Spreading Some Global NM Love for the Winners of the 'Move It' Challenge

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As I read the responses to this challenge, and thought about the theme of 'movement' myself, I realised that 'movement' is actually about 'flow' - about energy moving, and dropping into that state where everything else falls away. Whilst we might like to 'move' to get fit and lose weight, or just for fun or sport, often it's much, much bigger than that, as @trucklife-family so eloquently put it: > We are not meant to be stagnant, with our thoughts, with our emotions, with our bodies or with our development. Life is all about flow, finding that flow and changing with it, adapting with it. When we achieve this, then we empower ourselves, as we open up to so many potentials that come our way. There is a parellel here with stagnancy in all areas of life - in the narratives that limit us: > We can become so static, refusing to see anything else. We are witnessing right now, how some beliefs which people hold onto are so toxic and so very destructive. Being stuck in our beliefs that have been handed down to us through the generations, especially beliefs about other people, about other races, about religion, about the different sexes and sexually orientations. So many people carry the same prejudices on from their families.Holding on to those destructive narratives, not willing to challenge them, not willing to expand their minds. Instead stuck in their ways, ways that have been handed down to them. This is so, so damaging, there is no flow, just stubbornly holding onto what they’ve been told by their families, by their parents by their grandparents, carrying those prejudice with them and then passing it on to their children. They are so ingrained, so stuck in this narrow way of thinking, not moving forward, not embracing the diversity that we have in this world and seeing it for what it really is, seeing the beauty in at all. Thanks @trucklifefamily for your insights. @plantstoplanks spoke about 'flow' from her heartspace. Whilst she felt she could have included the science of why running is good for you, this didn't gel - this chosen movement for Katie is more about heart. She wrote: > Getting out in nature is soothing for my mind and body, and exploring the world on foot always feels so natural and primal. I do wear shoes, but prefer minimal styles as I relish the connection with the ground below me. As I've written about before, I start getting cranky if I haven't been out running in a while. Though I will hop on the treadmill if I need to, nothing beats getting outside and logging the miles with the birds chirping and the leaves blowing on the trees above your head. I know I'm not the only one who works through a lot of problems when I'm out on a run.I go back and forth with running to hit goals and just running for pleasure, but I always come back to wanting to race. Think about how often you see children run. They have no qualms about unleashing that inner need to feel the wind on their face and see how fast their little legs can take them! I love when my niece wants to race me. She has no hesitation to call me out when I sandbag and go slower than I can go, even if I beat her. "Run as fast as you can Aunt Katie!"When do we lose that freedom of movement? Racing for me reclaims that unbridled joy in pushing the limits of my legs and my lungs. I tend to hold back in so many areas of life, so letting go on a run breaks through that fear that binds me and helps me push through in more than just the physical. Setting running goals makes me work harder in all aspects of life as it puts my mind in the right place to move forward and not just stagnate. As I shared on my other social media outlets right after running on Saturday, I really do believe that running--racing in particular--makes me a better person. I love that she finds such joy in this moving flow, and learns about herself as she does so. Poor @artemislives, however, took a tumble down the stairs - enough to give her some nasty butt bruises! She quickly got her inner healer to work, moving through the shock and pain: > **"Get upstairs!" she barked. "Don't let that fear of stairs or that feeling of "can't" solidify! Move!! Your body KNOWS what to do!! Keep it all Flowing.. And so I did. Up, down, up, down. Holding the rail. Feeling stronger each moment. For nearly 2 hours since I fell I have walked, stretched, squatted, twisted, and held a running, constructive, healing dialogue with myself.** Of course, our dear natural medicine goddess knew JUST what to do - and it wasn't RICE!! What was it? Go read the post to find out! I really identified with @garybilbao in his post, because I really understood HOW hard it is to get moving when you're depressed. In fact, I'd wrote about that very thing myself this week as I hit rock bottom in hotel quarantine. However, MOVING helped: > **I am convinced that this type of physical therapy of moving, exercising and sunbathing every morning helped me in my recovery, added to the other pharmacological, natural and psychological treatments I had at that time. That's why I don't hesitate to recommend physical exercise to others when there is depression or some deep sadness. I am a faithful witness that moving helps and a lot. Why? Firstly because I experienced it in my own flesh, but also because science says so. Exercise generates the so-called happiness hormones. The most famous are endorphin, dopamine and serotonin, although it is also said that adrenaline is produced. Besides exercising, even a little, like walking 30 minutes a day and fulfilling that purpose increases self-confidence and personal motivation increases, and remember that a depressed person just suffers from low self-esteem and his motivation is very low.** @porters greeted the solstice sun with some salutes and some bouncing!! She's got energy, that woman. Has anyone used a mini trampoline to flush the lymph? A fun thing to do, especially if you're stuck inside!!!! @quochuy didn't officially enter the challenge - but you should definitely check out what he's doing with his iron shirt steel brush training!!!! Like @garybilbao, @danielapevs was struggling with a diagnosis - you'll have to read her post to find out what that was, but it was MOVEMENT that helped her get out of it. > **The next day I spent saving my strength and working out again, another 30 minutes, alone in this room grunting against my brain: I jumped, ran in circles, lifted small weights that my sister had lent me weeks ago (trying to help me). A week had passed since I started with all this challenge of movement that I had imposed on myself and already the nights for me became silent, and my mind was not incriminating me, it stopped pointing at me, tormenting me.** Struggling with other life events, she just MOVED: > **I haven't stopped moving for a day and I feel that from now on, I will never again stop to let external circumstances win over my life. Thanks to the exercise I have learned to be more grateful, to pray every day, to laugh (because yes, I had stopped laughing for a very long time). Let's just say that staying in this physical movement helped me to rebuild, lay an unshakable foundation and continue in another way. With peace, with more understanding, always amplifying love.** Dear @minismallholding contemplated HONESTLY about her movement - or lack of. Damn cars for making us lazy!!! The challenge has made her reflect on how winter, Australian distances, a grown up family that means outings are less common - all those things mean: > **I know I'm getting less exercise in, in fact gardening is about it at the moment. I also know my physical and mental health has been paying for it, especially since this lockdown. Yet the less I do the less motivation I have to do anything. I know I should male the time for getting active again, but without a reason for it, I find it hard to motivate myself, especially when I know there are other things I should be doing that are deemed to be more productive by others.** It's soooo easy to fall out of the habit - I hope you get moving soon @minismallholding and I admire your honesty and self awareness that will eventually compel you to move again. @isabelpena wrote about gaining pounds in quarantine - ain't that the truth!!! Luckily, life and the farm keeps her busy in Columbia as she keeps moving through life! @naineztengra wrote about exploring her city more since she's been in quarantine!!! I really loved her photos, and I wonder how much other people have been exploring parts of their neighbourhood they've never explored before? ### Winners I went a bit continental on this one to decide!!! From South America, I chose @danielapavs for her heartfelt, raw and emotional post, and @garybilbao too. You both win 5 HIVE each! From the Middle East, rewarding @nainaztengra, who's had a nice surpise with her husband's recovery of late. 5 HIVE for you dear, and keep on moving - walking, yoga, and moving into those internal spaces of freedom and light! From Spain, it had to be @trucklife-family for writing TWO posts, and being so passionate and eloquent - 10 HIVE for your inspiring words. From Thailand - ouchamamma to the best Natural Medicine mamma in Chiang Mai - 5 Hive. May you recover quick! And in the US, 5 HIVE to @plantstoplanks, and 5 HIVE to @minismallholding in Australia. @porters and @isabelpena, you win 100 LOTUS! #### We're also burning 1000 LOTUS for each entry this week - that's 8000 LOTUS, on fire, so that something awesome rises from the ashes. # Much love, and see you next week for a really special challenge!!!!

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Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/actifit/@naturalmedicine/spreading-some-global-nm-love-for-the-winners-of-the-move-it-challenge