Sweeping changes

Among troubles this year visited upon us, the oak moth returned in hordes. The eggs they lay turned into caterpillars, which devoured the leaves of the coastal scrub oaks in the neighborhood, including the ancient tree in my front yard. These voracious critters then littered the ground and walkways with frass (tiny balls of insect increment) and dead leaf bits.

The mess of oak moth larvae frass covered the sidewalk in front of my place at the time, early this autumn, when I was in the throes of post-treatment exhaustion. Just outside the front door, it was impossible to miss. I kept thinking I should do something about it. That’s as far as I got. The weeks rolled by; I remained too tired to get the broom, dust pail, and can.

One evening, I heard my neighbor sweeping the walkway. I sat there, listening and crying, thankful for his kindness and a bit too embarrassed to say thank you just then through my tears.

Whew! This has been such a time of showing up and helping out. I don’t know how I would have made it through those terrible months without the generous assistance of my friends and neighbors, who did my shopping, took out the garbage bin and brought it back, dropped off treats, and so much more. THANK YOU!

The scrub oak responded to gentle care, recovering quickly from the moth infestation and busting out with new leaves in a matter of weeks. Of course, that’s just when the other tree in the yard decided to shed its leaves, covering the sidewalk anew.

Thankfully, I was finally feeling the slow return of energy. I’ve got a long way to go, but I am definitely on the mend. At this point, I am like a big old clunker with a gas tank that’s the size of one from a VW bug; I run out of power pretty quickly these days.

This chore was a moment for marshaling my resources. My mind flashed back to a series of Awareness Through Movement® lessons I created sometime in the late 1980s called Moving in the World of Objects. Observing students after ATM® class, I had seen how, just when someone put on their shoes or coat, opened a door, or grabbed a cup or glass, the gains they’d made could fade. Having noticed the way our advances vanished so quickly, I took another tact, creating lessons that incorporated everyday objects — a cup, socks, and a broom — into this new collection of classes.

Recalling the lessons with a broom, I decided to take the task at hand as a chance to explore and improve my coordination. For instance, manipulating my limbs to move the broom easily and efficiently meant finding out how to harness my center’s strength. That turned sweeping into a playground for exploring my stance and the dynamics of shifting weight.

I took my time, taking breaks for tea and reading before I needed them. I spent some time playing with sections of the ATM lessons with my broom and without before heading out for the next sweeping session. In the end, it took three times to clear the sidewalk; the best part was that I finished the task feeling better than when I started.

Looking over the clean-swept sidewalks, I began to think about my almost annual Winter workshop. I have felt such fatigue that I’d thought of not teaching it this year.

Yet this year, more than any other, seemed the perfect time for a course about getting rid of old baggage, shedding outmoded habits, sweeping away the clutter, and making ready for what’s to come. In a flash, I saw that the lessons with the broom could be a fitting theme for the Winter workshop.

Inspired, I’ve decided to continue the tradition of offering a live, online welcome to the New Year. To make it as easy as possible to participate wherever in the world you may be, I’ll be teaching this new workshop, entitled, fittingly, Sweeping Changes, twice during the first weekend of next year:

• Saturday, 2 January 3:00 to 6:15 PM PST 6:00 to 9:15 PM EST And on Sunday morning or afternoon on the other side of the International Dateline. (Click here to find your local time)
  
• Sunday, 3 January 9:00 AM to 12:15 PM PST Noon to 3:15 PM EST 6:00 to 9:15 PM in Europe

In the spirit of the season and out of recognition of the challenges this year has brought upon us, we’re letting you Name your price for the tuition.

You can find out all the details and sign up for the course by clicking here.

If you’re looking for a longer series of lessons, you might want to check out Shedding the Skin of the Past Year, which is available via the Mind in Motion Online shop. All of our digital products are available, through the beginning of 2021, for 20% off.

And, just in case you’re looking for that last-minute present, you can purchase any item in the shop as a gift.

At the beginning of next year, we’ll be launching Bodywise, a brand new approach to online ATM classes. I’m designing the course to deepen your practice and help bring the learning from the lessons into your life. The innovative program will integrate the best aspects of online learning, going beyond merely presenting useful content to actively supporting your ongoing learning in engaging, practical, interactive, and fun ways.

If you’re interested in finding out how this course can benefit you, you can sign up to be among the first to be informed the moment registration opens.