My Philosophy of Movement
The image shows a coloured woman making a downward dog shape on a red slide.
Trigger Warning: diet culture and disordered eating.
My philosophy around movement has been slowly building over the years. In my Pilates training, someone mentioned an astonishing statistic claiming that more than 70% of our cohort will only do this for about 12 months. Here I am 4 years later and I feel like I am just getting started. I am always learning and have a deep interest in the movement and mind connection, which has led me to create my holistic approach.
In addition to my movement training, I have been studying Psychology and its related topics for a decade. Over that decade I have dipped in and out of many modalities and schools of thought. I have been super sure of one thing only to change my mind once learning more. This ability to objectively view and process information that you disagree with would have to be my favourite thing I acquired from my studies and my life experiences. I truly believe that the inability to objectively hold competing ideas in our minds is a major contributor to the divisive world we see today buttt that is a story for another time.
When it comes to body and mind, I don’t actually think we can separate the two - I believe they are inextricably woven. Our body and mind are in constant cahoots sending information back and forth. Western society has done a really great job to try and separate them theoretically but through all my personal and career experiences, I have not found this to be possible. You break your arm, it affects your mind. You experience anxiety, it impacts you physiologically. If you tried to draw the line to disconnect the two, where would it sit? Where is the cut point? Where is the start and where is the end?
It was through movement and mindfulness that I found a deeper respect for my body. Rather than viewing myself as a machine with parts I started seeing my body as an intricate system of intricate systems. It was through my own experience with chronic back pain that I really became aware of how interconnected our systems are. My chronic back pain was what they call ‘non specific’, which meant there was no pathological reason for my pain. This led me to start thinking about my lifestyle and after a few tweaks, we found the culprit - stress. As soon as I started managing my stress, my back pain reduced to nearly non-existent. This is not to say my pain wasn’t real, it was very real and this is where things can get a little dicey to explain to people that come to you with chronic pain. However, the hard and fast of it is that pain is 100% created by the brain - there is no getting around it. In saying that, pain isn’t a linear process beginning with stimulation and ending with pain, it is a complex and dynamic process that relies on a multitude of personal, environmental and cognitive factors (Melzack & Katz, 2013). We always want to hold space for an individual’s experience with pain and we must also acknowledge what is going on for them psychologically.
To add another layer, I was 100% absorbed into diet culture and I was all about that healthism vibe. Thin was healthy, being ripped was even better. I spent hours in the gym and even longer obsessing over food. I counted calories, I would go out for dinners and not order any food because there was nothing ‘healthy’ enough on the menu. I used vegetarianism and veganism to restrict my diet with the goal of weight loss. Granted, I do love animals and animal welfare is important to me but if I am truly honest, at the beginning, it was more on the side of disordered eating than anything else. Over the past two to three years, I have been learning about diet culture. The multi-billion industry that is responsible for mine and many others disordered eating. Diet culture is a belief system that idolises thinness and benefits from you feeling so shit about yourself that you spend your dollary doos on harmful quick fixes and fad diets. It encourages particular ways of eating whilst demonising others and draws a link from status and power to thinness. The image of ‘health’ we are sold is often a thin, white, cisgendered woman. Thus, diet culture also contributes to the oppression of marginalised communities. So basically it is... the worst.
Once you start pulling on the thread of diet culture it is almost impossible to avoid the link between diet culture and the toxic, dominant message within the fitness industry.
‘Go hard or go home’
‘Summer bodies are made in winter’
‘No pain, no gain’.
Spew.
Every time I think we are past this type of messaging, I see a new trainer, a new gym pushing the same harmful drivel. Particularly at this time of the year (December) when #fitspo trainers will want you to think they are progressive and tell you to ‘indulge, enjoy the festive season because you deserve it’, only to jam a 6 week transformation challenge down your throat on Jan 1st, when you are at your most vulnerable.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are also plenty of great movements within the fitness industry. There are great people doing great things and sharing great messages. There are waves being made and I am loving this journey - I am feeling truly engaged and fulfilled in my research and sharing these messages. However, I must also acknowledge that it has taken me years to get here. There was some serious resistance and unlearning to be done. Some of which I am still working on now and that is okay - we don’t unlearn a lifetime of conditioning overnight.
So how does this learning translate into my role as a facilitator of movement?
Over the years, I have developed my own practical ways to ensure I am not causing harm to my clients. Instead of focusing on weight loss, I question fatphobic beliefs and focus on the joy of movement. Instead of running challenges, I focus on small incremental changes that are realistic and sustainable for my clients. Instead of trying to make movement ‘sexy’ and marketable, I make it accessible. Instead of making you feel less than, I focus on your strengths and give modifications where necessary to make movements feel accessible for you. In all my classes there are elements of mindfulness, autonomy and challenge. Not every session is designed to make you sweat but every session is designed to help foster a stronger relationship with yourself.
This new online world has really encouraged me to reflect on how I teach and what is most valuable for my clients. I used to think hands on corrections were crucial in being a ‘good’ instructor. However, Confucius is believed to have once said “Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime." I now view my role as facilitating a movement experience that fosters autonomy. I focus on creating a rich enough experience through colourful and descriptive language + modeling that allows clients to see the shapes we are making but also connect to the sensations in their own unique way. There is no right or wrong in this space. There is only discovery, exploration and play. Movement can be joyful. Movement should be a celebration of what our bodies can do.
These wild ideas are what fuel me, this is what encourages me to continue building my community @piecebypiece_movers so I can support people navigate their movement journey in a way that is supportive for them - I will always meet you where you are at.
As I am always learning, I am always evolving - trying new things on and shedding skins. It is a constant process and I love it. If any of this resonates with you, reach out let’s talk it through. If you strongly disagree with me, same goes. I am always open to hearing other views and willing to learn something new.
(Melzack R, Katz J. Pain. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science. 2013;4(1):1–15.)
