This past weekend, my Dear Danglers put on one helluva show! It was time for the annual SassyPants Student Showcase, and mah bebbehs delivered big time. I was so proud! Saturday night was a triumph! And then came Sunday….

Training When You’re Pooped

Maybe you had a big performance, or you’re recovering from being sick/injured/hungover. Perhaps you flew in on the red eye, or you’re so stressed you’re ready to spit nails. Or you’re cranky. Or tired. Or feeling generally le poo. LE POO. BUT. You still want to train! Or maybe you don’t want to train, but you really should, because remember that time a couple of missed classes suddenly cascaded into six months? Yeah, me too.

• IMPORTANT – Determine if it’s safe for you to train.
  • Friends, there’s a big difference between cholera and “a little heartburn”. If you’re super sick, stay home and watch “The Great British Baking Show” (but NO SPOILERS!)
  • Did you just have surgery, break something, squeeze a baby out of your nether-regions, etc? Get the all clear from your doc before jumping back in.
  • If you’re so tired you can’t string two thoughts together, go h…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……..
  • If you’re a professional (or training to be one/training really hard), rest days/weeks are mandatory. Make sure you’re taking your breaks! Jen Crane has a few excellent posts on this – read up!
• All safe? Proclaim it a “Moving Meditation Day”!

The Moving Meditation (or Restorative) Day

I swear by Moving Meditation Days. Not only do they get me to class or training when I don’t feel like it, they give me permission to be where I am on any given day (and sometimes I surprise myself!). How does it work?

• Right off the bat, let your teacher know that you’ll be taking it super easy today, or say it out loud to yourself (bonus – you’ll get a whole row of seats on the subway!).
• Take everything down to about 20% effort, and tune waaaaaaay into your body. If something feels good? Lean into it. Feels like too much? Back off. Got a burst of energy or inspiration? Let it carry you.
• Set the tiniest of goals. Instead of 8 climbs, try one and see how you feel.
• Modify modify modify. If you need help finding the gentlest version of a particular position or move, ask your coach.
• Feel zero guilt (and don’t let anyone else make you feel guilty, either). Your big win today was showing up and moving through, and that’s enough.

Here’s an example of what this might look like in class:

Miranda has been burning the candle at ALL the ends. She’s tired, cranky, and depleted, but always feels sad when she misses sessions. Off to class it is! When she arrives, she does the no-jumping/Level 1 version of the warm-up, checking to see where her body is today. Her back is super tight, so she gives it some extra love before she starts the apparatus warm up. She moves slowly and carefully, and decides to focus on excellent form and simple moves close to the ground. Instead of the more elaborate twisting Russian climb, she opts for the simple Russian climb, moving really slowly and paying close attention to her technique. Hip keys are next, and she’s feeling pretty warm and surprisingly good – full steam ahead! She sits out ankle hangs because her right ankle is really sore from the other day, but she listens carefully to comments from her coach to other students, and notes that she should also keep her quads more engaged the next time she tries it. She writes that down. She skips the drop, but does the wrap just off the ground, focusing on being smooth and consistent. For to-fatigue conditioning at the end of class, she keeps her feet on the ground during pull-ups and watches her shoulder position.

Great job, Miranda! Your moving meditation class might not be one for the books, but a funny thing often happens when we slow way down, tune into our bodies, and focus on conserving our energy – awareness. How often do we zoom through class like demented bumble bees with our eyes solely focused on the next move/sequence/drop so we can post it on instagram? Probably more often than we ought to.

90% of progress happens because we show up – consistency matters. The magic of the restorative session is that we give ourselves permission to pull back, explore, focus, breathe, and think for a hot second about what we’re doing, and this has value, friends. So, the next time you’re in class and you just cannot, declare it a Day of Moving Meditation and rock on with your bad self – you’ll be glad you did. Love and pull-ups, Laura