We are halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, and it has us thinking more about something we shared last month: the expectations that typically come with a new year don’t match the energy of the winter. Popular thinking and media messaging encourages us to see the new year as the time to go full throttle, move in a straight line directly towards our goals, stop doing X or start doing Y immediately.
If we take a step back and think about it from a cyclical perspective rather than a linear one, we can see things in a different way.
When you think of the shape of a circle and a line on a piece of paper, what comes to mind?
Line:
It has a clear beginning and an end.
It can serve as a divider, a way to compartmentalize.
It points in only two directions, up and down, side to side – it’s binary.
Circle:
There’s no clear beginning or end; you can start and stop at any point.
It can serve as a container, or a symbol of movement.
It moves in all directions.
Nothing against long lines; that shape can be so beautiful, and it can feel good to make lines in our bodies. However, we are really enjoying the special quality of circles and cycles of life these days.
The cycles of working hard and then scaling down to rest before beginning again – in career, exercise, activism, and home life. The cycles of the season and how they affect our bodies and senses. The cycles of the moon as a way to keep us connected with nature and honoring that we are part of it. And "completing the cycle of stress," which we recently learned about from Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.
Connecting with the cycles is allowing us and our clients more freedom in how we achieve our goals and fully breathe in whatever intentions we set for ourselves – in fitness or otherwise – it's all tied together. When we use linearity to compartmentalize, it often stifles and binds us, whether in our bodies, in our minds, or in our lives. As the shape itself suggests, there isn’t enough room in a line for full, functional, dynamic movement.
M. Scott Peck (via Bell Hooks) shares in The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love, “the root of the word ‘integrity’ is ‘to integrate,’ emphasizing that this is the opposite of compartmentalization.”
We’ve recently been asking clients to not only think about what shape their body is making but what shape they are drawing in space. It’s been an illuminating experience to see and feel how the quality of movement changes for us to witness and for them to feel, as if they are integrating and interacting with their space differently. It's also a delightfully surprising change in how they experience their environment – a welcomed shift in an extended quarantined winter.
New in 2021: Moving Through the Chakras
The core of something is the absolute center. In the physical body, we are referring to the center of gravity, torso musculature, spine, guts, reproductive organs. In the energetic and emotional body, we are referring to our identity, sense of comfort and connection with ourselves, home base, truth.
Our body is our first and last home. Awareness, connection, conversation, and appreciation of that home is vital for thriving and growth. What are the stories we have about our body/ourselves when we look at an external mirror? How do those stories integrate into our body? How is the way we look at and interact with our external environment impacting us in our physical, emotional, energetic bodies - our internal environment, so to speak?
In this 9-week group program, Moving Through the Chakras, we use gentle aligning movement based in foundational Pilates principles, along with guidance from information the chakras provide to heighten your kinesthetic, emotional, and energetic awareness, connect to your physical, emotional, and energetic bodies, and build an internal mirror for continual reflection.
Client Spotlight
This month we are spotlighting the creativity of two separate clients who, unbeknownst to each other, both shared that they were using some of the exercises they’ve learned in session as part of their bedtime ritual or a way to fall back to sleep in the middle of the night. In both cases, we were truly impressed and thrilled to hear about their realization that tapping into their body awareness centered and calmed them to allow for restful sleep.
We are also shining light on them because of something that seems so simple yet happens to be quite hard for a lot of us to learn: thinking and moving intuitively as part of their ritual or formula for their health and nourishment.
Call to Action in the Name of Change
As mindful movement practitioners, we are in the business of supporting and guiding our clients through change.
Taking that devotion and commitment to being active participants in positive change for our clients and industry and applying it towards our community and world, we are taking a moment each month to highlight partnerships we are part of or movements we are in support of so you can check them out, donate, volunteer, or connect however you can.
Black History Month Learning curated by Rachel Cargle: #DiscoverOurGlory2021. Jump in and follow along with Rachel’s self education prompts each day of this month. At the core of what we do is the desire to know more, to be aware of what we previously were unaware of. This is a perfect opportunity to practice in our larger community what we aim to practice in our bodies.
If there’s an organization you think we should know about or would be open to partnering with us, please let us know and send us an intro!
Referral Program
A referral is the kindest compliment you could give us. If you think we would be a good fit for anyone you know, please consider spreading the word about the work we do together. For any new clients that may come our way as a result of your kind words, we would love to gift you an additional session to any current package you have with us. They can always schedule a call using the link below.
And, if you are part of or know a social justice organization looking for wellness support and collaboration for their clients or employees, please consider connecting us.