Small acts of self-care

On setting intentions to help regulate your emotions in aerial training.

Welcome to my first blog post!

I wanted to start off with something seemingly small but surprisingly significant; something that's made a huge difference to my training and teaching practice this year: setting an intention each and every time we train.

A bit of backstory…

This idea didn't get plucked from thin air: this summer I was invited to collaborate with the Amethyst project at Small World Theatre (where I also teach as part of the Syrcas Byd Bychan circus programme). Amethyst supports young people with mental health challenges and their parents, neurodivergent and LGBTQI+ youth and young carers using techniques drawn from forum theatre, drama and art therapy. They wanted to expand their offering by delivering aerial sessions for young people in specialist CAMHS who would be referred to us as part of their treatment with the NHS. This was part of wider pilot study called Arts Boost, exploring the impact of creative practice on the emotional wellbeing and resilience of children and young people.

I worked with an experienced therapist and drama practitioner to co-devise and deliver the sessions. The whole focus was on holding space for the young people to feel comfortable to connect with the body in a new and creative context. It was recognisably an aerial class, whilst also being completely different in subtle ways. Warm-ups began with each participant lying down in the private space of their own hammock, focusing on guided breathwork and thoughtwork. Before emerging for the rest of the warm up, they were invited to set an intention for the session which was all about self-care and nothing to do with aerial at all. We returned to the hammocks at the end to reflect on the session and on the intentions.

Feedback from the participants was so positive, I started to introduce this in my regular sessions for young people and adults at the circus school - finding a moment in the warm-up where it was appropriate (like when we found ourselves in a child's pose for a moment, or when resting between sets of a drill). And, when I noticed it really did seem to make a noticeable improvement to the way folks were approaching their lesson, I realised I'd better start doing this for myself.

So what does this fairly ambiguous statement mean?

By "setting an intention" I don't mean setting skills goals, I don't mean writing a list of all the drills you want to train that session, I don't mean remembering to point your toes here or flex your feet there, or even challenging yourself to make an unexpected choreographic choice.

I mean choosing something very small and simple that relates to self-care - something so small that you think it's very likely you CAN achieve it and reflect on it positively at the end of the session. Taking a group class at the end of busy work day, it might simply be "listening to my energy levels”, or “working things out on the floor rather than getting in the air when I'm too tired”. It might be reminding yourself to let go of frustration when you don't get something first, second, third time or at all that day; remembering to breathe at least once in each skill, or not giving yourself a hard time when you realised you weren't breathing. It could be asking for help when you need it, or sitting out for a moment when you're overwhelmed. It might be accepting that microbends will happen and that some days, you just won’t feel strong, or flexible. But what if you can get to the end of a session and know you did at least one thing to be kind to yourself? There are more ways at succeeding at your aerial practice than achieving skills goals or making art.

How to set an intention

1. Find a place to lie down or sit where you can focus uninterrupted for a 1-2 minutes (this could even be the toilet cubicle at a push or your car before you go into the studio).
2. Set a timer if you find you get distracted or anxious that you’re ‘wasting’ time (but try to think of this as a good investment in your practice; also likely better than IG scrolling).
3. Spend a few breath cycles just noticing how your breath is today without trying to change anything - think of yourself as a compassionate observer simply curious about your body.
4. Now allow yourself to think of your intention - you can use some of the prompts above. If you find self-care difficult, try imagining that you’re offering this instruction to another human you really care about. How would you help them to protect themselves from unhelpfully self-critical thoughts or behaviours during a training session? You don’t need to overthink it - you can keep it light-hearted and simple.

At the end of your session/class (try not to skip this part!)

1. Find a place to lie or sit comfortably again. Semi-supine is good if you’re able to get on the floor.
2. Set another timer - for a single minute this time, or more if you like.
3. Focus your attention back on the breath for a few cycles, as you allow the floor to support you.
4. Think back to your intention: can you remember a single moment when you found yourself able to practice it? If you can, then great. Allow yourself to own this success. If you can’t, let it go! Maybe think about why it was hard and how you might set a different intention next time.

Of course, doing this isn't always practical or possible and it definitely shouldn’t become something else that you give yourself a hard time about! But bracketing your time between what comes before training (work, parenting, admin, driving) and afterwards can not only allow you to bring better focus but also allows you to integrate your learning more effectively. Let me know how it goes!