Wellness In-Sight: Game Changer

Wellness In-Sight: Stretch Yourself

Cindy E. Farrar Here we are at the halfway point in our 2021 journey. We began this ‘road trip’ enthusiastically looking forward as we left so much of the heavy uncertainty of the last year behind. The last two months we have considered tools to promote traveling our journey with lightness of being and greater peace in our souls. The perspective of nonattachment and one of its key components’ flexibility were explored in their significance in our efforts.

However, there are times on our journey where we are confronted with things in life that are coming at us faster than we can adjust. In response, we may become ‘frozen’ as a result of the triggering of the body’s Stress Response (aka Fight, Flight or Freeze). This presents us with one of the more common and perplexing paradoxes: what happens when an unstoppable object meets an immovable force? The reality is the two cannot co-exist; either the unstoppable stops, therefore no longer being unstoppable, or the immovable moves. As long as we are living, life and its situations are going to continue to come at us (the unstoppable force). If we are to remain, we must keep moving. In that moment, flexibility alone may not be enough to adequately get us through.

In basketball, when a player is dribbling the ball, the opponent will try to impede the advancement of the player dribbling. If the opponent is successful and the player dribbling stops moving and dribbling, she may not simply start again (without penalty). A successful player learns how to be proficient in pivoting. Pivoting in this instance is keeping one foot on the floor while turning the body in different directions to prevent the opponent from stealing the ball, seeking assistance from her teammates, in an effort to continue advancing the ball down the court and ultimately scoring a basket. The stationary foot or pivot foot is key in the prevention of being penalized.

It must stay in contact with the floor at all times. As we are confronted on our journey by situations or events that are trying to get in the way of our forward progress, pivoting can enable us to thwart the opposing force. As in basketball, our ‘pivot foot’ is vital. In life, our pivot foot is that which keeps us deeply grounded. It is our anchoring roots (families, communities, values, etc.). When solidly planted, we are able to move in all directions safely to seek out support, if necessary, and identify alternate or less obstructed routes on our journey. When faced with unstoppable objects, real or perceived, being movable is not a deficit. Our ability to move, specifically pivot (with flexibility) is a game changer.

Cindy E. Farrar, LMT, BCTMB, CLC is a licensed massage therapist, certified life coach and the owner of Massage Associates of Atlanta, LLC (Lavista Road in Tucker). In addition, she is a certified Qi Gong instructor and a nationally approved continuing education provider for massage therapy and bodywork. Cindy enjoys sharing insights on wellness and personal and community development as a speaker and writer.