Flexibility is the new Super Power
It’s been drubbed in my head since elementary school PE – being flexible is good for your health. Despite this knowledge, I was shocked to discover as I did my yoga teacher training a few years ago, that those “windmills” Mr. Fosdyck had us doing in the 3rd grade are actually asanas called Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana. Who knew? But what we did know is that they were good for you – even if you couldn’t touch your toes. That’s why muscular flexibility has always been a part of a Camp Mishwaka experience. Whether it’s a more formal stretching series from the 1920s or today’s yoga classes, kids move about the campus of varied terrain and they take part in any number of pick-up and planned activities. But at Camp, it doesn’t stop with just muscular flexibility – there has always been an emphasis on the link between physical well-being and emotional health.
Today, it seems that kids come to us with much more muscular flexibility than they used to. Many are regular practitioners of yoga, as coaches and trainers have continued to stress the value of stretching post activity. But I’ve noticed that campers (and staff) often come to us with a different type of inflexibility – a sort of rigidity – when things don’t go as planned. (Full disclosure – I am not immune from this either!) The causes are open for discussion, but the phenomenon is undeniable. Author and clinician, Lynn Lyons, puts it this way, “When we get locked into a position, stance or perspective – be it based on fear, inexperience, or rigidity of any kind – we remove the opportunity to learn, expand, discover, and problem solve.” Camp, she says, can be one of the best environments to combat this ‘inflexibility’ and build those important social and emotional muscles.
While there is so much at camp that is predictable, there is much that is not. Plans change, events dictate, and even the most well-designed activity is subject to the vagaries of weather, personalities, and equipment. In order to succeed, being able to pivot in these moments is vital. As Lyons says, “A kid with a flexible brain becomes a person who can go with the flow when life doesn’t unfold as planned. Handling the unexpected is a critical skill in most aspects of life.” And, just like any yoga teacher might tell you, it’s a practice, not a performance. Camp is a wonderful place for us all to practice this. Camp is a “flexibility gym,” as my friend and camp trainer, Jack Schott has taken to calling it. Check out his podcast with Lyons on this topic.
I crave certainty as much as the next person, but I also know that being able to handle uncertainty – to be flexible when things don’t go as planned – is one of the most valuable skills I learned at Camp Mishawaka as both a camper and as Director for over 30 years. In the opening scene of this video from 2023, a young man says Camp changed him by making him more “open” and not just stuck with one plan. I swear we didn’t script this, but I am not sure we could have written it any better if we tried.
Many of us have heard about the mental health crises facing today’s youth. In the last year alone, I have attended more than 20 webinars, participated in numerous in-person trainings, and read dozens of articles about the topic. Clinicians call uncertainty a stressor, and it can be found anywhere we look. The antidote to stressors are healthy coping mechanisms – exercise, access to nature, connection, satisfaction and mastery of a skill, and flexibility. These are all part and parcel to camp experience. Everyone benefits- even if they can’t touch their toes!
