Page 9 - Tracy Anderson Magazine | Spring 2021 Issue
P. 9

MAKE YOUR COMEBACK




                                 A healthy return to being with yourself, by Tracy Anderson.


                Our individual journeys are what creates the truly   So we needed to design this rigid window of physicality
                meaningful story of our lives. As we take a deeper look at   that could perform it? This part of the journey landed right
                the chapters we’ve written thus far, it’s important to note   onto me, and it felt the most disempowering because in
                that every great journey must have its broken moments to   making me aware that my body shape wasn’t going to cut
                become realized. Once we’re able to lift our heads from any   it, they had no healthy way to help me achieve it. No one
                number of heartbreaks, that’s when we can start to leave   knew how to get anyone this “body” that didn’t come by it
                behind the trauma imagined and rearrange the blurriness   genetically. Or very importantly, come by it genetically in
                into the vision of a lesson, or in the sense of losing a loved   terms of your genetic makeup responding to the discipline
                one, perhaps an image to cherish forever. One we can   itself, or extreme dieting and overexercising. This is not a
                return to again after this life.               way; it is a purgatory. On anyone’s journey where they feel
                                                               like they have lost themselves physically, there are people
                Today, we’re living in a moment of time that has presented   and systems that taught them to be ashamed of their body.
                a loss of ease and liberty of constant physical connection in   It can be many things that trigger this. Small pangs to your
                order to protect one another. Each of us has had to refocus   self-esteem about your physical self can do more damage
                to see what out-of-the-ordinary possibilities lie in the face   than you think. Not allowing them to disrupt your right to
                of this reality. What might we have  now  that we might   your own health is key. These toxic systems or judgmental
                not have even had before? Where my relationship exists   figureheads are not coming from the divine place that I
                with those of you who connect with me to have a healthy   believe we all came from.
                conversation with yourself, I thank you for your trust and
                time. I find my work with each of you in that sanctuary   Early  in  my  research,  I  cataloged  athletes  to  sport  from
                of your own home to be one that I’m going to pinpoint   as early as time documented to now. It’s evident that the
                my range to even more this coming year. The healthiest   voluntary  muscle  is  driven  by  an  individual’s  will  and  if
                community we can create is one that’s growing together to   that will is to speed skate in the Olympics, if your will and
                overcome where we’ve gone wrong as a whole, and how we   discipline act accordingly, your skeletal muscles will follow
                can act in our lives to make a brighter future for all. We have   suit. Of course, everyone’s journey to get there has many
                a lot to come back from on the other side of this pandemic.  more factors than just the actions that their muscles are put
                                                               under, so there’s an even greater narrowing to those who
                In the spirit of a great comeback or a recharge of one’s life,   make it to the top. When one is on the traditional path to
                I’d like to speak to the house of your physical home, that   greatness in any sport, the pool starts wide with who has the
                is the flesh and bones of who you are; the soul and spirit   body, passion, training discipline, talent either naturally or
                of what animates you and your livelihood. I don’t believe   developed, coordination, and tolerance. The list goes on,
                that any of us truly goes looking for rock bottom to need to   but as you get more and more competitive, it becomes the
                come back from. It becomes our willingness to consistently   ones  who  have  the  genetic  makeup  that  responds  to  the
                look at our personal balance and how it’s affecting us and   traditional-focused training requirements for each sport that
                those who are also affected by us. Our behavior matters.   make it all the way. The ones who don’t need the elements
                Our  awareness  matters.  Our  self-imposed willingness to   that expand the reach of their brain to ignite more functional
                look at what we can do matters.                systems to help them reach their potential. I was curious as
                                                               to why there was never the bet made on those who truly
                I’ve had my fair share of comeback moments, but one in   had their heart in it, but needed physical design options past
                particular that showed me my purpose. Just into my twenties,   what was required to play the specific sport or dance. This
                I had a comeback that lit a fire inside of me. I showed up   is the space that I built in fitness—an example of a mega
                in New York City to become a professional dancer. I put   comeback, you could say. A comeback that wasn’t about
                in the hours, had the passion and the talent, but not the   becoming greater for me, but rather an evolved discovery
 Vintage 1970s
 Diane von      physical makeup to get the part. It was heartbreaking to   and accomplishment for everyone to benefit from.
 Furstenberg    know so much and yet so little about my own body, and
                at such a young age. To feel like you can fail without even   What we have bred is a world of individuals who look at
                putting the work in to fail, but rather just by the way God   themselves in the mirror at very  young ages who don’t
                created you and some standard crafted by the art of a dance   see any point in trying because they don’t see any clear
                discipline that states the body type needed, felt like the art   or healthy way to get there. If they don’t see themselves
                lacked a love for the love of its own beauty. That the art of   any place but on the bench, they take a seat as a spectator
                the movements, the music, the story weren’t good enough?   and grab a beer. In 2021, the need to make a comeback


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