Be Grateful. It Resets You.

Categories: Blog Dec 25, 2016

And now, a guest post by OS Instructor, Sarah Young......

 

Lately I've been playing with a reset that isn't one of the OS Big 5 (diaphragmatic breathing, head nods, rolling, rocking, crawling). And this reset has totally transformed my OS practice. It has helped me find answers to quite a few of my movement glitches and it has made my movement practice more playful, more joyful. It has helped me tap into even more of my Original Strength and made me more resilient. And this reset is gratitude. And the more I explore it, the more I'm blown away and humbled by how powerful a reset gratitude is.

And I've discovered that for me to fully tap into the power of gratitude as a reset, I really need to slow down. Because if I'm rushed and I jump into a #strength10me flow just to get it done, I'm not going to allow space for gratitude. Because gratitude requires mindfulness. It asks of me: Please. Be. Here. Now. And now is all any of us really have. Gratitude invites me to be in the moment. And if I slow down and accept the invitation, gratitude offers me the chance to see with new eyes. To more fully sense what is going on in my body. To see potential I had missed before because my vision was blurred by moving too fast. Gratitude as a reset opens doors.

In the past when I'd get on the floor and begin pressing reset with some diaphragmatic breathing I'd often get distracted by what had happened, what was going to happen, what wasn't working, what song was playing, what reset I'd do next, some bright shiny thing, and oh look... a squirrel! And that kind of 'monkey mindedness' (i.e. distraction) didn't happen just with breathing... it happened to some degree with each and every reset. And while my body still became more resilient and reflexively strong, I wasn't getting as much out of my resets as I could have.

So I started to simply count a few of my gratefuls (things I'm grateful for) before I began pressing reset with all the rocking and rolling and crawling stuff. And granted, some days were easier to name what I was grateful for than others. After all, like everyone, and maybe more than most, I have days that I struggle, days that I'm grumpy. But even if my gratefuls were simply, "I'm grateful that I'm breathing." and "I'm grateful I have a few minutes to press reset.", that was enough to remind me to be in the moment. And that simple act, more often than not, started an amazing cascade of gratitude through my resets.

I started to notice even more of the awesomeness and miraculousness of my body's design as I pressed reset with gratitude. My wonder capacity grew. This led to me being even more grateful. And I moved more mindfully with a spirit of gratitude. So when I'd meet a movement glitch, gratitude offered me the opportunity to see the glitch differently than I would have in the past. Instead of fighting with the glitch, trying to control it and push through it, I could see there were many more paths I could take. There was more room for playful exploration and learning. More room for grace. Gratitude helped me see what was working so I could build on that strength and move more fluidly from good to better to best.

And the beautiful thing is, I've also noticed how gratitude began to create more room for possibility and potential in other areas of my life. By slowing down and pressing the gratitude reset I could see and affirm the goodness that already exists in my life. And as I shared my gratitude with others for the goodness and the blessings they brought into my life... well... an amazing cascade of gratitude would flow. And as gratitude flowed, so did kindness and grace.

Now am I perfect in my practice of pressing reset with gratitude? Oh. Hell. No. There are days I'm full on cranky. But each moment offers me the chance to choose again. Each moment offers me the invitation to move from good to better to best. And if I gratefully accept the invitation... goodness happens. And my goal, my intention, is to have more moments where I'm grounded in gratitude than moments I'm not. To experience more moments of wonder and kindness and grace. So I'm thinking, that while I'm not really a New Year's resolution type, I'm going to make 2017 my year of Pressing Reset with Gratitude. Care to join me?

Sarah Young, M.S., has spent over 20+ years working with people’s bodies. Her ongoing goal has been to help people move better and feel better. To further this goal, she continues to learn and expand her knowledge of the body. On the recommendation of a friend, Sarah attended her first “Original Strength” workshop. She quickly realized the beauty of the movements and simplicity of power inherent in the OS System and began utilizing the resets with her clients: golfers, runners, walkers, rock climbers, clients coming back from hip replacements, clients with back issues, etc. And her clients, while they may have thought Sarah was a bit nuts with “all the crawling and breathing” stuff at first, have been happily amazed at how much the OS resets help them move better and feel better. Sarah believes that OS offers individuals very accessible tools so they can “Press reset” and experience hope thru movement. That’s why she is thrilled to be an Original Strength Instructor.

Along with being an Original Strength Instructor. Sarah is also nationally certified in massage and bodywork, certified as a ChiRunning & ChiWalking Instructor, and certified as a Titleist Performance Institute Level 1 practitioner. Sarah continues to expand her knowledge of anatomy and movement and is currently studying Neurokinetic Therapy and Functional Movement Systems. She also holds a Masters in Exercise Science and a graduate certificate in Complementary Medicine and Wellness.

 

---