This is Lauren between takes. It’s been a long day, the stakes are high, she’s been preparing for many weeks. She’s breathing, engaged, and ready. She is what we refer to in Nia (a movement technique) as Raw: Relaxed, Alert, Waiting.

What can we do to create that Raw?

This week we create and “layer in” a tiny ritual to practice before any heightened, challenging, difficult, high-risk, high-expectation, anxiety-provoking, deeply meaningful, presentation or interaction. The goal is to integrate the ritual in the way James Clear outlines in his book, Atomic Habits, so that it is automatic. In my life, I use the same ritual before any client interaction. I set up the space, check my tech, and without thinking, I stretch (body warm-up), make strange noises (vocal warm-up), and center myself with a few deep breaths.

For your own ritual, include a little bit of each of these:

1) Stretching….

Read on…