Why Are You Doing the Thing?

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Many of the women I work with tell me this: "I want to know if I’m doing it right."

"It" might mean a yoga pose, like a lunge or twist, or it could mean how they’re breathing or moving overall.

I have a jaw-dropper.

Are you ready?

There’s no right way.

Ahhhh!!! I know. Does this feel uncomfortable? It might, because if there’s no right way, then what are we doing?

Let’s reframe the question of right and wrong. (Because ultimately I don’t believe in a right or wrong way).

But first, my question for you is: Why are you doing The Thing? The Thing could be:

• a yoga pose (e.g. pigeon pose)

• a yoga or movement class

• anything else that contributes to your wellbeing

We do lots of things for lots of reasons, and getting clearer on WHY you’re doing something is important.

Sometimes you need to move for the pure sake of moving your body and feeling your muscles work. (Kitchen dance party, anyone?)

Sometimes you move with a specific goal: stronger arms, stretchier hamstrings, or a more stable core. Perhaps you want to return to your pre-injury or pre-health issue activity levels.

Maybe you want to start or deepen a meditation practice, or tap into states of deep rest to replenish your physical body and connect to your intuition.

Sometimes the WHY is clear, sometimes not. And The Thing we do might tick more than one box.

But when you’re clear on your WHY, you’ll then be able to ask the million dollar question: "Is The Thing I’m doing getting me the outcome I want?" I like this question because it takes the idea of right and wrong out of the picture. It also helps us refine how we do The Thing (i.e., sometimes we might just need to move our legs, and other times we might want to really focus on isolating the movement in our hip joint to achieve a specific outcome).

And I think this is what my clients are asking when they want to know if they’re doing something "right". They’re super motivated, smart and curious women who want to know that they’re doing the pose or practice in the most effective and efficient way. They want to be intentional about what they do.

Sometimes we do things because we think we *should* or because someone else has told us it can help us. But what works well for someone else might not work for you, at all.

Pointing myself back to this question of "am I getting the outcome I want?" has been key in my brain injury recovery and has helped me choose tools, practices and healing modalities that move me forward (even if they’re unconventional!).

And in 1-1 sessions I help my clients stay focused on their primary goal (identifying the why!) and choose things for them that gets them the outcome they want.

Remember: why are you doing The Thing? And are you getting the outcome you want? If yes, great! If no, keep exploring!

If you’d like to learn more about 1-1 therapeutic yoga sessions can move you forward with clarity and intention, click here to learn more.