True Strength - Vibe Guide Style
This month, we have been exploring the idea of strength. One thing that has become increasingly clear the deeper we dive is that strength means something different to everyone. Every person in this world has felt their strongest in completely different scenarios, and has exhibited their most authentic strength in completely different ways.
While we most commonly define strength as the quality of being physically strong - having powerful muscles that can lift, control, maneuver and manipulate heavy things, what we have come to learn is that that is not the only way to define strength. That there is softer strength. And that strength can be demonstrated not only in the body, but also in the heart, spirit, soul, and mind.
To help us have a greater understanding of strength within our own community, we asked our very own Vibe Guides to share with us their understanding of the concept. We asked them what strength means to each of them, and maybe to share with us what makes them feel truly strong.
We’d like to share some of what they had to say.
Co-owner and Vibe Guide Dr B told us, “I think strength is showing up in this often harsh and challenging world with both integrity and vulnerability. Showing up with openness to see what’s true and living as honestly as we can. It’s facing the things that are hardest: asking for what we need, challenging the status quo, standing alone for something you believe in, being honest with yourself and others, taking responsibility, forgiving, apologizing, trusting, loving, caring. It is all of the things which require us to keep our heart wide open while remaining deeply connected & loyal to who we are.”
Vibe Guide Jen also shared her thoughts about the true nature of strength.
“We've heard so many times when we're little ‘don't cry, be strong!’ But I think strength is the opposite of that. It's being so in touch with how you feel that you are able to succumb to the emotions you're experiencing and what you really need. It takes genuine courage to admit this to ourselves. Some of the strongest people I know are not the ones who can do the full plank for the entire plank track or the ones who can use the heaviest bar in barre pump for the entire class. They are those who feel things deeply and are able to showcase that side of them with courage. Vulnerability is strong to me. In whatever sense it means to you. That word has such a connotation for being weak and frail. But it's not weakness. It's the ability to make yourself woundable. Which in and of itself takes so much strength and courage.
I could sit here and tell you I feel strongest when I jump three feet in the air on the stage while teaching my dance classes, and I do, that's not untrue, but I really feel the strongest overall when I am able to put myself out there authentically and give others permission to do the same. It's in those moments I realize that a lot of us are often feeling the same way, and it only takes one person admitting it to make everyone else feel more comfortable with themselves, too. All it takes is one person.”
Vibe Guide Amy L told us, “One thing that makes me feel strong is showing up on the mat, especially on the days I don’t want to or the days that it’s hard to find any motivation to make time for myself. It can be difficult to quiet the part of my mind that’s talking me out of rolling out the mat.
Then I hear the other part of my mind gently remind me that movement is medicine. It allows me the space to clear my mind, ground my body, and come back to myself. The means of that movement will look different day to day. All I know is when I show up, I leave feeling stronger in both mind and body. I feel more connected to myself and more open to the world around me.”
Studio Operator Alena also shared her thoughts on strength. She said, “I feel strongest in my moments of groundedness. It has taken me my entire life to get to a point where I could feel calm and unafraid of the present moment. When I can plant my feet on the ground and not feel pulled back and forth by past and future fears and worries, that is where I feel my strength the most.”
Finally, co-owner and Vibe Guide Kristine told us what makes her feel strong. She shared “What makes me feel strong is reminding myself of things in the past that at the time felt very difficult but I still was able to overcome. I then can use those memories and experiences to remind myself that I do have the strength to get through tough things because I’ve done it before and it just gives me more strength to push through.”
And now it’s your turn, Vibe Tribe? What does strength mean to you? And when do you feel most powerful?
Maybe it’s when you nailed that complicated move in Dance Fit or when you confidently tackle Power Fusion. Maybe it’s when you allow yourself the time to truly feel a meditation or even when you remember the value of rest days - and truly take one!
One thing we know, Tribe, is that it is YOU who makes us feel strong - you that gives us the strength and determination to continue doing what we do.
We want to hear from YOU? What makes YOU feel strong?
