We’re honored to share this reflection from Elena Cheung’s Substack. Originally published there, we’re reposting it here to bring her voice and perspective to our community.
Giving yourself permission to do the thing without hitting the “do over” button.
Let’s be real: most of us don’t fall out of our practice because we’re lazy bums.
We fall off the wagon because of… well, life.
Summer schedules are wild. Work is bananas. Your body does something unpredictable. Or your brain decides doom scrolling in bed is safer than movement on the mat. Or maybe you’re just tired, which is honestly reason enough.
If you’re like me, you looked at your schedule recently and realized it’s “already August?!” which is basically the Sunday night of the calendar year. The grass is yellow, you’re always a little bit damp, and even though it’s hot enough to cook an egg on the sidewalk, there’s change in the air.
Your local grocery store is full of back-to-school supplies, an unfortunate reminder that time comes for us all.
This is where “starting again” comes in.
Don’t get it twisted, I don’t mean in a new year, new me kinda way, or a “making up for lost time” punishment menagerie.
Think of it like this: what if you could simply turn back to your body and movement practice without the exhausting mental gymnastics of “earning” it?
If you have a body, you are an athlete.
And living on this planet is an endurance sport in the truest sense of the word.
Which means the finish line is, well, way down at the end of the road… and in the meantime, you get to choose where you can pause, recover, and decide how you want to keep going.
So starting again isn’t about “fixing” yourself, having “everything figured out” before you jump in, or chasing some former version of you.
This is about noticing that no matter what, you’re already moving through life. It’s just a matter of making the choice to move a little more intentionally through it.
It could come in so many forms, like…
Taking three deep breaths in the quiet morning stillness.
Enjoying little stretch breaks throughout your workday.
Lying on the floor and rolling around without an end goal (yes this counts).
And if having a little structure helps you stick with it, I’ve got you.
This month, I put together a 5-class series on Glo called Come Back to Your Body.
It’s meant to meet you wherever you are, whether you’ve been gone for weeks or just want a little more steadiness in your routine.
Each class is short enough to fit into your day, layered enough to feel like it matters, and available whenever & wherever you are. Here’s a lovely little preview of the classes in this series:
- 8/1: Come Back to Center
- 8/8: Unwind From Within
- 8/15: Move Like You Belong Here
- 8/22: Soft Strength & Regulation
- 8/29: Come Home to Yourself
You can drop into any class, skip around, or take the full arc with me this month. If you want to try it, Glo has a 7-day free trial and I’d love to see you there. No gold stars required. Just you, showing up again. Join me here.
Love & Snacks,
Elena
PS. If you’ve already been trying the series, comment below! Let me know your thoughts. Or if you have questions, send them on over!
