Challenge your limitations and you will find your true strength

Two weeks ago I had an experience that shifted my mindset when it comes to overcoming my injuries and lack of faith in myself, and is changing my approach to taking care of myself starting NOW. It wasn't as graceful as the picture might indicate, and if I'd judged the situation at first glance, I never would have learned such a powerful lesson from the experience.

On a recent trip to Seattle, my dear friend found an adult Ballet Conditioning class and convinced my sister-in-law and I to join her (one of us has ballerina skills, and it is NOT me or my SIL). First impressions didn’t inspire confidence in the situation…at first, no one showed, including the instructor, and my sister-in-law and I probably felt more relief than disappointment. Then about 5 minutes after the scheduled start time, our instructor showed up, physically struggling a bit herself, and obviously flustered at the circumstances that delayed her.

We helped her get set up, and started stretching, as a few other women showed up for the class.

We walked into a situation that, on the surface, did NOT meet our expectations. We walked away 90 minutes later from an experience that shook my belief in myself and my physical capabilities, and shifted my mindset about what really matters in life.

ALL OF THAT FROM A BALLET CONDITIONING CLASS?

What we found in that room was a fierce group of women, who come together each week to get their bodies moving, and it was clear from their calm demeanor throughout the intense workout (while the three of us, many years their junior, dripped in sweat and barely made it through some parts of the exercise).

We found a group of powerful women who refused to let their circumstances slow them down. They told stories about their old ballet teacher who had recently passed and the powerful lessons she taught them, reading articles and clippings about her life and experiences throughout the class. They shared their own challenges without any hint of pity or sadness, but seemed to find strength together as they traveled their paths in life, coming together for a reset in a dingy community room with a locker of old mats and 2lb free weights.

They moved like they were 20 years younger, shaking their booties (these ladies had some MOVES) and pointing their toes with smiles on their faces, as the music and the movement shook the stress of life away from them, making them stronger to face the next day.

The teacher (pictured center) was the most poignant lesson for me, and her strength has been stuck in my mind since that day. She had lost physical strength in her lower body and could barely get up and down off of her mat, one of the students demonstrated the full movement, but she pushed herself everywhere her body would let her, doing a modified push-up moving just a few inches instead of skipping them altogether, moving her foot a few inches off the ground with as much effort as she could manage, breathing through every movement, keeping her body pushing its boundaries to keep them from closing in faster than they already were. I struggled to match her effort, and actually got a little bit emotional as I realized that under other circumstances, I would have avoided some of it altogether in lieu of something that wouldn’t risk irritating my back.

I’m always so afraid of hurting myself in the short term, after 10 years dealing with chronic injury and pain, that I don’t always push hard enough to find my boundaries, let alone keep pushing them out away from me. Watching this amazing woman fight her own limitations gracefully, but not yielding any ground when she knew she could squeeze out at least a few inches where everyone else could move a few feet, pushing herself to do just a little bit more each time, reminded me that only I can define my physical journey. Life may throw me limitations, but it’s up to me to keep pushing back against them gracefully and carefully, but pushing nonetheless. I walked away from that 90 minutes stronger, both mentally and physically, and have these wonderful strangers to thank for it (and my dear friend for being determined to take us on a ballet adventure in Seattle).

Tomorrow morning I’m putting their lessons into action. Are you going to let life push you down and use words like “can’t” or “Used to”? Or are you going to push back and redefine what you’re capable of? After walking through 90 minutes with the women in this picture, I’m removing “can’t” from my vocabulary and going to start pushing to see what my body is capable of again. And if you’re ever in Seattle, I know where you can go to have a 90 minute life experience you’ll never forget.

#MoveYourBody (until it won’t let you move any more)