.png)
It's been a few weeks. I can usually write myself out of a situation and just keep it moving. Not in pandemic times. The past few weeks brought me growth, in-person exchanges that challenged and threw me for good and not-so-good loops, and a much-needed break in the form of visiting grandparents who live at the beach. But very little writing.
The past few weeks I've witnessed parents struggling to know and do what is best for their children as the start of on-line school looms for our area. We aren't used to seizing the power and responsibility for our children's education and our family's well-being this way. We've outsourced our children's education, including their physical, emotional, and social health largely to the school system. And, it afforded us all a huge wall of working hours each day.
Welp. That's over, for now.
As we stumble toward solutions for our families, it's clear that there is no fear quite like adults trying something new. We suck at being beginners, especially in community with others who are also scared and sucking at the whole beginner thing.
There's only one way to improve, though. Keep showing up and eventually suck less. Keep showing up. Keep showing up and eventually proficiency and mastery come.
Like this little chick on a skateboard, we'll learn.
My mantra, "It's ok. Keep going." buoys me when I struggle. It's helping me suck less at making choices for myself and presenting them to fellow parents. The mantra was mined by a wonderful life coach, Allegra Baider, who met with me at the beginning of the pandemic.
At the time I was wrestling with some domestic bliss issues amidst the fears of losing work and thus power in my nest. Fear not, dear reader, as Allegra quickly deduced, I was projecting fears all over the place based in anything but the reality of my lived daily experience.
She reminded me to ground and access my art form as mantra. See, "It's ok. Keep going." is not just a spoken mantra, it's a dance, of course!
A yogi squat represents It’s OK. When I need to root and sink back into my gut knowledge, the earth, and simply be, I root into the squat, breathe deeply, and listen to my body. When I feel stuck, a purposeful walk represents Keep Going! Walking is a simple form of fall and recovery, done intentionally it reminds me that we practice recovering and rebounding from falls with every step we take. We are in the practice of making incremental shifts as we walk.
Combined, these two movements, paired with the text, remind me to trust the process and stay present. I get grounded, take a breath, and keep it moving.
If we can adapt with our every step, we can surely apply the lesson elsewhere in our lives; we know how to dance with change.
Try it:
Find your Squat.
If Malasana (Garland Pose) is familiar to you... well, you know what to do. Otherwise, from an upside down V shape (down dog) take one step forward and wider with each foot, gently lower the tailbone. Lift the head and heart as you release the tailbone down. Feel free to keep your hands on the ground for stability. As you build confidence in the posture, bring hands to your chest, east-west your elbows, and gently press your elbows out as you engage your inner thighs in - this equal and opposite energy engages the abdominals and offers support as you gain hip flexibility.
2. Breathe. Expand as you inhale, lifting your heart. On the exhale settle into the space created by the inhale, or bow your head and curve the upper spine. Repeat for several breaths. Let your mind relax and quiet down. Focus on the breath.
3. Release to rise. Release your hands to the floor, lift the tailbone as you lower your head. Heel-toe your feet to hip's width apart underneath you. Roll up through your spine (with knees soft) to standing.
4. Purposeful Walk. First time? Simply walk in a direct path across the room. Use clear, confident strides. As you practice your walk, consider variations:
slow/fast/tip toes/heels/sideways/grapevine/backwards/big steps/small steps
pathways: curvy/zig-zag/indirect/direct/circular
toward your focus: see an object and walk to it
In my practice, I appreciate the rhythm of the walk. The momentum of the gentle falls and recoveries in relationship to time is soothing.
5. Reflect. What shifted? How do you feel? Would another round of the sequence be helpful?
Comments