In a recent Finder.com survey about 2021 New Year resolutions, health continues to be the overwhelming desire for most respondents. In a twist, a new category showed up in the results – family. After such an extraordinary 2020, I thought it would be worthwhile to look at how I would show up for movement in 2021. Movement above and beyond physical motion and thinking of movement as a particular instance or manner of moving in various areas (defined by Merriam-Webster), physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. To support my inquiry, I reached out to yogi Jamie Rose Young.

Jamie is a new mom – having given birth to her lovely little moon child, Willow – in June 2020. As a yoga instructor (certified in Bikram, Hatha since 2013), Jamie was always calm, compassionate, and imaginative in her sequencing for her students. When I attended her class, her attention to the energy in the room, the student’s alignment, and the breathwork impressed me. Her ability to zoom in (how my knee would drift away from its center in a lunge) and zoom out (to see if we were all done catching our breath before a peak posture) throughout class was done with such grace, and I wanted to know more about her background and how movement has changed for her in the last year.

I asked Jamie, “You always had a wonderful way in opening class, do you find that moment – an intentional moment – important in how you move throughout your day?” I could see Jamie smile over ZOOM, and she answered, “Yes. Having a student mind, being grateful, and celebrating what your body is doing what it does or did is something I did for class. Using the yogic philosophy around sankalpa, setting up an intention for a set amount of time is helpful. Now, after having a baby, letting go of expectations because post-partum bodies are different is something I experience. Movement now has a different pace; the energetic level is different. Now, the practice is focused on method and not necessarily perfect alignment. The practice is different. I do more breathwork – pranayama, bhanda work.” As a student, I recalled the verbal cues about alignments in class, so I had to ask, “What other surprising things did you learn about movement after having your baby?” This response took a little while because I remember being a new mom and how you have to riff through mental file cabinets to remember what life WAS like before the baby arrived. After some thought, Jamie shared, “Before having the baby, I was in my best physical shape, lots of strength. With the hormones allowing a woman’s body to open, I would and could take on big flexible postures, but I found myself gathering in, containing myself. Movement also included more stillness, moving into stillness and to observe rather than react while relearning what I needed to learn each day.”

I was immediately intrigued with this idea of “gathering in.” Movement sounds like an external, voluminous thing that one does. The movement towards stillness and bringing in the energy to contain many moving parts – thoughts, bouncing knees, fingers tapping, and peering out the window – can seriously benefit from slowing down, containing, gathering in, and being still.

At this point, I realized that Jamie highlighted the breathwork and how her practice has slowed down. I wondered about her general activity levels, outside of yoga, so I asked, “What was physical movement like before having your baby?” She chuckled and responded, “I was go-go-go. In western culture, doing means you’re going somewhere, and not doing means you aren’t going anywhere.”

Things started to really click for me in terms of how I wanted to show up for movement in 2021 after hearing this response. After months of shelter in place, I found myself setting up expectations to leave the house and go run, walk, or hike. When the time change hit and the sun sets around 5P, I steadily grew disheartened because I wasn’t having the type of physical activity I was used to. So that part of my go-go-go going away tested me in a way I didn’t realize. And it was time to gather myself and think, how do I move in 2021?

I asked Jamie to describe 2020 and 2021 in a few words, she summarized her thoughts as follows, “2020 was a year of uprooting. Whether it was bad or good, it is just is. There’s a lot of fear, and it was a fear driven year requiring change. There isn’t a need to fix or change, it’s about our ability to evolve. 2021 will be a year of transformation and a year where we can make a difference for ourselves and our communities.”

I loved this idea of uprooting. I’ve heard 2020 described as uncertain, overwhelming, volatile, and complex in different articles and speakers. Uprooting brings up the idea of truths being tested, a pull out of something familiar to something needing to be planted again and growing into a new place or state of being. For anyone feeling uprooted, I asked Jamie what her guidance would be, and her thoughtful final words were, “Have self-compassion, give love, and be patient. When it comes to movement, how fun is it really? How can you feel good in your body right now? Not just today, but also for the challenges that are coming up for us.”

Since physical movement will continue to change for me in the coming days and with Jamie’s help, I am choosing to show up for movement in the following ways:

Slow down and breathe more. To acknowledge that shift from thinking to stillness and offering myself a smile before I take that first deep breath. I will gather myself, contain myself for at least 5 minutes, and inhale for 5 beats and exhale for 5 beats.
Offering my children my undivided attention. To untether myself from devices and look into each child’s eyes while I read to them and listen intently when they are sharing their thoughts and feelings.
Continue moving away from go-go-go and know that I am moving during moments of thought around tasks I’ve been trying to avoid and be patient with myself to sit with that worry or anxious thought because when I do, I may find the answer that I need.

Do you have a new take on movement after reading this? If so, please share in the comments below.

If you would like to look at what fuels your movement, hang out with me on January 28th, 2021 at 12 PST and identify the wedge of your life -- that intention operating as a lynchpin for other intentions to come to life.