A few months ago I started something which is completely outside my comfort zone: I started 1-2-1 singing lessons.
You might be thinking “what do singing lessons have to do with movement?”
Hear me out…
Starting singing lessons got me thinking about movement because so often we assume the obvious reason behind someone’s actions. For example, when someone says they want to start moving more, many people automatically assume it’s for weight loss.
But after working in the fitness and wellbeing industry for over eight years, I can tell you it’s so much more complex than that.
Very rarely is it as simple as what we first tell others or even ourselves. To understand more, we need to go deeper and ask “what does it truly mean to us?”.
When I asked myself what singing lessons truly mean to me, beyond the obvious answer of wanting to get better at singing, I came up with: it gives me a safe space to regularly get out of my comfort zone while trying something new.
Many of my clients come to me wanting to feel stronger, for example.
When we dig deeper, we discover that strength means something unique to each person.
Here’s what some of my clients said strength means to them:
- “Noticing I can carry things in my day to day life more easily and walk further or faster.”
- “Press-ups feeling so much easier!”
- “Holding a crow pose longer than I ever have before.”
- “Getting on and off a chair on one leg when it used to feel impossible.”
- “Using heavier weights.”
- “Returning to an activity (like running) and realising it feels easier than before.”
These definitions of strength show that there isn’t one universal way to feel strong.
So, once you know what it means to you, then you can go even deeper and ask: “why does this matter to me?”.
For me, when I ask myself why I want a safe space to get out of my comfort zone and try something new, it ultimately comes down to gaining confidence. I want to do something that scares me and challenges me because I want to build my confidence, not just within the sessions but for it to have carry over into everyday life.
So really, what I’m trying to say is that my singing lessons don’t have much to do with wanting to be better at singing at all. Yes, of course I would like to see improvement over time, but if I actually reflect, it really isn’t the main reason.
Whether it’s singing, movement, or anything else, it’s worth remembering what it means to you and that your “why” might go much deeper than you think.
So, see if you can start asking yourself these questions more regularly – you never know, they might surprise you!
P.S. If you or someone you know would like some support with movement, whether that’s building strength, confidence, or just finding what feels good, I have a couple of new slots available for 1-2-1 online personal training. Get in touch here.