Mindful skating is your next hyperfixation

good morning my loves,

this week I’d like to talk to you about our joy and champion: mindful skating.

what’s the sitch?:

• Mind: Rollerskating - The perfect mindfulness practice

• Body: Beginner-friendly stretches to increase mobility

• Flow: Embracing the Law of Least Effort for a more fulfilling life

Updates: I'm excited to share that I'm nearly finished editing my roller skate course, AND I survived my mom's three-week visit. They say: “If you think you’re healed, go home.” l don’t want to toot my own horn, but, you know, toot toot.

[content i’m loving right now:]

Books: "A Mindful Day" by David Dillard-Wright. I love this book. It offers valuable insights and practical tips for incorporating mindfulness into your life. Check it out if you're interested in cultivating a greater sense of awareness and presence in small daily chunks. This is one of my daily reads.

YouTube: I've recently discovered the amazing content created by Ruri Ohama on her YouTube channel. She shares insightful videos on personal growth, mindfulness, and finding balance in life. If you dig that sorta thing, you can find her here.

[mind:] Rollerskating: The perfect mindfulness practice.

2020 made a lot of people realize three things:

Realization #2. Wait...so you're telling me this can be done online and much less expensively, and it doesn't HAVE to be done in this long, drawn out, expensive way? (it’s giving…if she wanted to, she would.)

and Realization #3: Um, okay, I need to take better care of myself.

2020 added jet fuel to the wellness fire. We have officially arrived. Ways to not sell your soul to corporations, feel better, achieve balance, and practice mindfulness is the new black.

A gorgeous amount of people are seeking activities that not only provide physical exercise but also offer a sense of calm and mental clarity. Now, I might be a lil biased, but one such activity that fits these criteria perfectly is rollerskating. I like to think I made this term up, but I probably didn’t because nothing is original, only rebranded (so if you’ll find something, send it my way) but for the past two years, I have been able to reach a state of inner calm, body comfort, and self-love that I didn’t know was possible through mindful skating. It’s been an insane tool in my tool belt through relocations, ADHD, breakups, job changes (and losses), anxiety, depression, and, most recently, the transitioning of my little brother.

So let’s talk about rollerskating as a mindfulness practice, the benefits, and how it might also be able to help you achieve a state of peace, joy, and focus.

What is Mindful Skating?

Mindful skating is the art of bringing awareness and presence to the activity of rollerskating. It involves fully immersing yourself in the experience, paying attention to your body's movements, sensations, and the environment around you. Mindful skating allows you to be in the present moment and cultivate a deeper connection with yourself and the joy of skating.

Incorporating Mindfulness into Rollerskating

When practicing mindful skating, focus on the following elements:

1. Body Awareness: Pay attention to how your body moves and the physical sensations while rollerskating. Notice how your weight shifts from one foot to the other, how your muscles engage and relax, stay attuned to your body's signals, adjusting your movements to maintain a state of balance and fluidity. Embrace the joy of movement and let go of any judgments or expectations, allowing yourself to be fully present in the experience.

2. Sensory Perception: Engage your senses fully. Notice the feel of the wind against your skin, the sound of the wheels gliding on the ground, and the sights around you. Embrace the sensory experience with curiosity and appreciation.

3. Breath Awareness: Use your breath as an anchor to stay present. Conscious breathing plays a vital role in mindful rollerskating. As you skate, synchronize your breath with your movements, inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling fully through your mouth. Let your breath become a rhythmic anchor, grounding you in the present and guiding your flow. By focusing on your breath, you cultivate a harmonious connection between your body and mind, enhancing your overall skating experience.

4. Letting Go of Distractions: Release any thoughts or worries that may arise. Allow them to pass by like clouds in the sky, gently bringing your attention back to the skating experience.

5. Letting Go of Distractions: Release any thoughts or worries that may arise. Allow them to pass by like clouds in the sky, gently bringing your attention back to the skating experience.

Benefits of Mindful Skating: Okay, what’s in it for me?

a lot. *21 savage voice*

1. Enhanced Focus: By directing your attention to the present moment, mindful skating improves your focus and concentration.

2. Stress Reduction: Engaging in mindful skating can help reduce stress and promote relaxation as you let go of worries and immerse yourself in repetitive motion and rhythmic flow. Rollerskating serves as a release valve for stress and tension, helping to reduce anxiety and promote emotional well-being. The combination of physical exertion, focus, and the joy of movement releases endorphins, commonly known as the "feel-good" hormones, which contribute to an overall sense of happiness and relaxation.

3. Physical Well-being: Mindful skating allows you to connect with your body, promoting balance, coordination, and overall physical well-being. For my people out there who isn’t one to miss a good opportunity to habit stack: Rollerskating is also an excellent form of exercise that offers a myriad of physical benefits. The constant motion engages your muscles, improving strength, endurance, and cardiovascular health. As a low-impact activity, it places less strain on your joints compared to other high-impact exercises, making it suitable for people of various fitness levels.

4.  

    

   Dasia, is this your way of telling me you’ve cried on skates before?

Oh, my dear sweet one.

I have sobbed on skates before. I’m talking snot bubble, dry heave, can’t catch your breath once in a very blue-blue moon level crying. On 8 wheels. 🙋🏾‍♀️

Okay, you’ve got my interest, but what if I don’t have skates or have no interest in skating?

Skate-Free Mindful Moment: Take a few minutes each day to engage in this mindfulness practice. Sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Notice the sensation of each inhale and exhale, allowing yourself to be fully present in the moment. Scan your body, starting from your head, and work your way down. Acknowledge the existence and feel of each part of you. Imagine the blood rushing through each part. In your mind, say the part as you pass over it: “These are my ears, this is my neck, my shoulders…”. All it takes is 10 minutes; if that is too long, start at 5. Still too much? Start at 2.

Start where you are and build up. Pay attention to how you feel, making sure to acknowledge judging or distracting thoughts, thank them for the reminder, and let them go, flowing away like clouds. If we haven’t sat still in a while, or this is your first time trying something like it. This might be tough but be extra kind to yourself. You’re a newborn in this one area; how exciting is that? Also, when was the last time you got mad at a baby?

Rollerskating is more than just a recreational activity; it is a mindful practice that nourishes the body, mind, and spirit. Through its seamless blend of physical engagement, mental focus, and creative expression, rollerskating offers a gateway to mindfulness and self-discovery. If you do end up giving it a shot, let me know how it goes.

[body:] I like to move, it move it

Ta-da! Here are some beginner-friendly stretches to increase your mobility!

p.s: (when you watch the video, the first 30 seconds, you’re going to see her doing some stuff that will make you go: “um, Dasia told me this if for beginners, this is not for beginners!”)

Just hold on, okay? I promise this is totally something you can do while watching tv or reading, and it’s only 13 minutes.

You totally have 13 minutes to: prevent injury, enhance your performance, and increase your joint health, flexibility, range of motion, posture alignment, functional movement, and quality of life. **deep inhale** Sorry. Got excited.

Mobility is movement; movement is life.

Preventative maintenance, here we come.

[flow:] You want me to try less…to get more?

The Law of Least Effort is a spiritual principle that encourages us to flow with the natural order of the universe, embracing a state of ease and grace.

It means choosing the path of least resistance and surrendering to what is rather than struggling against it. This doesn't imply laziness or lack of effort but rather a shift in mindset towards aligning ourselves with the flow of life.

When we don't apply the Law of Least Effort, we encounter numerous problems in our lives. We may feel overwhelmed, stressed, and drained by constantly pushing against the current. We may become fixated on control, striving, and forcing outcomes, which can hinder our progress and lead to a sense of spiritual stagnation.

This creates unnecessary stress, tension, and suffering in our lives.

When we apply the Law of Least Effort, we let go of the need to control and manipulate outcomes, allowing things to unfold naturally and effortlessly.

Okay, but how do I do that?

To embody the Law of Least Effort, we can adopt the following solutions:

1. Cultivate Acceptance: Accept things as they are in the present moment, without judgment or resistance. Embrace the idea that everything is unfolding perfectly in its own time and trust in the divine order of the universe.

2. Surrender the Need for Control: Release the need to control every aspect of our spiritual journey. Instead, surrender to the higher power or, the greater intelligence that guides us. Allow ourselves to be led and guided by the wisdom of the universe.

3. Practice Detachment: Detach from outcomes and expectations. Shift our focus from striving for specific results to enjoying the process and being fully present in the present moment. This allows us to experience joy and fulfillment regardless of external circumstances.

Develop deep trust in the flow of life and have faith that everything is working out for our highest good. Choose the path of least resistance when faced with obstacles, and trust that the universe is conspiring in your favor. Allow yourself to be guided by intuition and follow the natural rhythms of life.

If you do end up putting this into practice, let me know what new opportunities open up to you that you weren’t even checking for at the beginning.

[accountability corner]: experiments i am currently running on my life:

So while my schedules are still very much digital, I know now that if I truly want to make progress: I need to opt for the path of least resistance (see what I did there? 😘) and get back to bullet journaling for a more hybrid approach because 100% digital ain’t cutting it.

The goal is to write out my week every Sunday, so I am not getting lost in the digital sauce of a new tracker I’m obsessed with like I have every week for the last 27 weeks. Wish me luck.

See you in the next one. 🤎