How Will You Grow Your Roots?

Roots (n.) can be defined as the part of a plant that attaches to the ground and transports nutrients from the soil to the plant. With that definition in mind, imagine a tree having just a single root. Having only one point of contact with the soil, means the tree's nutrient profile would be somewhat limited.

Now, let's translate this to fit into our everyday lives. (Hang with me, as I build this metaphor. It will all make sense in a few sentences). Imagine with me for a moment that we are the tree(s). (Sounds a little like The Lorax, I know). Physically, we imagine that our roots would be our feet, a single point of contact and rather limited, so let's think about our mental roots instead. Our mental roots are abundant. They are created by our beliefs, our past experiences, our family and our friends, the media we consume, and even the people we encounter that don't stay within our journey for very long. These roots create a web of flexible, yet mighty tendrils that are the foundation of our lives. They expand far beyond our physical bodies but firmly hold us in the present. Our mental roots lengthen and branch off as we grow. Can you think of one defining moment you had as a young person? Now, trace a belief that you hold as a result of that moment. How many other defining moments has that belief created? Don't think about this too hard, as it can become overwhelming. Here's my simple example to help further this along.

As a child, I spent many hours in the forest. Winding my way through the trees, creating stories in my mind about mysterious and fantastical things. If I am being honest with you, most of my inspiration for these stories came from my favorite series of books, The Magic Tree House (a series of stories where two siblings traveled to faraway places and times all within the confines of their backyard treehouse). Although a children's book seems trivial to some, to me these stories created two of my roots: my love for storytelling and my love for nature. At a young age, I began to write down my daydreams and I found solace in the woods. From then on, I always turned to stories and nature when I felt lost and untethered.

Fast forward to June of 2021 and I've allowed those two roots to grow in every which way. They have branched off into roots that led me to feel grounded in my travels and curiosity. They have branched off into roots in Yoga and Mindfulness, in teaching and in learning. I have become rooted in patience and compassion. However, I don't want to be misleading and have you imagine that this process was easy because that's just it, it's a process that is neverending. Growth is, at times, exhilarating and at others, utterly exhausting.

Our roots will always be changing directions as we are always growing and that is why I have grounded myself in my passion project, Grow Your Roots, which will one day become a space where individuals can develop a mental and physical fitness practice that is suited for their unique body and mind with the guidance and support they need. I currently teach yoga to adults and teens as a Registered, Trauma-Informed Yoga Instructor. By the end of the summer, I will be certified in Personal Training and Nutrition Coaching because I know that improvements in well-being are sustianable when they are grounded in body AND mind.

Grow Your Roots is so much more than a brand or name. It is a community that asks, "How will you grow?" and "How can we help?". In an oversaturated market of fitness and nutrition professionals, I know that what I have to offer is unique. Grow Your Roots is expanding beyond the weekly yoga class and is becoming a movement to create a space where every individual feels supported and confident in connecting with their body and mind through movement that feels good to them. It's not about holding the most complicated posture (unless that's what feels good to you). It's about building awareness in your body and mind so that you can recognize and productively handle the feelings and physical sensations that arise on and off the mat or inside and outside of the movement space. What I have to offer as a coach, goes beyond technique (though that is important). I work with the individual to find the root of their practice. What is that grounds them? How can that motivate them to continue on the toughest days OR to allow themselves to rest when all they want to do is keep on moving?

I write this with a dream of giving Grow Your Roots, and the community it is building, a physical space to come together in, and with the hopes of finding a platform that will allow me to be as accessible as humanly possible through the wonders of technology. I write this knowing that my work has just begun but most importantly I write because I can feel it in my gut...

This is worth it.