New Year's Resolution #4: New Ways to Move

“We see in order to move; we move in order to see.” ― William Gibson

While I love Yoga, and consider it a lifelong practice, I realize that if I want to keep my body and mind agile, I need to find other ways to move. Yoga has done wonders for my mind, my strength, and my flexibility; but in order to form new neuropathways in my brain, maintain strength in the established ones, and mold my body in different ways, I need different forms of movement. So Resolution #4, "New Ways to Move", would require some ingenuity. While I have committed (and succeeded) in walking more, I find it boring, and don't consider it anything new. I ticked off the list in my head of forms of movement that were new and that interested me. Top two on my list were boxing and rock climbing. Because of the cost involved, I knew either one or the other would be a later in the year pursuit. It's amazing that once you set your intention, how the universe offers up the opportunities within other opportunities. I traveled to DC/Virginia to begin training for a new contract assignment, and the company put me up in Rosslyn, a little pocket in the city of Arlington. CorePower has spread quickly across the East Coast, and there was one in walking distance; so I was able to get in a juicy Hot Power Fusion class. Because the city is quite the walking city, I was able to do some nice treks around the neighborhood to explore, so that incorporated my walking component. It was while I walked back to the hotel after dinner one night that I passed by what looked like a fitness center. It is called "Bash", and  is just that: a combination boxing and endurance workout. I walked in to give it a look, and see what the prices were like. The girl at the front desk let me know that they offer a free class to new people, and my heart leapt. What a perfect opportunity to try on something new with no big commitment!

​The workout was for 45 minutes, and they had an opening for 7:00 a.m. I reserved a spot for Friday, and was excited to have something to look forward to! In my last post, "Seasons of Change" I talked about embracing the newness of Spring for the first time in many years, and all the changes it brought. This opportunity to try something that I'd wanted to try for a long time felt like part of that Springtime awakening. I arrived at 6:50 a.m. and was warmly greeted by the hostess. She acquainted me with the lay of the land, I paid for my hand wraps (that fit under the boxing gloves), and was then welcomed by the instructor Brett, who totally fit the profile of a fitness/boxing instructor in terms of looks, but his personality was electric and fun.

I must say this cardio-boxing-endurance workout was pretty darn cool! For my CPY Yogis, think of Yoga Sculpt on steroids with a punching bag! That's exactly what is was. You get a choice of starting out on the floor or on the bag. I wanted the floor in order to get the additional shoulder warm up before trying out the bag. Brett gave instruction on the types of punches we would be using and how to do them, then we all went through a warm up together, before breaking into the groups who wanted to do the bag first, and the floor group who wanted to do reps. A lady next to me was very gracious in helping me get acclimated on who moved when, and the atmosphere was altogether positive and supportive—none of the clichey, judgey vibe I've felt at most gyms. I adored Brett's energy! He was full of encouragement, and was helpful at the right times. I suspect he either comes to CorePower for class or may even be an instructor. He began the class with a great focus theme of not being impatient with being under construction. Keep the goal in mind, and enjoy the journey of building something different. Brett weaved the theme throughout the class, and then had us end with setting an intention for our day. Pretty darn Yogic to me!

He got bonus points for ending his playlist with "From Now On", my favorite song from The Greatest Showman. Along with the full-on sweat, and the fresh form of movement, ending the workout and beginning the day on that note automatically put me in a great mood. Now the hard part: finding something comparable here in L.A., and fitting it into my already packed schedule. My friend Frances encouraged me to not think of it as hard. "Look how easily you manifested that class," she said. "You can do it in L.A., too." Excellent point. As one of my favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes says, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”