It was critical that Loolwa feel empowered again after her last session, where she experienced a setback.  My plan was to give her some new challenges but not overwhelm her.  

So I introduced three new exercises, peppered in among things with which she was familiar and could complete near-perfectly.  I drew upon her mind-body confidence in these exercises, to help with the new ones.  

If our mind can draw upon a recent success, it is more likely to feel comfortable with something completely unfamiliar.  My goal was for Loolwa to feel she had the strength, both physical and emotional, to push herself beyond some limiting thresholds — that point where the body asks the mind, “Are you sure about this?” 

To this end, part of my job was offering precise guidance (draw your belly button into your spine, bring your feet a little wider, exhale through the movement) on how to safely perform each exercise. And so Loolwa did — powering her way through the session.

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