A Special Message From nOMad Guide, Amy Gatzmeyer

“What are you training for?”  

Quite a few years ago now, I was at a local gym early in the morning when another lady I saw each time I went to the gym asked me this question. Leaving the house alone was relatively new and rare for me- to exercise or to shop or socialize or do anything. I had two children under the age of six, so my leaving the house involved lots of coordination with my husband to watch the kids and lots of self-encouragement to take that step. Those rare moments I was out of the house without my kids, I always felt I was in a bit of haze- like the light was too bright or I was wearing earmuffs or my mind just wasn’t fully there.  Probably because it wasn’t.

“What are you training for?” The question took me by surprise. One- Because it was social contact from another adult.  Two- Because I wasn’t “training”.  I was just “playing.”  

“Just life,” I replied.  The lady laughed and said she’d been watching me for a few months, and that I seemed to have a big detailed plan and was always using equipment that no one else used and doing exercises she’d never seen. 

I think about this question a lot. For about the past 20 years, my physical movement time has always been my time. My time to play; my time to explore and be curious with my physical and mental limits; my time to try new things and learn. 

So, yes- I’m training for life. My physical movement has changed throughout my twenty years. I’ve had seasons of running (and, yes- races for which I did follow training plans!), seasons of pregnancy and slow moving, seasons of kettlebells, squat racks, mace and steel club flows, seasons of walking, and seasons of traditional yoga asana. Knowing when to flow from one activity to another required me to be curious about my intentions, my mental and emotional energy, my physical sensations and signals from my body. 

When I move I may ask or notice, 

“What happens when I move in this direction?” 

“What happens if I stay still?”

“I’m really holding tension in my jaw today.”

“Why don’t I feel like moving today?”

“Can I challenge myself to do a bit more? Or, is it more of a challenge for me to just sit still?”

Holding this space for myself each day let me know myself- my tendencies and hesitancies, my strengths and weaknesses, and my body signals. This knowledge transcends the gym, the yoga mat, or the dance room. So, yes- I am training for life.

What are you training for?

With love,

This program with Amy is a creative mix of traditional yoga movements with a mix of strength and mobility moves typically not found on the yoga mat. Amy sincerely believes that the physical strength she has gained on the mat and through weight lifting and other exercises contributes to her growth in emotional and mental strength and resilience. She hopes to empower others with these same benefits.

PRACTICE WITH AMY NOW

Bringing the tools of yoga and mindfulness to the military.

The TRIBE team consists of military veterans, family and spouses of active duty and retired military personnel, and yoga teachers that are military specific trauma-informed that are dedicated in serving our active duty military with the tools of mindfulness and resilience.

LEARN MORE HERE