Yesterday in Part 1, I told you what I do when class feels to hard, how I make it more do-able, more enjoyable.
My lazy pants
When class feels too easy it usually means I could be doing a lot more to challenge myself. In other words, I need not leave it up to the teacher or the moves.
And as I mentioned yesterday, what we get out of class is really up to us, and we can benefit from any class.
Sometimes we get anxious ...
Why is it moving so slowly? Come on, already!
And we wonder if we’ll ever progress at this rate.
To be perfectly honest, my freak outs generally come from feeling that class is too hard, which you likely know by now.
But when I start noticing myself spacing out, bored, or antsy in class, here are some things I do:
Some ways to make it harder when you feel like you need more challenge:
Idea #1. Watch the instructor less
You know how it goes, we become unnecessarily reliant upon watching the teacher.
I do this. I do this! I DO This!
Stop watching. Get disoriented. Sooner or later you'll be on your own anyway.
Idea #2. Watch yourself more
I don't mean to admire your beautiful self, though that's not a bad idea. But to watch yourself to see what looks good and what doesn't. Our bodies are different. What looks good on one person may not look good on another.
So look in the mirror. Fix things.
Sometimes you have to let go of what you're being told or have been told and just play around until you find positions that look good to you.
Idea #3. Watch the instructor and yourself at the same time
This forces us to be ultra-focused. Notice her, notice you, her, you, her, you …
If you have a step down, look at the nitty-gritty. What is the instructor doing that you're not?
Examine both yourself and the teacher. Broaden your view.
Idea #4. Pay more attention to the part of the dance that you don't like
What part(s) are you ignoring? What parts are you glossing over?
If you're like me there's likely that one part (or the two or three parts) that you don't like, or that you actually do like but you've convinced yourself that you don't because either a.) it's hard for you, or b.) it's not looking good.
Ah-hem.
For issue (b), see Idea #2 above please. This difficult part may warrant some serious study in the mirror. For issue (a) please see Idea #3 from yesterday’s post.
Básicamente
If it feels too easy,
Focus on the details.
(There is one main idea that can help us get the most of any class. It addresses both the “This is too hard,” and the “This is too easy,” syndromes. I’ll be talking about that sometime soon, so don’t go anywhere.)
And if you feel like applying the above ideas to life outside of flamenco, try substituting the situation, the person’s name, etc. for the word “instructor” or “dance,” and see what happens.
And now, You:
Did you find this helpful? What do you do when you find yourself bored and frustrated in class? I’m sure you have ideas. Share your thoughts below in the comments.
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This is another reworking of this.
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