"Take a deep breath, you're doing great."
You hear this phrase used inside and outside of a fitness setting and the similarities on why it is used in each setting is uncanny.
Transition is my job, and also feels like my ruler in both a yoga classroom, the gym and my life. In order to get from point A to point B you have to move through the in-between, aka transition. Upon looking at my students (and my life), it's usually the toughest part. It's usually what deters people from a class built around mindful movement and not zoning out. The fact they have to pay attention to where they are going or correct form in a gym setting instead of going through the motions. For some people, a fitness class is a way to tick a box, or zone out for 45mins-1 hr. This is where awareness is lost and autopilot takes hold because we are trying to check out of what is happening in daily life.
What if I told you that this is actually the most important part? That moving through the in-between is more important than the actual poses themselves?
The way you lower with a weight
The way you move from up dog to down dog
Getting out of an office chair
Getting into your car
These are all moments of transition and the way we execute them is important. Creating an awareness around the body positioning is how you create new neural pathways and stay in the present moment (and prevent future injury). The same can be said to the ways you connect in everyday life. What do you do in the moments of transition? How do you cope with the internal mechanisms of fear when your future is unknown?
You've lost your job
You've lost a partner
Acquired a new business
Natural disaster
All this to say is how we bring awareness to transition helps us out long term because we accumulate tools mentally and physically to help ourselves. Change is inevitable. It is the only constant. So how can we develop this awareness so next time isn't so hard?
I'm not an expert but here are some raw experiences I've accrued from friends and my own troubles.
MENTALLY
Talk to a specialist.
I've spoken to a therapist. They've given me a space to speak freely and help me correlate my habits to current experiences and how to break the circular cycle I keep falling into. These skills help me process and file the chaos of papers in my head that don't have a filing system. It helps to have an unbias, professional outsider explain what is happening and listen. My favorite tool right now is rebounding.
Have a freaking plan.
Create an SOS book. Something you crack open when everything is so overwhelming you can't think straight. You're in this fight or flight and can't remember all the tools you've been given. It can be a list of your tools. A message to yourself. Pictures. A person.
Schedule self-care time.
Packing your schedule full doesn't solve any problems. It just pushes them down the road and compounds overtime. It takes "you" time to unwind and process in order to change. My favorite example of this is journaling.
PHYSICALLY
Focus.
Being active isn't a time to check out. It's a time to be present. It's an opportunity to tune into your movement and how your body feels. How do your feet feel on the floor? What does your heartrate sound like? How is your breathing?
Slow down.
Moving with awareness and focus controls joint movement. Going faster (unless you're focusing on power and agility) isn't being better.
Find a specialist.
Just like finding a mental health specialist is important so is a movement specialist. You want someone who can look at the entire body as a unit, not just a small section. This person is ideally trained in functional movement.
Transition is scary and will be every single time you encounter it. It can wear different hats, but dammit, it's still the same person. By choosing how to move through it you can ease the symptoms that come up each time. It's never easy or fun, but it's always the path to growth should you choose to walk it.
How do you move through transition?
B
P.S. It's just life, so keep dancing.
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