Fearless Mission
You might think that my mission in life is to help everyone achieve their fitness goals, or something along those lines…and while helping people to recognize their potential through thoughtful, challenging and inspiring movement is among my greatest passions - it is not my number one mission.
My mission in life is to help others to live fearlessly. To honor their inner most desires, to feel confident enough to speak them and to find the courage to live for them.
I believe the physical body provides access to our internal being, so I think that exercise is a powerful way to get in touch with ourselves and to stretch our tolerance for the discomfort that can often accompany a fearless life.
I have always loved the idea of self study, which I used to call self help - because I was of course convinced that I was helplessly broken beyond repair and it was my responsibility to dedicate my time on earth to making myself better for everyone else. While self-study or self-help (whatever you want to call it) is a profoundly beneficial practice, it can be a harmful venture if you don’t already view yourself as valuable, whole and complete.
I spent years using movement to run from the reality of my emotions and mental health and then many more years using movement to shape my physical body, while suppressing and ignoring what was happening inside. It was through the experience of yoga teacher training that I was finally able to honor my internal make up through the physical practice of vinyasa - and then to discover the true connection between physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health.
As a student of power yoga, the 200 hour training placed an extreme physical demand on my body and required me to cultivate a sense of discipline that I had never been able to achieve before. The discipline was built softly and yet felt stronger than anything I had experienced before. I now understand that is because it was, and it remains the strongest and truest connection to who I am. To meet the demands of the physical training, I had to honor my natural strengths, surrender to my limitations and develop the strength to find a way. The strength was not outsourced, it was always mine, I simply needed to clear the way to allow it to shine through.
I think in many ways that is what we all need. Some support in facing ourselves, honoring our strengths, accepting our weaknesses and creating the space to live out our deepest desires.
Yes, our butts and our biceps are going to get tighter along the way, but with the focus on our internal make up - what shows up on the outside is going to happen more gracefully.
So what are we aiming to achieve through the fearless fitness challenge?
Awareness of our natural strengths
Recognition of our natural weaknesses, real current challenges and unavoidable truths
Develop a discipline that encourages us to overcome our challenges and achieve our goals by utilizing our strengths
To stand fearlessly and confidently as the people we are today, with the understanding that our stories are not fully written and we have the ability to change whatever does not feel good.