What I’m about to tell you might shock you…it might even seem at first glance a little contradictory.
I mean, I’ve been up to something that I wouldn’t quite define as my usual way of tapping into my feminine.
See, in addition to my weekly dance classes and feminine ways of moving, I’ve been doing something totally different.
I’ve been going to a weekly boxing class.
Say what?
Does this mean I take back everything I’ve said before about Joyful Movement?
Not one bit.
Here’s how it all began. One day after dance class, I was chatting with some of the ladies who are also regulars.
We started talking about my upcoming wedding and I shared my desire to keep working on my wedding arms.
I’m not going to lie to you…I want to look amazing in my wedding dress…BUT…not at the sacrifice of my sanity and happiness. Translation: I refuse to do anything crazy for the sake of vanity, like crash dieting or doing workouts I hate. I think I’m looking pretty good, thank you very much, but I have been wanting some more upper body strength, especially before the big day.
“You should try a boxing class,” one of the girls suggested. “It’s really great for your arms, not to mention everything else.”
Boxing…hmmm…
I wasn’t turned off by the idea. In fact, I had been thinking about going for sometime. There was a place just down the way from our apartment, JFM Boxing Club, that Mike had taken some classes at awhile back and had really enjoyed.
But would I enjoy it? The closest I had ever got to boxing was Tae Bo back in the late 90’s, sweating it up in my living room with Billy Blanks and at the live classes with his siblings. I had liked that. I’m a sucker for Rocky. Maybe I would like this too.
The following week, I decided to give it a whirl.
I’ll admit, I was a bit scared. I really had no idea what to expect and was slightly afraid that it would so torturous, I’d be regretting my decision to ever give it a shot. But, I made a pact with myself: “If this doesn’t light me up, I won’t come back.” End of story.
The verdict? My first class was a bit grueling, to say the least. Squats, burpees, lungs, punches, crunches, jabs, and sprints. I wanted to give up at times. I sweated like never before. I was pushed to my limits…AND…
I freakin’ loved it!
The environment, though definitely more masculine in nature than my usual dance class, was warm and inviting. The staff greeted me with open arms and my trainer, Ram (who kinda looks like a shorter version of Shaq), was simply the best. He pushed me while still making me feel well taken care of and honoring where I was at.
It was also interesting to notice what came up for me while I was there. Apparently, I’m not so good at jump rope, like not at all. I felt a little embarrassed… I mean, of all the things, this was the one piece that was tripping me up (and getting caught in my ponytail)? But I was assured it would get better over time. I had to put my ego away and approach it with a sense of curiosity and humor. Beginner’s mind.
By the end of that hour, I felt I had tapped into a new dimension of strength within myself. I was blown away by what my body could do and how much chatter my monkey mind loved throwing my way. Honestly, I felt like after that hour, I could take on the world and it was exciting to experience something new.
I decided right then and there to sign up for more classes and commit to going once a week.
It’s been 4 weeks now, and I’m 3 classes in (I missed a week when I got sick). And yes, I am still loving it and still leaving class with a big smile on my face. It’s such an awesome experience to see myself getting stronger, more confident, and yes, better at jump rope.
The takeaway here is that although boxing is certainly more aggressive in nature than more feminine ways of movement, it still is, for me, Joyful Movement. It is meeting my number #1 criteria of lighting me up and end of the day, that is the most important thing to me.
I think part of why it feels that way is because:
1) I am balancing it with other forms of movement that I love. I have plenty of time for my dance classes, long walks, barre classes, sprints, and REST.
2) I feel welcomed and affirmed when I am there and it feels free of competition. I’m sticking with Ram as my trainer because he is the perfect combo of badass and big heart. There is such a great sense of community, joy, and comraderie there…you just feel good walking through the door and even better when the hour is up.
3) I am really kind to myself when I am there. Truly. I am ever diligent about approaching this with a sense of curiosity, play, experimentation, and wonderment about my body…and not to take myself too seriously. The key is to feed the voice of self-love in everything we do, whether it be boxing, eating, or trying on a new way of being/doing.
AND
3) I am listening to my body. My boxing day is not a fixed day of the week but rather the day that I feel I have the most energy and the most to give. I would never want to go on days that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep or if my body was telling me that I needed a break (such as illness or starting my cycle…and I never sacrifice sleep for a sweat session). Once a week feels pretty good to me…perhaps if I went more often, I’d start to feel burnt out. Like I said, I’m starting here and seeing how I feel over time.
Lastly, this masculine way of movement is actually feeding my feminine nature in the most interesting of ways. By having an outlet to literally “punch out” all my aggression, frustrations, and worries, I leave feeling that I have cleared my mind and my body of negativity, allowing room for even more creativity and flow, exactly what the feminine needs and craves. As you can see, I’m getting way more out of this than just “wedding arms”.
Bottom line: There is no one right way to bring in Joyful Movement…there’s just the way that is right for YOU. Allow it be organic and another way to bring a smile to your face.
Will I be a boxer for life? Will I add more classes per week? I have no idea.
My only commitment is to do this as long as it feels joyful and lights me up. The moment it begins to feel like an obligation instead of something awesome I get to do for myself is the moment I let it go…and that’s how I approach all forms of movement.
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