Your progress isn't dead

With the spring temperatures here in Alberta, it feels like we should be walking out to spring flowers and plenty of green... but instead (at least in my yard) I have found brown... the deadfall from last year's bounty.

The overwhelming amount of brown in my yard had me turning up my nose... until I paused, stepped a little closer to the muck, and saw it. Green shoots popping their heads up through the monotonous brown!!!

Glancing at my garden this week had me thinking about what we see in our own bodies. I had a chat with a 1-1 client this week about their on-going frustration with their mobility. The kind of frustration that builds when you are "doing the work", putting in the effort, and yet your body holds onto what it knows.

Mobility hasn't changed drastically.

Range feels much the same.

And it feels like another "failed" attempt at getting "better".

But then they said something almost as an afterthought: "My sleep has been better... and I've been waking up on my back. That never used to happen."

There it was.

The green shoot peeking through.

4 months ago, their system didn't feel safe enough or regulated enough to rest in that position. Their body would brace, guard, and adjust all night... through short stints of sleep.

Now, without forcing it, their body is beginning to choose something different.

That's not something we can ignore.

That is the work, paying off... in ways that weren't expected.

We're just really, really bad at recognizing it, because we've been trained to watch for the big shifts. The deeper pose, the heavier lift, the life-changing alterations.

But safety in the body moves slower, and can show up in unexpected ways:

• sleep changes

• breathing pattern shifts

• difficult positions come with more ease

• tension is no longer the default

These (and many more) subtle shifts are proof the body and nervous system are adapting, even if you aren't getting the payout you signed up for yet.

So, if you are in a season (like my garden) where it feels like nothing is happening, this is your invite to get a little closer with your experience.

Get your nose in there.

Don't look for dramatic change. Look for subtle shifts.

• What feels a tiny bit easier?

• What are you doing now that you didn't think possible before?

• Where has your body released tension, fight, etc?

That is the green growth that just might keep you on track.

And here is the hard part: If you ignore these little signals because they aren't impressive "enough" or "worthy" of the -gram, then you'll pass right by your own progress.

So, where are you sprouting right now?? What green shoots can you catch a glimpse of that you thought were out of your reach?

Just like Mother Nature in spring, this process isn't overnight... but one day you may look at the big picture and barely recognize what you see 🌱