How slow can you go?

In January, I joined a fitness studio that has quite literally changed my life.?

It’s a studio that specializes in the Lagree method, which is a low-impact, high-intensity Megaformer workout.?

I’ve always wanted to try a Megaformer workout (a lot of my friends love it), so over the holiday break, when I noticed that a new studio opened within walking distance of where I live, I signed up for a two-week trial. I never have imagined how much I would love it—I do it 4-5 times a week now!—but also how much I would learn from it.

The first time I took the class, I remember feeling intimidated by the big machines that I knew nothing about and by the intimate class size. With only 8 people max per class, I knew that meant that I couldn’t try to hide the fact that I didn’t know how to do the workout. But I lucked out: I had a wonderful instructor for my first session. Before we started, she taught me the basics of the machine and gave me a heads-up that it would take a few sessions to learn the moves. She encouraged me to give myself grace. At the beginning of the class, she turned off the lights, which helped. One of the things I’ve come to love most about my studio is that the classes happen in the dark with neon strobe lights and really loud music.

That first class was hard. There were several times I thought I might throw up. My body was shaking in a way that I didn’t know it could shake. The workout challenged me physically and mentally—I definitely wanted to give up several times—but it was like the instructor could sense those moments because that’s when she would give the room a pep talk to encourage us to keep pushing through.

The biggest thing I noticed—and what made this different from any other workout I had ever done in the past—was how slow the movements were.

The Lagree method uses micro movements. For each rep, you move only a few inches, and you drag out the movement to the point where 10 seconds feels like an eternity. No matter how slow you think you’re moving, the instructor continually reminds you to slow it down even more. In fact, the only time you’re recognized publicly in the class is when you’re moving slower than a snail.

This is not what I’m used to. In the past, I’ve done workouts like running and HIIT classes where the whole point is to move as fast as you safely can. My goal has always been to go faster and “beat” my last pace or number of reps.

That’s not too much different from our world, right? Everything moves so fast. We've built a society where we’re rewarded for moving quickly, and many of us believe that, if we slow down, we might get left behind. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to the people around us, gauging how much further “ahead” they are and how quickly they’re getting there.

That’s why I’m obsessed with my Lagree classes. That studio is the one place where I feel I have the permission to move slowly and be celebrated for doing so. It’s the one place where I can inspire my neighbor, not by outpacing them, but by moving slower than them. The result is that it’s turned into the most liberating, grounding, and calming hour of my day—and I am blown away by the physical results of such tiny, slow movements.

It’s made me think about how I can stay in that slow state after I walk out of the studio doors to a world that operates at a lightning pace. And especially at work.

To read the full post, visit my blog ??