Focusing with Intention
I was standing at the barre on tip toe on one foot with the other leg and foot straight out behind me pulsing little pulses down and back up. My legs were screaming and shaking and I wasn’t confident I could complete the set. I refocused and went deeper into my muscles and pushed even higher on my toes.
Sweat was more than glistening as I completed that part of workout and felt strength surge through me. “YES! I made it!”
Driving home I contemplated my Pure Barre workout. Why is it I feel so good afterwards? My mind is clear, my body feels open and pleasantly fatigued, and I find a new sense of balance each day. My daughter insists that the 55 minutes a day helps her maintain focus and think of nothing else for that precious hour. I agree.
With busy lives we tend to focus on everything outside ourselves….jobs, school, kids, relationships, environmental issues, social issues….an endless list of potential distractions. All are important but sometimes hard to ‘turn-off’ in our minds. What Pure Barre is teaching me is to connect deeply with my core, to be physically and mentally in sync.
And as is so often the case, my current spiritual study theme is being mirrored in the physical, day-to-day life. This week the task is to do everything with intention–to focus full attention on everything I do. An intense task. I realized in class today the intensity of my focus and ability to communicate with one muscle or a small area of muscle boosts my spiritual practice. When I am able to surrender my mind completely to the task at hand, I can make it through those challenging workouts.
By putting everything I have into the task in front of me, I can see amazing results. Whether in my body, my mind (thoughts, focus) or spirit.
The other major teaching Pure Barre is helping me learn is that the most important relationship I can have in this world is the one with myself. Not from a selfish point of view but from a point of balance. If I am balanced and aware of what’s happening within me, I can be clearer in my relationships with everyone else. And so I finally understand this truth: This time of my life is to develop a very deep and healthy relationship with myself…body, mind, spirit. End of story.
Whatever clicks for each of us is where we can focus our attention…our intention….and become healthier, happier individuals. As for me, you’ll find me focusing with intention and gratitude at my local Pure Barre studio. (Disclaimer…nobody is soliciting my writing or paying me to share my process….this is my wild heart fired-up with something that is working for me).