It has been a long time since I have last blogged. (Forgive me Father… 
I don’t even want to look at the date on the last blog. Every time I recommit to myself to at least put SOMETHING up once a week I wonder if the content is really worthy of the reader. And right now the only reader I’m certain of is my husband because he has set up an automatic notification of my posts.
One of the things that happened was that I started playing tennis again. It has been quite some time since I have hit and a long, long time since playing one game, nevermind a set or match. I have fallen in love again with the sport! I still hear my dad’s voice yelling, “Watch the ball!” and “Hustle!” and while I thought those comments were ridiculous in my younger days, now they make so much sense. My body has rediscovered a whole new joy in running, hitting and even the mental game, placement and that extreme focus that pulls every atom of the body into one moment.
When a friend and neighbor said to me one day, “Do you play tennis?”, I came up with every possible reason why I could not, should not, and it seems these all boiled down to fear, which is so sad, but probably a good representation of life in general for most of us. I would say especially women. I don’t want to limit this comment to mothers but motherhood does have a special way of focusing so much of our attention away from ourselves that it is hard to remember how to fit ourselves into the daily schedule.
And isn’t it funny how one comment or question can change your life? I have been teaching Nia at Riverside Tennis Club for a year now (wow!) and every time I’m there I watch a teeny bit of tennis and would think how much I’d love to whack that yellow ball again but did not even consider playing until Rachael asked that magic question. Now we are playing on a team, matches and clinics once a week.
I was so afraid that my body would not be able to handle the hard running and quick stops, hitting, twisting and turning. I was really afraid that pain would ensue. Then I remembered that now I have this wonderful healing practice in my life that will help me! But would it really? It has! Luckily, our matches are Monday morning and I teach a Nia class Monday night and Tuesday morning. Without it, I am sure my lower back would have seized up.
I would like to think that I would stretch on my own but even that would not have helped me maintain the sense of muscle health and flexibility that I’ve been able to manage in these last couple months. If I sound pleased with myself, I am! But it is more than that. More than ever I want to share Nia with people, people that sit at desks all day on computers, retired folks, athletes, dancers, everyone! and it is frustrating to feel that if only I could clearly communicate the benefits, so many people would simply feel better. And feeling better in the body can really affect a person’s life!
Why do we not strive more for physical comfort? Why do we strive for muscle mass and strength and how far we can run, killing ourselves to look good, wear a bikini, lose the muffin top in those low cut designer jeans, but we pay so little attention to finding body happiness? Where is the joy?
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