Changes Within the Frame

Some of you may find it hard and even intimidating to step out of what you have and know. Changes can be really frightening, even the thought of a change can be almost paralyzing. To some of you it sounds extreme but others know exactly what I’m talking about.

One way to get over this or make it slightly easier, is to first have a very defined frame and structure, and then slowly break it, tiny piece at a time. For example, if you have a certain daily schedule, make one change, go with it for a few days, and then add another one, and so on.

Sometimes even that is hard, and that’s when you want to think about adding color to the frame you already have.

I’ll give you an example from my world. A few years back I decided I want to go and participate in modern dance classes. I haven’t been dancing for over twenty years, and even back then I wasn’t quite the dancer, if you know what I mean…this might make you think that I’m at ease with changes, but bare with me, I'll get to the point ;-)

So I went to the class, in the middle of the year, trying to follow the movements, not so successfully. At one point, the teacher instructed us to take yoga mats for some floor work, and I remember my relief: “Oh, I know this rectangle thing! With that I can work!”.

It was so funny, but I needed my familiar mat to be able to carry on with the class, and to be able to continue and break my normal way of moving my body - from very precise yoga poses on a very limited space, to a free all-around movement of modern dancing.

After attending these classes for a while, my body and the way it moved changed, and this inevitably trickled into my yoga classes. But how do I introduce a different way of moving to my students who came for yoga?

I added color to the frame we already had!

We still had the yoga mat, still practiced yoga poses, but I created totally new and innovative yoga sequences, that had a wonderful flow and used all directions and amplitude of height and space within the mat. It was amazing and everybody enjoyed it so much.

They were not scared of the change, because it contained everything they’ve been practicing and knowing, in the exact familiar place and space, and at the same time they got something colorfully new.

So if you find changes horrifying, or know someone who does, try starting with what you or they already have and know and find an additional color to add to it. Sometimes it creates an absolute magic.