The Doorway to Spontaneity

Do you ever catch yourself “checking out” during your movement practice or workout routine? Maybe your body moves, but your mind drifts.
Presence lifts us out of the ho-hum and invites creativity, awareness, and vitality into even the most familiar movements. It is the gateway to spontaneity.

Never doing something twice in exactly the same way marks true spontaneity. A friend of mine, a former Cirque du Soleil dancer, performed some of her routines hundreds of times. She once told me she would have gone crazy with boredom if she had ever done a piece the same way twice. Her deep sense of presence kept her grounded. As a top-level performer, she constantly tuned in to the audience around her, to the sensations in her body, to her shifting moods, to the nuances of that night’s live music, and to the other dancers sharing the stage. Each performance evolved and transformed accordingly, even though she followed the same choreography.

In mindful movement, we acknowledge being in a body that is moving, and we keep our mind engaged. Being in the here and now puts us in an alert, wait–and-see state. We feel more alive!

[Excerpt from The Art of Mindful Movement by Renée Tillotson]

A recent study by researchers from the University of Surrey, the University of South Carolina, and Central Queensland University found that around 66% of everyday behaviors are driven by habit rather than conscious decision-making.

This week, check in with yourself as you move through your day. Notice how your body responds when you tune into the subtle sensations of each moment. Pay attention to breath, balance, and the small shifts that usually go unnoticed.