How Teaching Gave Me Purpose Over Lockdown
I remember the build up on that fateful 16th of March 2020, when our Prime Minister announced the new measures to stop Covid-19 and a full, national lockdown. I was at home with a 2 year old and a 4 month old baby. British lockdown, a new way of negotiating our environment, was about to start.
Now, the thought of us four in a flat, living on top of each other was, frankly, daunting. After my latest pregnancy, I was looking forward to moving my body in ways I hadn’t for months, ready to build my confidence and go back into teaching again. Both deliveries were great with no complications so I knew with time I would be back bouncing around from clinic to classes to coaching. I had it all planned, start a class twice a week and get back to the clinics.
That was the picture and, well, we all know now this didn’t quite happen as I envisaged it! As the lockdown was announced, a mixture of anxiety, uncertainty, and sheer panic of actually being a parent 24/7 sunk in, having to sit still and be!
Over six months later, I actually say how wonderful that time in lockdown has been for me, as I managed to enjoy family time and indulge in a mentorship programme wholeheartedly.
And of course, because I’m someone who simply can’t sit still, I decided to explore the online world of teaching and taking classes, learning how much we can achieve when we adapt. I needed a purpose, a distraction from the scary daily news feeds, a sense of taking a little control back from a situation that felt totally out of control.
So, despite some hesitation, I decided to begin teaching online and taught two classes, one HIIT class (high intensity interval training) and the other an Animal Flow movement one. It gave me structure to the days, a sense of achievement and got us all moving when sitting certainly became the norm.
Looking back now, it’s been the best opportunity! I’ve become a better therapist by having a new way of looking at patients, empowering them to seek awareness in themselves and the daily patterns we adapt to, as well as seeing how change in the most difficult circumstances can be good and never giving up.
After three months, I felt it was time to stop the HIIT classes, as I noticed my body didn’t need such intensity when so much change was happening externally. I started it to show how resilient we are as humans and how a little intensity is good for us but too much as with anything can be bad (I’ll post a blog on intensity another time).
I also noticed my patients needing a slower pace, which is why I am still teaching Animal flow movement training every Friday at 9am online*. It’s a ground based movement class open to everybody and every level, exploring movements through a choreographed callout. We work on strength, mobility, coordination… it’s one of the funniest ways to explore movement and I love teaching it. And it can help with those stubborn niggles and sticky areas, too.
One of my clients recently said that “it’s like going back to my childhood, moving for fun without thinking of it as exercise and feeling magnificent spiritually and physically afterwards”. Can’t argue with that!
Now, the uncertainties of what we are living through haven’t gone away completely but having the confidence to say I’m learning and adapting without being too hard on myself is great. I know that, if I get it wrong, it's fine, and I learn from those moments.
So whether online or in person, being able to connect, share my passion and look after my clients throughout the uncertainties has felt like a privilege.
What about you? How has your 2020 been so far? I’d love to hear your story!
Before I go, with talks of a possible second national lockdown and if you are in parts of the UK already in a local lockdown, I’d like to recommend a book called Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who reminds us that when we are exposed to volatility and stress, we can gain a new kind of strength from disorder, opening up to possibility and a change to connect. Hope you enjoy it!
Until next time, stay safe and keep movin’!
Uju
*You’re welcome to join my Animal Flow class anytime. I’m offering a FREE 1 hour taster session for your first class. It’s at 9am on Fridays. Sessions after that are only £10. Feel free to email me for more info uju@movewitheze.com