why what we are doing is radical
(february newsletter, 2021)
That is, until we start to actively challenge them. And doing so requires resistance. It takes guts to pull away from the overly repeated narratives that our self worth is tied up in our productivity or physical appearance and capabilities. It takes guts to rest, to return to the body and start recognising how many thoughts you have about yourself that simply are not true. Many of you are already well on your way with this perspective and I am forever inspired by your continual self-discoveries.
All of my classes, even when you take a Disco Barre class, incorporate this understanding. Whether approached through deep relaxation or 40 reps of squats, I am committed to embodied transformation through self inquiry and the use of imagery and improvisation. I know sometimes these practices can be uncomfortable, because even if we don’t like to admit it, most of us prefer to be told exactly what to do or feel. That may have it’s place, but we can’t get stuck there. My intention is to offer you a container and structure, whilst reminding you that you have agency over your body. I want to support you in strengthening your ability to listen to and reclaim the wisdom held within your body. I want us to remember that our value is not related to our physical abilities or accomplishments. I really want you to love your body.
And that my friends, is radical. Why? Because when we priorities our bodies, over the neo-cortex rational brain, when we allow ourselves to move slowly and feel, we are regaining a deep personal power. This is self-realisation and it is rad, because being better able to feel yourself can increase the possibility of following your built in navigation systems, knowing your boundaries and trusting your gut. There’s freedom in truly knowing who you are, every centimetre of you, in a way that makes you less easily influenced by unfavourable inputs or environments (and there’s a lot of those out there!). This is radical self understanding and it’s power is disruptive to the social constructions most of us have been subjected to. It is a wisdom that leaves little room for patriarchal domination and suppression, because it strengthens our connection to ourselves and to the collective around us.
This process of liberation may start with the personal, but working through the ecosystem of the body also reminds us that everything is connected. It reminds us that no matter how small we are, we are important, we are impactful. Radical embodiment reminds us that we don’t live in isolation and therefore personal liberation is dependant on the collective liberation.
I’d love to know from you, when do you feel radical? What practices do you use to rebel and reconnect?
During my Bachelor degree I studied social science and philosophy for 3 years, and many times I was confronted with existential questions such as Why are we here? and What is Truth/Knowledge? But it wasn’t until I began to read eastern philosophy, namely Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, that I discovered a deeply connected and meaningful understanding of human existence. One that explores the complexity and power of the human mind, emphasises our interconnection with one another and the Spirit and relies on the body for our collective liberation. At the point of this discovery I was already 5 years into practising what I understood to be Yoga, but what was actually only 84 sweaty yoga poses repeatedly performed in a heated studio.
In the early days I used Yoga (first Bikram and then Ashatanga) to subject myself to rigid and demanding routines that, just like my semi-professional dance career, prioritised aesthetics over the felt experience and often left me with a sense of either competitiveness or failure. I was not free.
Thankfully my understanding of Yoga and the world is ever evolving. As is my teaching, and I am always grateful to you, for being open to these evolutions as they take place. And the great thing about these kinds of body practices is, if you do it long enough or often enough, even if you don’t realise it at first, things start to shift and change happens anyway, regardless of your intentions.
it takes guts to pull away from the overly repeated narratives that our self worth is tied up in productivity or physical appearance and capabilities
The discipline of Vinyasa Yoga still heavily influences the alignment and postures that I offer in class. That being said, I realised that sticking to a prescribed set of postures was yet another way to restrict the agency we feel for our own bodies. Not to mention that it lead me very quickly to a fixation on perfection and performance and unrealistic ideals of making something look a certain way. Of course, for some of us that strict approach is exactly what we want, and for me it was a much needed gateway-drug towards a more meaningful practice.
These thought patterns and obsessions with our physical strength or flexibility are just as common in the yoga world as they are in the gym.