before you walk you have to crawl…

...and before you crawl you have to just lie there.

Sometimes it takes clearing things out of the way before our first steps can even be a possibility. And the thought of having to do work before the work even begins can be overwhelming, discouraging, and depressing.

The transition between awareness and behavioral change can seem daunting to say the least. Sometimes it's the exact thing that keeps us stuck and fearful to begin. In our minds, the clutter and noise can perpetuate our limiting beliefs and drive our habitual patterns leaving little to no room for change.

If you have ever felt frustrated at yourself for not staying on track when implementing change, perhaps you just need to slow down and explore the deeper understanding of what's keeping you stuck before taking your next actionable step.

Tools like walking, meditation, yoga, journaling, and resting give us the pause to quiet the expectations and other noise filling our minds, if only for a few minutes. And it’s in this practice of pausing that we shift from feeling like life is happening TO us to feeling like life is happening FOR us.

The pause in our day is imperative to strengthening the belief in ourselves. It reconnects us to the values that define who we are and why we make the decisions we make. But it’s really hard to find that pause in the inertia of our push harder, do more, I’ll sleep when I’m dead culture.

That’s why at ming+ming we make it easier to find the time to reconnect with ourselves. We’ve designed our classes to be the scheduled pause in our day to find our breath, rest our eyes, and ease our nervous system allowing us to calm down and ask: What do we need to help ourselves and which step should we take next?

Starting a new routine or any action towards the change we desire takes dedication and motivation. Both are byproducts of first taking the time to slow down, and pause long enough to check in with ourselves.

The truth is that change usually only happens out of necessity. We must want to want to change. New, healthier routines only happen when we enjoy the benefits we obtain from it, naturally keeping us coming back, not because someone else told us it was good for us.

So in order to find the strength from within, we must believe the hard work that comes with change is worth it. We must believe that we are smarter than our problems. We must believe that we have the power to heal ourselves. We must believe that we can do hard things. And we must believe we have the ability to help ourselves.

If you don’t believe this yet about yourself, come join us in class where you can clear the way through deep breaths, lying quietly and reaffirming your beliefs and values. It’s in the tool of the pause that you will find the clarity and confidence in knowing your next step.

Because before you can step, you must learn to crawl and before you crawl, you just need to lie there.

With love,

Ming-Wai + Ming-Cee