Movement and the Search for Meaning - Olivia Berggren - Episode 91

weMove Podcast

Hey there and welcome to the weMove podcast.
To say that the last few months have been unpredictable is an understatement, it has certainly taken its toll on the routine and structure of my days and for that I apologise as the frequency of our podcast releases has been intermittent as a result.
Todays episode is a continuation of the movement and search for meaning conversations and one that we recorded as we entered the first week of the original lockdown. For some there is a second lockdown and it is curious how this episode is timely even now. We often feel the need to rush but as one of our friends wrote the other week “Rushing is what got me…”
Just goes to show that quality be it actions or conversations rarely have a sell by date. In fact having just moved to Northern Portugal and observing the cities of UK and perhaps beyond, there is a manic rush that prevails under the guise of direction and purpose.
Anyway back to the podcast. This conversation is with Olivia Berggren who had a similar experience to many we have spoken to. A questioning of the practices we do as to why we do them. Are they serving us or are they covering up for something that we are not asking ourselves.
Movement is an expression of our experiences and how we see the world, but not all movement is healthy, it can without doubt be a place to hide from what we knowingly know but are unwilling to deal with.
We can be hard on ourselves, particularly when we are searching for who we are. Often we find a practice that seduces us, more often than not through watching someone so good and proficient in the movement and repetition that they make it look effortless, full of ease and inspiring. It is amazing to watch these people, but we know very little of what they have endured to get to that place, who they are and why they do it.
I’m going to make a generalisation here that the majority of people that are doing a practice have no idea why they are doing it, they follow blindly a practice that they rarely engage fully with and often use it to cover up the weaknesses and damage caused by a life of unfiled experiences.
I did it with running, climbing, astanga, business. Olivia experienced something similar with astanga yoga. The control, discipline, freedom, times, splits, races, training feel great and absolutely have merit but they can and often do crossover into some form of self punishment when we do not understand why we are doing something.
There are other ways to move that are not what you are doing that will benefit the very thing you are doing and more. Be curious enough to understand the tyoe of person you are, create a place of safety within you and explore all the ranges with which you can move, not just the end range of physical limitation.