Why we stop ourselves
Many times, we stop ourselves before we have even started. It is the fear of the unknown, of making a change, of taking a decision, of living a dream we never dare to let out.
What if our mind stopped setting the limits? How far would we go?
I think of people like Alessia Zecchini, the freediver. Watching her story in The Deepest Breath on Netflix, what stays with me most is how far she goes past the limits her own mind could have set for her. She is a living example that the power of our choices lives in the way we think. But it’s not only about thinking positively. It’s about our relationship to what shows up inside us. To our thoughts. To our emotions. To our loops. All of it is part of being on a human journey, an invitation to get to know ourselves better. It’s worth being curious about.
I have seen this up close in my own life, and in the lives of the people I have worked alongside. After years of working with children, refugees, and people navigating unemployment, and guiding others through processes of creative and personal change, I have observed this: each one of us carries an undiscovered map. The more we get to know ourselves, the more there is to find. And somewhere in that map, we each need our own compass, something that tells us which way is actually ours, not the way fear or comfort would have us go. That search stirs up fear too, and that’s normal. Fear can be used as fuel, not the brake. Still, everyone moves at their own pace, and staying where they are is one of those paces too. That’s often what we call the comfort zone.
I have also experienced that many choose to stay there, which is totally fine. But when discontent shows up, as judgment of others, jealousy, or something else entirely, that might be the moment to look again at that comfort zone, and at the voices behind it.
This is exactly where movement comes in.
What is movement?
Movement isn’t only walking from A to B. Sometimes it’s a loop, finally breaking. Other times, it’s the patterns beneath, the ones that keep us circling the same ground, even while we dream of something else, or of transformation. Every so often, stillness is the way movement happens, getting quiet enough to hear what’s moving underneath.
If you want a taste of what I mean by this in practice, I’ve shared a short spinal flex practice before, one simple way to start listening to what your body is holding. You can also watch some of the other practices I’ve shared on LinkedIn.
The body is our compass
This is where the compass I mentioned earlier comes in. Our body is that compass, the one that can actually be trusted to guide the map of who we are.
In this patriarchal world of ours, I think the human body has been stripped of some of its meaning. We have drifted from how sacred it actually is. Our focus stays fixed on how it looks, for appearance’s sake, instead of on everything it is constantly trying to tell us.
Unfortunately, nobody has taught us this: we are holistic beings. Our thoughts, our emotions, our body, and the energy we carry, all of it makes up the whole of who we are. But I see us getting there. More and more of us have started paying attention to the signals our bodies hold.
What exactly does it hold? Often, far more than we realise.
All of this can turn into patterns, tied to stress, tension, a held breath, a guarded posture. These are things the mind cannot fully carry alone, so the body holds them instead. We can use that feeling as a compass, to break through a loop and reach what is underneath it. Or we can see it simply as exploring the map we already are, one there is always more of to discover. Either way, that is where the real shift starts, not in fixing what we find, but in simply noticing it, moving with it, and letting it move through us instead of getting stuck within. This is exactly the space I help create, one where that shift can happen.
👉 Read more about what a holistic movement guide does
Curious what this could look like for you? You’re more than welcome to book a free 15-minute call.
If you feel you fall under the category of people I’m building this work for, I’d really appreciate it if you took a couple of minutes to fill in my survey. It takes just two minutes, and as a thank you, you’ll be entered to win one free session with me.
I am Parisa Radpey, the writer of these pages and founder of Dhyana Donya Movement & Health. You can read more about my background and training here. I am currently building something that scares me a little and excites me a lot. A space and community for people who want to create real change. Not only by thinking differently, but by moving through what they carry. Through holistic movement.
If this makes you curious, I have put together a short guide on what that actually means and how it works. Get the free guide here.
You can also find me across different platforms.
And when words are not enough, music moves what nothing else can. Find my playlist on Spotify under Movement Coach Parisa. Let it inspire you to move wildly and freely.
I also write for Wise and Shine Zine, a collective of writers exploring personal growth, wellbeing and conscious living.
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