Moving Through Transition

My mind always craved high-impact movement. This made things like cardio circuits, spin class, and Pilates a perfect fit. In these spaces, I was part of something bigger than myself. When I made space for movement, I found community.

Movement as Political Action

There’s a lot of privilege wrapped up in occupying these spaces. As a white girl with thin and pretty privilege, these spaces were curated for folks who look like me. Yoga encouraged me to practice patience with myself, and I wanted to help others find a similar space. A space where folks could find neutrality and agency in themselves to rebuild trust with their body, mind, and spirit. So, I pursued my Yoga teacher certification.

Through my certification training, I developed an accessible lens that helps me better understand the barriers incapacitating people from showing up to community spaces. Primary barriers to the practice of yoga include finances, physically inaccessible studios, and little airtime for racialized, queer, or disabled teachers.

Moving to Halifax gave me the chance to explore new spaces for movement. I wanted to find a studio that didn’t just slap a rainbow on their logo during the month of June. I looked for studios that featured racialized teachers, offered BIPOC and student discounts, and engaged with the community. Inside, I looked for ramps, wide hallways, and gender-neutral changerooms. 

No studio will ever be perfect, but community engagement is integral for teaching the “softer” lessons of resiliency, commitment, and compassion for others.

Movement Through Law School

Law school gave me a new “legal brain” that taught me to consider every variable or hypothetical; to follow every thought spiral. Movement became the one time every day when I could escape into myself and into a community that helped me practice being “enough”.

Movement After Law School 

Returning to my movement spaces back home after law school was jarring. The compassionate voice I once heard was now being outroared by a tougher voice telling me to PUSH; to do MORE; that I was NEVER ENOUGH. 

The tool that once helped me achieve great things during law school was sharpened too harshly. It began overtaking the pursuit of my new efforts. In other words, pushing past my limits with sharp self-talk became my new norm. My mental health was in shambles.

Moving Into Self

My first spin instructor taught me that comparison is a losing game, but law school taught me to push myself beyond my limits. My mind still pulls me to high-impact movement, but I'm learning to keep my pulse on what sensations might be calling to my body in that moment. Do I want to feel the strength of my hips with Pilates inspired movement? Perhaps I want to feel like I'm flying by running or feel confident in my stamina on the bike.

Whatever the craving, rediscovering my mind-body connection won’t happen overnight. Still, I’m excited to join new spaces that help me find balance between pushing and resting while riding the waves of my articles. Finding movement spaces that value diversity is integral to the practice of compassion.