While my goals for my clients are not nearly as important as their goals for themselves, I still have them. They vary by the client, most of the time, but one that I have for all of my clients is that they improve their observation skills.
Yes, I know that I teach weight training and Pilates. Observation is not exactly about strength or coordination. Except it is.
Any time we are learning a skill, we have to observe what is happening. We listen to the directions, we watch the demonstration, and then we try. Tuning in to how we execute whatever it is we are learning to do is the first step toward refining our performance. Additionally, we get useful information back from our bodies.
Recently, I had a client do an exercise we hadn’t done in a while. I talked about where many people feel the work of the exercise in their bodies. This client considered and realized that they were feeling it somewhere else. This allowed me to ask them to do something else first to loosen a tight part and then the exercise we were doing in the first place worked much better. If we had not been observing, that refinement would not have happened.
When observation becomes ingrained, we are able to notice our progress. We remember how hard something used to be that is much easier now. Or, we can see when something is not quite right, how a particular move is more difficult today than usual, and we can figure out a different strategy.
As I say over and over again, we work out not just to work out, but for the benefits of having worked out in the rest of our lives. Building our observational skills is a thing that benefits us across our lives as we learn to focus on our experiences in a mindful way.
Go play.
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