Mindfulness is described as a state of being fully conscious or aware of something, and is achieved by focusing your attention on the present moment. It’s a skill that is difficult to master, especially with all the noise and distractions we’re faced with nowadays. But with a bit of purpose you can achieve it in good time and it’s a skill that’s hugely beneficial, in movement and in life!
Mindfulness in movement is often referred to as kinesthetic awareness. It’s your ability to totally feel, understand and control where your body parts are in space and relative to each other. Some have better kinesthetic awareness than others, but it’s a skill that everyone can improve. By being mindful, of course!
You’ll often hear me saying “You know what you’re supposed to be doing,” or “Think about what you’re doing.” The respective responses I typically get are “No I don’t,” and “I am!”
Yes you do know what you’re doing, because we just ran a good skills and technique session during which I observed you moving really well. You just stopped paying attention to what you were doing when you started working. And no you aren’t thinking about what you’re doing because if you were, you’d be doing it better 😉
You’ll also often hear me saying that the grey matter between your ears is what controls your movement. Yep, just as YOU have to turn the steering wheel in order to direct your vehicle, YOU have to control the direction in which your knees are tracking when you squat. It’s going to magically occur. It takes a conscious and focussed effort to move well, even more so with high intensity.
We’re dedicated to teaching you sound mechanics and we understand which stage of learning you’re in. But you need to be mindful of what you’re doing, from the first to last reps of your workout.
