Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Effortless

March came in like a lamb and went out in a similar fashion; it was 80 degrees today and sunny. The UPS delivery man was nice enough to remind us that we can still have freezing temps and snow in May so ... not to worry.

Frances and I discovered during a late afternoon walk that the frogs are back singing their hearts out. When we arrived at the wetlands and small stream where we typically walk, the sound of the spring peepers was deafening. Enroute a few crocuses poked their purple heads above the leaf litter. Even so, piles of snow still linger in ditches and shrink slowly into black, dirty ice.

After I began this evening's practice I fleetingly wondered whether I'd already performed my practice earlier today. That's how my life's been lately ... one day flowing into the next without hesitation or pause.

Later in the practice I realized that I was moving through Anchor Step Taffy with relaxed ease. Anchor Step has always been one of my least-favorite movements. Today--ta da!--it felt different, more flowing. It was a shock--and a welcome surprise--since I'd hoped to feel more comfortable with it for a number of years. It just wasn't happening.

I often tell my classes that they'll probably find certain movements in the form that they enjoy more or feel more comfortable performing. Other moves may be harder, more challenging. I encourage students to keep practicing because, as I've found, eventually my sense of the movement changes and I gain greater comfort and ease as I move through it. Indeed, after many years of practice, Anchor Step Taffy is reshaping itself ... from effort to effortlessness.

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