We first began to move in the womb and our bodies were built to keep moving. The curvy condoles of our bones come together to form joints, our feet have built-in spirals that allow for the pep-in-our-step that propels us forward. All those little cushions of squishy disks in our spine allow us to snake, ungulate, and find and feel our groove. We humans are meant to move.
I didn’t find my movement groove until my mother (thank gawd) signed me up for roller dance class. It was those 4-wheeled skates with hot pink laces that changed the entire trajectory of my life. Soon, with and without the skates, moving became my love language and, as a dancer, I advanced through effort and discipline.
Over time, although I constantly moved, I deeply and painfully lost my groove. The more effort and discipline that I put in, the more joy it lost. The more that I learned, the less I felt like I knew. The less that I felt I knew, the louder my inner-critic became. And the louder my inner-critic became, the less love I felt for movement.
The ancient teachings say that, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” In many ways, we have all been beginners this year, navigating events that we never could have imagined prior to March, 2020. However, this year has demanded so much emotional effort and agility, that I have found “possibilities” to be difficult things to find and believe in.
I’ve been trying to remember how I felt in my roller skates with those bright pink laces, discovering my love and passion for movement. What possibilities exist now, both within and beyond us? Is there a pandemic equivalent to bright pink roller skate laces and the rush of discovering something that you love? On the mat, I find endless possibilities that I can’t always summon once my feet touch the surrounding ground. Much of the possibility I experience these days comes from spending those 60 minutes on the mat with all of you each week. You remind me not to give up on my groove. So today, I’d like to remind you. Don’t give up on your groove – love the way that you move. And, as always, move with love.
Toolbox
Dance Break
Here’s the deal…
Find your groove. Step away from the screens. Put on some tunes you LOVE and DANCE. DANCE like no ones watching and dance like you don’t give a DAMN. Dance without judgement.
Dance with complete and utter abandon.
Try it 3x this week.
It’ll soothe the soul and it’ll move some energy in a good way.
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