Hooper Pictured: Lilly Hoopz
Have you ever had one of those weeks that starts off on the wrong foot, and then afterward, you just can’t shake it?
That happened to me earlier this week, and it has been taking all of my willpower not to let it ruin the rest of it. As I sat brooding yesterday, I realized I needed to change my focus.
Instead of trying not to have a bad week, I would do something to be in a better mood. It’s like when you’re meditating and you’re not supposed to be thinking anything but you can’t stop thinking about how you’re not supposed to be thinking anything.
That’s why in hoop class, when we meditate, I start off with a guided practice. This helps people struggling ‘not to think’ focus on something that improves the meditation…instead of sitting silently and internally bashing themselves for doing it wrong.
I decided I needed my own guided meditation to move past the frustration. But what? And then it hit me.
After a long week, and an even longer weekend, I hadn’t hooped for myself (aka: no teaching or learning, just flow) in over 5 days. So, I got my hoop out and had one of the worst flow sessions I’ve had in weeks.
Song after song, I couldn’t get in touch with the hoop. It was slamming into walls, flying off my back, my hips, my arms. I was dizzy, sweaty, and frustrated, until finally I was exhausted. Breathing heavy, I put my hoop down and finished this “meditation” with a long, hot shower.
Normally I would be irritated with such a lousy practice, but this time felt different. My dance was a reflection of the bad attitude I had been harboring for 3 days. At once I was grateful for each and every dropped roll, body bobble, and awkward fold.
Those “errors” were my own negativity, finding it’s way out of my self-imposed prison. As the water beat on my neck, my whole body relaxed. I felt peace as I remembered one of my favorite quotes.
Clarity comes from engagement, not thought.
~ Marie Forleo ~
Or in other words, get up and get moving. You can’t think your way out of a bad situation, but if you believe it can be better, it will.
