Sarah and I have recently been working on a project we’ve dubbed Evolve MVMNT. You may have noticed the logo on the Challenge we did a couple of weeks ago. The challenge may have been overshadowed by tacos but the whole thing was to hit a rather tough CrossFit WOD, eat tacos (the easy part) and then stay for the Saturday yoga class. We had a few people do it (all 3 that is) and it was really AWESOME! In fact, we had 2 people do the yoga class for the first time and they found out just how tough but amazing it can be.
At the heart of this Evolve MVMNT project is change. Even though CrossFit training is “constantly varied” that doesn’t mean you’re balanced. Many of you guys would benefit from flexibility training, connection with your breath, and meditation. The easy route for most of us is go, go, go rather than to slow down, relax, and just be acutely aware of what’s going on with our bodies. So changing the mindset about what we need to do to be a better athlete is a start.
I’ll let Sarah speak to her part in this project:
In my life as a yoga practitioner and teacher I’ve encountered a lot of push back from the mere mention of certain words. Yoga, for example, let’s just start there. I’m sure you can imagine how quickly people get up in arms just hearing that I, a Christian, who clearly loves The Lord and desires to serve Him and see His kingdom expand, could do yoga. I went to a small Bible college in west Texas and one homecoming shortly after I started teaching yoga, my friend Kristen found great delight in walking around with me and giggling as my former classmates would react when I told them I teach yoga. I’ll admit, I had a good time shaking things up myself and it was funny to watch people mentally process through who they know me to be juxtaposed to their preconceived notions about yoga. A few years later I found myself as the Mistress of Ceremonies at our ten year class reunion, so, clearly, given a little time and much prayer, they figured out I was going to heaven, just like they are, and yoga and all, I still had a lot to offer.
I think there are a lot of words like that that due to one or two bad experiences, or misuses, we tend to throw the baby out with the bath water and the word no longer holds value or benefit to us. Meditation is similar. All too often people shy away from meditation because one subsection of the population has taken meditation and used it to worship a false god when that is not what The Lord intended at all. Over, and over, and over again in the Bible we are commanded to meditate on the scriptures, day AND night, and there are countless stories of men and women after God’s own heart who meditate on His precepts or go away to meditate. Meditation is defined as engaging in thought, or contemplation; to reflect. That sounds like a really positive practice to me. It’s also defined as doing something with intention and purpose. Living an intentional and purposeful life also sounds pretty God-honoring, if you ask me. What might change in the way you view things if you spent a little more time in reflection and contemplation? What if you were intentional and purposeful in more areas of your life?
Another word we tend to bristle up at is evolution. Could we take back the word evolution from the one scientific theory? Can we all agree that the process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development is a good thing? Let’s decide together that growth, and progressing toward betterment is positive and that just because we are constantly evolving our minds, bodies, and spirits in to better versions, that does not mean we think we have apes as ancestors.
The goal with Evolve MVMNT is big- World Change. We’re going to start with our little corner of the world and go from there. We want you to join us as we begin to Think Big, Move Better and Connect.
Where do you start?
- Take advantage of yoga tonight (every Wednesday) at 7:15pm and on Saturday at 8:30am.
- Work on your mental game.
We’ll host another Evolve MVMNT Challenge on a Saturday in August. I’ll give you guys a better heads up this time so you can be there!