What It Means to Have A Movement Practice

I have to admit when I first heard the term movement practice, I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. I understood exercise. I understood training. But a movement practice seemed to describe something more, and it took years of exploring different forms of movement to understand why.

Today, after more than a decade of practicing, teaching, and performing aerial arts, I think of a movement practice as an ongoing relationship with learning what your body can do. It's not defined by a particular discipline, a level of athleticism, or a specific goal. It's about showing up, exploring movement, developing skills, and continuing to learn.

And it doesn't have to look the same for everyone.

Movement Is More Than Exercise

Exercise is often approached as a means to an end. As a certified personal trainer, I understand the value of structured workouts for building strength, improving cardiovascular health, changing our body composition, or meeting a fitness goal. Those are all worthwhile reasons to move.

A movement practice can include those goals, but it also invites us to explore what movement itself has to offer.

Consider the difference between going through a workout and learning a new skill. When you're learning to balance, coordinate your limbs, move to music, or transition between positions on an aerial apparatus, you're doing more than working your muscles. You're developing body awareness, coordination, timing, and problem-solving skills.

Movement can also provide an outlet for creativity, play, mindfulness, and self-expression. Sometimes the goal is to get stronger. Sometimes it's to learn something challenging. Sometimes it's simply to have fun.

For me, that last one has always mattered. In fact, I built my aerial curriculum around the idea that fitness should be fun. I believe people are more likely to continue an activity when they genuinely enjoy it, and that enjoyment is a perfectly valid reason to make movement part of your life.

You Don't Have to Be an Athlete to Have a Practice

When we picture a movement practitioner, we might imagine a dancer, gymnast, yogi, martial artist, or aerialist performing at an advanced level. But a movement practice doesn't require years of experience or impressive physical abilities.

It begins with repetition, curiosity, and a willingness to try.

Mindy helps a beginner student in the aerial hammock

A beginner attending their first aerial hammock class is developing a movement practice just as much as an experienced aerialist refining a complicated sequence. The skills are different, but both are learning, adapting, and building on previous experience.

The same is true of someone learning to dance for the first time, working on their mobility, practicing yoga, or exploring a new form of strength training.

You don't have to be naturally flexible, coordinated, strong, or graceful to begin. Those are abilities that can develop with appropriate practice. You also don't have to pursue increasingly difficult skills for your practice to be meaningful.

Progress might mean mastering a challenging trick. It might mean moving with greater control, discovering a new way to express yourself, or simply becoming more comfortable in your own body. There is no single standard you have to meet.

The Value of Learning Something New

One of the things I love most about aerial arts is that there is always something to learn. A new skill requires you to pay attention. You might need to understand where your body is in space, coordinate several movements, adjust your timing, or figure out why a transition isn't working. You try, receive feedback, make adjustments, and try again. That process can be humbling. It can also be incredibly rewarding.

Learning movement skills challenges us to be patient with ourselves. It teaches us that progress isn't always linear and that struggling with something new doesn't mean we're incapable of learning it.

These lessons extend beyond the studio. Developing a skill takes curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to be a beginner. A movement practice gives us regular opportunities to exercise those qualities. For me, that ongoing process of learning is one of the most rewarding parts of being both a student and a teacher.

Finding Your Intention

Movement can serve different purposes at different times in our lives.

You might turn to a challenging workout because you want to feel physically strong. You might choose yoga because you need a quieter hour. You might take a dance class because you want to express yourself, or try aerial arts because you want to do something completely different from your usual routine.

Elevated Aerial founder Mindy with a student

Your intention can change, too.

There are times when I want to push my abilities and work toward a challenging skill. Other times, I want to explore, experiment, and enjoy the process without worrying about the outcome. Neither approach is more valuable than the other.

Thinking about your intention can help you choose activities that meet your needs. It can also help you recognize when a familiar routine no longer serves you and when it's time to try something new.

Rather than asking only, "What results am I getting from this workout?" you might also ask, "What am I learning? How does this make me feel? What do I want to explore next?"

Those questions can change the way you experience movement.

Building a Movement Practice That Lasts

If you're interested in developing your own movement practice, start with curiosity rather than a list of expectations.

Consider these additional questions:

• Do your current workouts challenge you? What are they teaching you?

• How satisfied are you with your current level of mobility and rhythm?

• How is your balance and coordination?

• What activities do you do regularly that help you boost creativity?

• Do your workouts help you improve cognitive function?

• Dyou have an intention that you bring to or get out of your workouts? If so, is your intention being achieved?

Aerialist / Author Mindy C. photographed performing in Missoula, MT.

It's Never Too Early or Too Late to Begin

One of the most important lessons my own movement journey has taught me is that you don't have to follow a conventional path.

I began exploring acrobatics at 33 without a background in dance or gymnastics. Over time, that curiosity grew into years of practice, performance, teaching, and developing aerial curriculum. What started as something new to learn became a significant part of my life.

That experience shapes the way I approach teaching. I know what it feels like to enter an unfamiliar discipline, work through the learning process, and discover abilities I hadn't previously imagined for myself.

It's also why I believe movement should be accessible to people at different stages of life and experience. You don't need to have started young. You don't need to arrive with a particular set of skills. You can begin where you are and build from there.

A movement practice isn't a destination or a performance standard. It's an opportunity to keep learning about yourself through movement.

For me, it's about strength, creativity, curiosity, and, above all, fun. It's about continuing to discover what I'm capable of and making room for new experiences along the way.

If you're in the Kalispell area and curious about discovering what a movement practice could look like for you at Elevated Aerial Studio, you can check out our class offerings here.

Because it is never too early…nor too late…to start a movement practice; and we would love to welcome you in!

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Article by Mindy Cochran. Mindy is a practitioner, teacher, and performer of aerial silks, aerial hammock, and aerial hoop; as well as a health columnist for Montana Woman Magazine. Her column shares expertise for elevating health & wellness which she has acquired through her certifications as a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and life coach. To connect with Mindy on Instagram, please visit: www.instagram.com/aerial.mindy, or visit her Linktree here.