Using Mindful Movement to Enhance your Athletic Potential
Traditionally, in our culture, athletic trends have pulled us away from the most important parts of movement.
Mirrors are plastered on the walls of every gym; the only thing we can hear over our spin studio's music is the shout of the instructor to fight through the pain; and we have been taught to wear pads for urinary incontinence or numb our pain with meds without anyone ever helping us understand how to develop the root cause of the issue.
But, if we really want to tap into our true potential, both as athletes and humans, we need to begin to direct more of our attention inward.
We need to fully understand our tendencies and challenges, both of body and of spirit, before we can really flourish.
So, how can we bring more mindfulness into our fitness practice?
1. Breath:
Tap into your breath. Use deep inhales and exhales to guide you through your movement. Rather than looking externally at a watch to time yourself during an exercise, try holding an exercise for, say, 10 full breath cycles.
Notice: What areas of your body expand during your inhales? What do you feel happening as you exhale? Do you hold your breath?
2. Slow Down:
We all have movement patterns (neural pathways) that our body prefers to move through, and, most often, these patterns involve some level of compensation. Sometimes we disconnect from areas because of trauma (both physical and emotional) and sometimes our bodies just get used to always being in a certain position- either way, it takes a lot of slow and mindful movement to correct these tendencies.
Ideally, we want to train our bodies to be able to do 2 things:
(1) Move optimally (in a way that maximizes shock absorption on our joints, breathing efficiencies within our core canister, and strength & force capabilities)
(2) To have the ability to move in a wide variety of ways to get a task a task done (more movement variability = more tools in your toolbox).
3. Listen to your Body:
Pain is your body's way of sending you a message, and there's a difference between challenge and pain. Find areas that challenge you, but understand that trying to fight through pain may lead to more/worse injuries down the road.
Your body will find a way to compensate, but it will likely be harder to reverse the damage done than listening to it, taking care of it in the first place.
Note: There's also a difference between exerting yourself and overexerting yourself, or fighting through extreme fatigue.
4. Invite Flow into your Practice:
No matter what type of exercise you're doing, allow yourself to flow with your own energy.
Challenge yourself to run, not for time or distance, but just to feel the earth moving beneath your feet. Play with a soccer ball at your naked feet, with wet grass and mud squishing between your toes. Replace your structured Warrior 2 flow for one that has you migrating around your living room floor. Perform a strength training routine without following a video, but doing movements that feel right for you at that moment.
5. Bring yourself to the Present:
If your mind starts to wander, bring yourself into the present moment. Close your eyes. What do you feel in your body? What do you feel on your skin? What sounds do you hear? What do you smell? Invite all your senses to move with you.
DISCLAIMER: Always consult a healthcare provider & your own intuition prior to performing any exercise.