Lessons From Movement Camp

I had an amazing week with a great group of coaches and participants training at the Agatsu "Masters of Movement" training camp in Toronto.

We practiced movement in various ways  …. balancing, tumbling, climbing, crawling, running and jumping.  We worked with tools such as Kettlebells, Olympic  bars, Gymnastics rings, pull up bars, boxes, odd objects, and with partners.  We spent a great deal of time learning to improve our mobility and flexibility with various methods.  We explored various techniques and support drills in the world of Kettlebell training, Olympic Weightlifting, Gymnatstics, Running, Parkour, and even Circus.

The themes for the week were awareness, focus, patience, concentration and intention in all aspects.  The biggest problem in training is doing things without thought …. mindlessly going through the motions, just to get the work done.  The importance of NOT training mindlessly cannot be overstated!  It must always be mindful and with purpose.

Another theme was to always have a reason for what you are doing, a goal.  The goal should always be to obtain a new ability or level of complexity, so that new doorways can be opened.  Movement is a never ending journey which we can never “master”, but something that we must always explore in new ways.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  It doesn’t matter how many steps we have already taken, we must take that first step and continue stepping to move along on that journey.

I trained with an inspiring group of people who were at different points along their journey.  Some were just getting started and some were further along.  Everyone faced different challenges in their movement practice and yet everyone wanted more and were willing to explore.  They were willing to “fail” in their attempts at new things in order to learn and grow.  It is only through our failures that we really learn.  After all, what do we really learn from doing things that are easy?

Another wonderful aspect of this training week was the level of humility that each person displayed.  No one was there to prove anything or measure themselves against another.  Everyone was there to learn, share, support and encourage everyone else on their journey.  Every person’s accomplishments, no matter how “small” they might be, were celebrated by all!  That environment allowed everyone to explore and fail at movements that were new to them.  It is that kind of environment that we must all foster in our practice and one that we should seek out.  As an individual we may flounder, but together we can grow!

The training and the people I trained with have left a lasting impression, one that has deepened my resolve to continue challenging myself.  I still have many challenges that I want to face, many goals that I wish to attain, many steps left on my journey.  My attempts may not always be successful, but I will think of this past week and it will always inspire me to pick myself up and continue.

Thank you to all those who participated for this priceless gift.