The Importance of Getting Back Up

 I subscribe to the belief that it doesn't matter how many times we fall down in life; what matters is how many times we are able to get back up again.  Because we will all face moments of falling down, there is no way to avoid them.  How we show up for ourselves in those moments defines who we are and how our lives move forward from there. 

One of the exercises that I have been introduced to at the gym is an excellent example and reminder of this idea.  Turkish Get Ups are something I had never heard of, let alone attempted before embarking on my weightlifting journey last September.  The first time we included them in a session, I was mystified.  In essence, a Turkish Get Up requires you to hold a weight overhead while you perform six distinct movements that transition you from lying prone on the ground to standing tall (which means twelve in total if you transition back to lying down).  To maintain the position of the suspended weight, you must keep your eye on it while working through the steps, trusting that your body is completing each movement in time.  Another key to success is waiting to ensure you have achieved balance and stability before moving from one hold to the next.  I am not going to lie -- the first time facing this challenge felt incredibly daunting.  How would I remember which step came next, and how could I be sure I would do them all correctly?  What if I simply could not get myself up after lying down?  

Enter presence and patience.  I think that in life, when we feel like we have fallen down, our instinct is to try and get up as quickly as possible, before anyone notices.  Have you ever fallen on a patch of black ice or tripped over a curb?  Speaking for myself, the first thing I often do as soon as I have hit the deck is to jump up immediately and look around before dusting myself off and assessing collateral damage.  Did anyone see me go down?  How bad did it look?  How ridiculous do I seem right now?  Is anyone laughing at me?  (and now in the age of cameras on phones - Did anyone get a video that will make me YouTube famous???)

What Turkish Get Ups has taught me is the power of remaining engaged and present the entire time you are working on getting back up.  Allowing yourself a pause between movements to assess your status and whether or not you are ready to push forward to the next phase of movement.  There is no shame in taking these pauses, as they are foundational for the next move, and if you are incorrectly aligned, you will only make the work harder on yourself.  What becomes amazing is how smooth this can all become with practice and patience, and I feel that this lesson carries over into life outside of the gym.

Imagine what could happen if, when we fall down, we allow ourselves to first assess our status BEFORE we try to get back up again.  Instead of pushing forward to try and undo the fall, we simply accept that it happened and also believe that despite falling down, we WILL get back up again.  Sure, it may take a little longer than we would like, and maybe we will need to add a few pauses here and there before we are ready to move forward.  As long as we keep our focus on the upward trajectory, maintaining the belief that we are moving towards getting up again, that is all that really matters.  Life is messy and unpredictable for everyone, regardless of how it is portrayed on social media.  Believing in your ability to get up no matter how many times you fall down is an inner strength that you can not only cultivate, but you can grow as long as you are willing to invest the time and energy in self-belief. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Solar Return Reflections

 As I embark on a new solar return, I am compelled to reflect on the year that is closing behind me. Exercises like these often have us remembering the big wins or struggles, the notable changes and shifts that have taken place, the happenings that are impossible to ignore. And while all of those items are important to note, savour, and pay attention to, I find myself drawn to the smaller moments in time. The almost imperceptible yet impactful catalysts that are most often responsible for growth.  What I find interesting about those tiny agitators is the amount of pain and discomfort they often create as they push us to respond. Like the grain of sand in our shoe that will cause a blister if we don't stop to remove it, ignoring these pain points only leads to longer-lasting, deeper dis-ease if not attended to. It was during a visit with a dear friend this past week that this point was driven home for me. I was describing to her a feeling of overwhelm I had been dealing with (o...
Read more

Letting Go

 This past weekend, I helped my eldest son as he prepared to take the next big step in his life's adventures.  It felt bittersweet to watch as he packed up the room in his apartment, in anticipation of setting up a new room in a new city in the near future.  I have felt proud of him over the past few months as he has navigated many unknowns and new situations with a sense of certainty and enthusiasm for what lies ahead.  Deep down, I marvelled at his ability to let go, to embrace the new opportunities being presented while letting go of the life he had been establishing over the past couple of years.  Thinking back to when I was his age, I am not sure that I would have had the ability to make these same decisions so easily.  Sure, I have had my fair share of tough choices and have navigated change as I have journeyed through life. Still, I have often felt a sense of dis-ease when it comes to letting go of what is or has been to make room for what might be....
Read more

Cheer Stations

 Yesterday, I ran my fifth full marathon, my first in two years.  The idea felt daunting at first - I hadn't forgotten how all-encompassing the training could feel, spanning sixteen weeks and requiring hundreds of kilomteters to be travelled simply to complete those last 42.2.  And yet, there I was, signing up and taking on the work. Training went well - the weeks seemed to pass more quickly than I expected them to, and despite a slightly cranky hamstring, my body and mind adapted to the workouts and didn't put up roadblocks along the way.  Getting up and getting out for those early morning runs and long weekend runs became routine, and something I looked forward to.  Especially the long runs that had me crossing the city instead of sticking to very well-worn routes from previous training blocks.  Friends started to inquire about the big day, and I noticed that many of them seemed to be more excited about the race than I was.  With it not being my firs...
Read more