I spent this past week and a half on island time (I just returned from Puerto Rico!). Basically, that means everything was slow. Preparing to get out of the house, riding public transportation, making plans, literally everything felt exponentially slowed down.
The slow pace took time to get used to, but once I released my need for everything to happen immediately, I began enjoying the pace. I was present and aware in a way that’s hard for me to find while in the city. Since my trip I’ve been reflecting on how to bring this same awareness to my daily life. That’s when I had two realizations; I experience this attentiveness and hyper-awareness while in Liquid Motion, and that if Liquid Motion were a nation, it’d be Puerto Rico. They’re both hot, steamy, passionate and slow. Though the sexy mystique may come natural for Puerto Rico, Jeni Janover is intentional about how she builds this atmosphere within her class.
One of the main tenets of Liquid Motion is increasing body awareness, knowing that one small shift in the body can have major impacts on how well the move is executed. Another tenet is enjoying the journey of uncovering that newfound body awareness. This is done by exploring movement at a slower pace to adapt and make the movement your own. If you’ve ever taken a class with her I’m sure you’ve heard “I don’t want you to be a robot, I’m just giving you the tools for you to the movement your own,” and “go slow, enjoy your movement.”
In addition to the aforementioned, Jeni is an intensely passionate, creative and dedicated teacher. She works tirelessly to create a class that’s fun, challenging and rewarding, week after week. She does this by providing handouts at the end of every class, ranging from class playlists, links to videos related to what we learned that day or class fundamentals explained in more detail. She also incorporate props in class; we’ve used bedsheets, straps, and furniture to find new ways to explore movement.
I feel in love with Puerto Rico, not just for it’s healing beaches and people overflowing with love, but for it’s ability to slow me down. Living in New York makes everyone faster, but taking time to not live in hyper-speed is freeing, and it’s comforting to know that I can find this freedom while Liquid Motioning.