Written by Marie Coveley
I’m on a mission for movement.
Leaving my studio in Zimbabwe, I head for the mountain, the Motherland……..in my eyes, a Mother City of Motion - Cape Town.
For someone like myself who has been in the health and wellness industry for some years, moving to Cape Town to see how the other side lives wasn’t just exciting, it was explosive in the possibility of really experiencing more about the essence of movement. What better place to start than the Cape.
Basically you guys just like to move. Let’s take it to the streets and start there. On arrival in Cape Town the first thing that struck me is the masses upon masses of people who run. Even the older generation who quite frankly might be in need of a hip replacement or worse are striding down the road doing a good impression of Usain Bolt! Capetonians encompass the epitome of wellness.
Exercise has no distinction here in Cape Town. I see so many different walks of life out on the streets in all weather. You don’t have to be a Comrades runner or an athlete of any kind to be part of this ‘crew’. You’ve just got to enjoy moving, it’s that simple. It’s a vibe, a certain vibration that I feel people tap into here. And how do they do that? They employ their workout from the heart, not their heads. They do what ‘feels’ good, not what society conditions them to do or feel.
It’s all about listening to your body as if it were another person. Your body knows better than anything or anyone as to what feeds its soul. If you get out of the way of yourself for long enough, you can hear that inner voice tell you exactly what you need. However, if you’re too busy talking over the top, you’re most likely going to end up in a body building, level ten, cross fit class, when all you really need is yoga!
It’s all about mindful movement at the end of the day. If you are present enough to have the awareness of where your body is in space, even if it’s picking up a box correctly to a session of pilates, your movement will take on a completely different meaning. The body will work more efficiently, basically what you can achieve in five days can be done in three days. Now who doesn’t want a bit of that in their life?
I remember my first experiences of ‘getting fit.’ One baby under my belt and you would have thought I had eaten five small children, never mind had one! There was a lot of weight I had to lose. The feeling of impending doom as my body screamed out to be released…….from the extremely tight leggings that hugged my body so tightly that even my blood cells couldn’t breath. Refraining from projectile vomiting over the rather ripped, good looking instructor, I sucked it in and kept on going. As the searing pain shot through my muscles, my lungs about to explode, the instructor shouts out “No pain! No gain!” ………..What??!!! No! Stop!........ No pain, no gain????? OMG! That’s so 1980’s. That is a false belief that is deeply instilled in the core of fitness. However this has begun to dissolve like a salt block in water. Cape Town has most certainly proven this to be true.
So far I have experienced many stunning classes and teachers here in your beautiful Cape Town. Oozing creativity and flow of which quite frankly blows my doors off!! I’m excited to be here, I am excited to move my body here, to be submerged in a different approach of how to bring that ‘light’ into your physical body.
As I said in opening, I am on a mission for movement. A mission of self discovery through movement. There is so much more to exercise than mindlessly throwing yourself around for an hour, praying to the heavens above to please take me now!
It’s about feeling it from within and venturing out from there. You have to feel it, not endure it. You have to go within to go beyond – deep huh? That’s my quote for the week, let it be yours too.
So, off I go, ‘moving’ through Cape Town and discovering for myself what many of you do so effortlessly ……….mindful movement.
Cape Town you rock!!!!