The Can Do Coffee Chat with Joyce Lo, Movement Flow Teacher

[00:00:00] Raisin Canes Ice Tea is the official iced tea of me. Ice Tea. Now I heard some people order their box combos with water. Listen, water hits for fishes and snitches, Jack. Chill out with Canes Ice Tea this summer. Raisin Canes Chicken Fingers. One Love. Hi, dear bro studios.

[00:00:23] Hi, I'm Gail Gibson, accredited master performance coach, international speaker, podcast host and author. Known as the Can Do Coach, I thrive on enabling leaders to step up, shake it off and shine. Welcome to my podcast, The Can Do Way.

[00:00:43] My guests from across the globe have Can Do stories of growth, resilience and success to share. Tune in and be inspired by these individuals who have developed a strong Can Do approach. Each one of their stories is unique. Each one of their stories has a key message.

[00:01:04] In this episode of The Can Do Way, I'm talking to movement flow teacher, Joyce Lo. Now after a career in education as an English literature lecturer, Joyce embarked on a personal journey of discovery. Movement flow is not just a system of exercises.

[00:01:25] It is a philosophy that emphasizes the importance of connecting mind, body and spirit by teaching people to move with intention and attention. Joyce believes that we can create a more compassionate and joyful world. So welcome to the show today, Joyce. Thank you for having me. Hello everyone.

[00:01:45] Well, let's find out about this transition from education to now the movement flow. And you know, for the listeners, I had a look at a few of your videos as well, Joyce. So I've seen some of the work that you do, but this is a chance

[00:02:01] for you to tell your story and to let our listeners know how it all got started. So if we can first take a short walk through your life and just give the listeners a glimpse of your background and

[00:02:15] what it is that drives your passion today for the work you now deliver. Right. So I was studying in England for my post-grad and PhD. My major was English literature and it's about the contemporary fiction and I came back to Taiwan to teach at uni.

[00:02:36] I love teaching so much. So at that time, I love teaching but I also want to figure out something. I always love like movement. So at that time I still like train myself and just one day my coach introduced some other system to me.

[00:02:52] I was like amazed by that. And so it was about movement flow and I remember the first time I learned movement flow how happy I was. Like I still like still nowadays I can't forget that feeling. I was like, wow, this is so powerful because at that time

[00:03:09] I love teaching but also I was sleeping under the stress because the academic students get less and less in Taiwan and not just in Taiwan but also around the whole world. So I know sooner or later I'll face the days like I have

[00:03:25] I am forced to leave school and that they will come. So at that moment I made the decision. So okay, I'm not just like waiting and sitting here and then waiting for the day come. I need to do something like actively.

[00:03:42] So I was trying movement flow and there was three different levels I have to finish level one, level two and teach a training and pass at all kind of things to be able to become a certified teachers.

[00:03:54] And I still the diet I was like, okay, I made this decision and I was about to tell my parents. So like, oh my God, I don't know how to tell them because you know, like parents say, yeah, you got a nice job in

[00:04:08] uni then why so you switch. But luckily all my parents were very supportive. So that's made the huge career change and of course in the very beginning I remember the first month maybe like from first month to the six months I was quite panicking

[00:04:26] like did I make the right decision or I just put myself into something like a toy like don't know where to go situation. But every single time I asked myself this question and then think about okay, what's my life?

[00:04:45] What I want to leave then I will calm myself down and keep doing what I'm doing. So that's what the whole story in the background and now I'm teaching movement flow fantastic fantastic and I love the I love the flow you know that's a word that's a big

[00:05:03] part of your life obviously now and helping people to move with that but you have flowed as part of your life journey today. So let's take a step a bit further into this journey that you've been on so you know you started out saying that

[00:05:22] you studied in the UK and then you went back and then you were teaching and then you fell in love with this movement flow work that you do today. So along the way you know we meet people in life who kind

[00:05:39] of show us the way people who really put us up there and championed the work that we do. So if you cast your mind back for a moment then Joyce, who was that first champion in your life? You know the funny thing is I asked myself this question

[00:05:57] all the time but to be honest I don't have like one person specific one person because to be honest I feel the whole journey like a lot of people I've met they all helped me tiny bit tiny bit tiny bit and I believe I learned

[00:06:13] a lot of from them and that's how they make myself like what I'm right now. So I always yeah because I believe each person we got something to learn from and that's my philosophy. So you've learned from many different people is there one

[00:06:32] example of one of those champions and what was it that they they did for you to give you the inspiration for who you've become? Wow so I guess it's already too past two people. I want is definitely my dad because he usually encouraged

[00:06:49] me to do many different things and once I decided to do it he just like okay go for it just go deep don't just touch everything and then you know you don't know you know nothing so he's definitely the one and he's so

[00:07:04] humble and he always like he said I'm complaining or I say something bad about people. So that's really give me either the big effect and inspiration and the other one I'll say it's my current he's my movement flow colleague also my coach Iris

[00:07:25] so he she was my movement for level one teacher and at that time I was I didn't have any background about movement I just love to move around. So remember the first like first training was she just she was so patient and guide me through every single move

[00:07:43] and I was so appreciated that she didn't give up on me because a lot of times they hear is do you think is it possible to finish teacher training and she always gives me by the positive answers that yeah if you can do

[00:07:58] this and we will guide you through to those move but we will like reach the final goal if you want to. So she's always there to support me you know and I guess this is the competence and the faith in me that really

[00:08:12] helped me to go through all the journey otherwise if I look at back at that time myself it's like my movement was really really bad. About it's written from now a day if she didn't guide me through like step by step or an order believe then I would

[00:08:30] have made it so it's a really interesting comparison of the two people who have been those champions for you you know your father's humility was something that stood out for you but also the patience and yet the encouragement of digging the deepest in yourself you know

[00:08:52] finding your grit choice of what you say Iris your your coach has done for you as well and I just wanted to pick up on a point you raised about you know back then before you started working with her that your movement

[00:09:06] was bad and so this kind of may be a personal challenge of yours to face and unravel. So just talk the listeners through what it took in you to be able to become better and to move with more flow in everything that you did.

[00:09:26] Right on so in the very beginning when I took the training my body was so stiff like my bag was stiff everything was stiff I just like I say before I just love to move around but after when I went

[00:09:41] through the training I got more tips so when I feel like okay my bags more open more flexible and you know like when your spine is more open you also feel the confidence because everything is different you feel like fresh you feel like more energetic and

[00:09:54] also I still remember the first session I took the the happiness in my mind so at that time was okay I really love this move. And because when I joined the training I always say I was a piece of blank of paper.

[00:10:10] So if I could I could finish the training and I really pick up like like all the moves from there which means everyone can. So after I finished the level one training and I told people say it definitely is all level welcome even

[00:10:25] though you will see some moves a bit hard like handstand cut well I also learn my handstand over there and now I teach people hands then so if I can do it which means everyone can do it you just need

[00:10:39] the tips yeah so I always use myself x experiment and that's why I really want people to give it a try you will see the potential in yourself. It's not just like oh I learned when I was a kid and

[00:10:53] I believe you can do it now I learned like two years ago and when I was still teaching at uni so I believe everyone everyone can have that ability. Fantastic yeah fantastic and I love how you said it's about realizing that inner potential that you

[00:11:10] had in yourself but you kind of you needed that nudge from your coach and that consistent level of championing and support that she was and still gives you now. So how many how many handstands did it take for

[00:11:26] you to really master being able to do a good handstand. That's to be honest I think that took me like one year to be able to do three hands then but that free hands only three seconds only right and

[00:11:42] to able to do many different shapes and hold a free hands there for 30 seconds like now it took me like two years wow yeah and I have to say it's a consistent practicing it's not just like okay I can't do handstand

[00:11:56] I take a rest I was not not like that and of course all the tips from my coach and from many different masters that also help but the thing is they can offer you so many tips but can you give it a try

[00:12:11] or are you willing to practice a spent time on that that's on you. Yeah, yeah definitely definitely so two years down the line you are continuing obviously in your practice because the work that you do means that you have

[00:12:26] to be in that constant movement so that you can keep building not only the skills and techniques but also the mindset that goes with that too. So if you put yourself in the shoes of your your students now who work with you are you noticing

[00:12:43] that same development in them how they are now really pursuing this mastery in themselves to improve their techniques. Yeah like you know I got a lot of students and you ask them what kind of skills they want to master

[00:13:00] on now most of time they say hadn't said most of time but of course has done it's one is the effort technique and the other thing as the mindset you have to conquer the fear and that you need to face

[00:13:17] a frustration and then talk to yourself go back to train again and not just hands then like many many different moves high techniques they are all the same by even my like myself face the same things as well and I remember at that time

[00:13:32] I talked to Aaron say oh my god I feel like I haven't seen stuff away from me or other moves and she was like a she because sometimes I was like hey you can do hands and for example like oh you learn hands and

[00:13:44] you know in maybe six months but it took me two years I feel like my body wasn't that smart or I feel like really frustrated about it and sometimes she was she was to say encourage me to say hey she just say learn more stuff like

[00:13:59] when she was a kid she was more flexible or she wasn't afraid of that kind of fight upside down but maybe my case is different so everyone is different so I need to believe the process I need to see why I'm today and what I was yesterday

[00:14:16] and to see the progression not see why I'm today and what I resist today different we are two different person and also be yeah and one thing is also I got vertical so sometimes I got busy I need to conquer that as well so I

[00:14:33] always encourage my students like don't give up you can take the different routes but always remember the final goals there so don't give up on the goal you just can change the rules if this rules it's not suitable for you and change another

[00:14:47] one. Yes fantastic fantastic advice and that whole process that we are individuals along our own journey and we can do what we can do at different stages but it's the consistency and the belief in ourselves and receiving that from others that really can get us to those

[00:15:09] elevated heights so what would you say is your most challenging skill that you're currently working on and how are you going about that in the same way or are you doing something a little bit different. Well there's a move I'm working

[00:15:27] right now it's called my cat call so basically one hand down and you have to jump yourself and through yourself back and then from squatting and back so you there's a moment you are like in the air and then standing. Okay that scale took me oh my

[00:15:42] God I don't know how long already and so I was was still trying to help me to get that move and we try many different ways again like my body just too scared and so we tried different moves to help me to get my car call and there's

[00:16:00] another move called kickover it's like from bridge and again I kick yourself up and it's a moment you got in the air and standing up funny thing is most of people they feel kickover it's harder than my car call so my body is different. I got

[00:16:16] kickover right now but I think it's not my car call so now we need to go back to like really like stage one to figure out why my body is that scared about my car call but not scared of my

[00:16:31] kickover so we try to build up more strength on my shoulder so that can give like personally my body is okay I got it flexibility likes my daily routine as I said because I was so stiff before and if I don't maintain it I will lose it

[00:16:47] and we just back to the stage zero and try many different routes we didn't give up the final go but we try many different routes so it seems like those routes we tried before may not suitable for me and now we are trying different things and

[00:17:05] recently I can't be okay it's getting there and I see the procedure but it's just like I say before I saw my friend learn my car call I in one day I remember the day I was so mad I was angry I was joking I was so angry

[00:17:26] what's like I tried so many things and I couldn't do it and she just like came and then pick up and she got it I was I literally like didn't talk like say anything for like one hour how speechless yeah I was like and then all the

[00:17:47] anger and frustration all together I mixed together but again like we are two different individuals so indeed indeed indeed what a great story and you know a really great example of that can do mindset where you were faced with what might have

[00:18:07] seemed to be an impossible challenge and yet by just adapting being flexible and finding a way through it you have been able to keep practicing so that you can master it as well. So when you step away from your movement flow because it's

[00:18:25] a way of life for you as well Joyce would you say that you allow yourself to face life challenges in the same way so do you look at a challenge in front of you and think about how you will get

[00:18:41] through it is it to do with practice is it to do with the same kind of steps you take when you're practicing your movement flow. I think it's quite the same sometimes you know doesn't matter it's a movement practice or in life it's not we

[00:18:59] practice hundred or thousand times we can get the move the thing is do you know how have you tried different tips have you tried different ways same in the life challenge so if you try the same way like hundred times you still cannot

[00:19:16] go get it again like maybe try different routes that you will reach your goal. Yeah so it's it's just like scientific training so we need a scientific strategy in our life as well. Yeah brilliant brilliant yes and I thought I

[00:19:37] thought there would be the overlap for you and I think that's an interesting point for listeners to reflect on as well as whatever it is that you do professionally or in your personal life as a as a form of exercise or dance similar

[00:19:55] to what Joyce is doing is thinking about how does my techniques and the way that I make that work for me flow through into my everyday life and am I using those same practices because then it becomes just a part of your

[00:20:09] natural routine and you exactly and you can and you practice without thinking about practicing because it's just in you by that stage so really great example to share. So when you're not doing your movement flow what other kinds of things do you like to

[00:20:27] do Joyce that really help you to step away and recharge yourself so that when you do go back into your teaching you are fully present but also fully capable of bringing out the best in other people. I love reading maybe they're related to my private career but I

[00:20:51] believe everyone should absorb different knowledge doesn't have to be reading but like podcasts or like whatever things because when you absorb many different knowledge then you're thinking will be different and also your like when you start the conversation with people will be very very different so

[00:21:13] reading well I would say like takes a lot of my time and when I work out I still I do like podcasts or listen to audio book so most of the time my time is like reading podcast audio book sometimes is like

[00:21:29] different documentaries I also love that kind of things yeah so just absorb try to absorb many different knowledge and kind of boost my brain and challenge my thinking and see how other people think how they do how they live so that will give me a different

[00:21:47] nutrition in my life. And Tess well I love the way you said that Ben about different nutrition in your life and that's that brain that brain food that really inspires so much in in all of us so lovely past time and one that I absolutely share

[00:22:02] with you as well I love losing myself in books and learning and just being inspired but also stepping into the imagination of another author because they take you on a journey of exactly oh it's wonderful it's a wonderful wonderful person so what would you say your three

[00:22:22] can do tips that you live by that you would like to share with the audience today. Yeah three can do one I would say be curious because when you are curious then you're eager to learn eager to figure out the solution

[00:22:39] you get to find out the question the answer and be consistent doesn't matter is in your or whatever practice or whatever your goal always be consistent because you need to try to be consistent and you will know the results

[00:22:55] and the last one is be firm but also flexible be firm with your goal but flexible about how you reach and how you accomplish your goal. So that's what we can do I would like to share to everyone wonderful wonderful and the last

[00:23:12] one really resonates with your actual practice I think because you need to be you need to be firm to be able to hold your wonderful handstands and other full body power moves that you do but yet flexible so that you can move

[00:23:29] into the next stage because I've watched when I watched your video I was like wow how does that how does the body do that kind of thing it's just incredible to watch and it feeds my curiosity so I love all three of those tears as well.

[00:23:44] So my final question for you Joyce is how would you describe the opportunity of a can do mindset. I would say grab it low with it because you won't ever know what you are flow with maybe you're flow and you'll see the lake

[00:24:03] when you flow you see ocean and maybe you flow but you see the scene so you won't ever know what it is. Well until you grab it and flow with it. Absolutely beautiful I love that I can just you painted a picture for me and I'm sure you

[00:24:20] can't get a picture for exactly this and it's your own interpretation it's your journey and I really feel like you've inspired a lot you've inspired a lot in me today just listening to the way you tell your story

[00:24:36] to Joyce and I just want to say thank you so much for being my guest and inspiring my listeners on the can do way today. Thank you so much that's one such a pleasure. Thank you. Thank you for listening to my podcast the can do way.

[00:24:55] Do you live and breathe the can do attitude. Since 2019 my podcast has gifted listeners across the globe access to an incredible selection of guests with stories to refresh your perspective bring you joy and inspire can do positivity always curious and with

[00:25:15] an insatiable appetite for a good yarn I invite you to be a guest on my weekly show if you have an inspiring perspective a life changing experience or an intriguing story to share then drop me an email at gailm Gibson dot

[00:25:34] Until next week show do share the inspiration of the can do way podcast with your friends colleagues and clients and wherever you are listening from in the world. Remember to make every day an amazing can do day.