. You start to believe in yourself. You begin to trust in your own word. You begin to see evidence that you will follow through with your commitment to yourself. You begin to witness yourself as your own advocate. You begin to see that you, the truly authentic you, are actually capable of hard things, even the ones that may have taken years to get started, especially in the face of many obstacles.
And you start to add checks, one by one, day by day in the win column. You start to produce actual evidence that you CAN.
The positive effects of the consistent movement practice are compounding and tend to branch out into other areas of your life. Suddenly you find yourself trying out other new things that you feel curious about. You find yourself more willing to say yes to things that in the past would have been too terrifying to even consider. Every time you make the choice to take your body to class, even if it’s a twenty-minute stretch session, shifts the perspective you have of yourself. Moment by moment, minute by minute you are building a you that looks a difficult challenge in the eye and says “I can”.
Years ago, when I was a senior in high school, an instructor spoke to my graduating class about how to transition from high schoolers to college students. He told us to do the obvious, study, work hard, etc… But he also spoke about how to succeed in the world. Looking back I am so impressed by how ahead of his time this man actually was. His advice has always stuck with me and turned out to be some of the best I have yet to hear. He simply said, “Show up, and continue to show up and that will make all the difference.” This is why I adore mindful movement so much. It is me taking his advice and putting it into action in a way that works for me. I use it as a tool to continuously challenge myself to expand out of the old version of me into a new one capable of so much more.
Every day I show up for myself I get stronger. And I lean into the version of me that can and does do harder things. My belief in myself is growing in a way that I could never have imagined as that 18-year-old looking forward. And I truly believe the best is yet to come. All I have to do is keep showing up.
And so can you. Moving your body consciously is the perfect place to start and you don’t have to do it alone. I love sharing tools to help you get out of your own way while you sweat, smile, and shake. If you are interested in a strategy session on stepping into your most empowered, strong, and confident self, I am here, reach out!
