Our Lagree trainer and Megaformer Challenge mentor Kelly Dalby talks about the Art of Awareness
You've made it through Week 1.. congrats! As we approach Week 2, let's take a moment to reflect…
- Did you make it to all the classes you scheduled?
- Did you follow Kelley's nutrition plan?
If not, don't beat yourself up! Instead, let's look at why things may not have gone as planned. Sh*t happens. And sometimes it's just US that happens!
Last week I asked you to identify what kind of person you are and then, what kind of person you want to be. This week ask yourself:
- Were you someone who embraced the potential discomfort of structure?
- Did you find it hard doing things a bit differently in terms of your diet?
- Did you find yourself resisting it?
- Were you justifying the way you already live?
- Were you justifying the things you allow into your body (including the energy you give your own thoughts)?
As I mentioned to some of my participants last week, we are never 'out of shape', but our 'shape' DOES reflect the way we move, how frequently we move, and the relationship we have with food and ourselves. When I talk about our 'shape' this most certainly includes our posture and how we present ourselves to the world around us.
This is some scary stuff I'm asking you to consider here, but if you can learn to practice the Art of Awareness in the confined space of a Megaformer, then maybe, just maybe you will be open to developing the same habit in other areas of your life including your relationships and your mental health.
The next time you are in class, challenge yourself to be FULLY present. Only when we are fully present can we become aware:
- of how we feel on that given day
- of what we need from that particular session
- of where we are working from
If we give up or find ourselves stopping constantly is it the mind that stops us or is it the muscle?
If we spend our time in class reminiscing over the days events behind us or the exciting weekend ahead, how can we possibly move with intention or adapt our movement to what we need in that class, in that moment?
The wandering mind is a habit we have been strengthening for most of our lives. It's not going to be something we can change overnight. Trust me on this, I was someone who was the queen of being everywhere but here and, not surprisingly, lived in a state of anxiety which can only exist by revisiting the past or hanging out in the future.
You can start weakening that habit by recognising that your mind has travelled off the Megaformer and your body, just once. And then noticing it again. And then again. And again. Until one day, you make it through a WHOLE class having not thought about ANYTHING other than your body, how you are moving and where you are moving from.
This, my friends is the day that movement becomes a form of meditation for you. What an awesome place to be!
Kelly Dalby, Picture of Health PT
