Moving Through the Stuck Places

What If The Friction You’re Feeling Isn’t A Block

For weeks, I couldn’t understand why my right knee refused to release. Every stretch felt like pushing against a locked door. I tried everything, from yoga, to pilates, breath-work, even my strength training, but the resistance just persisted.

And then, one morning in quiet frustration, I realised: maybe this wasn’t about mobility. Maybe the tension/ tightness in my body wasn’t the problem, maybe it was the message.

Friction has always been part of my story. As a former ex professional dancer, I was trained to glide, to make movement look effortless, as though friction didn’t exist. Pain was to be hidden, resistance overcome, the body shaped into compliance. But beneath that polished exterior, there was always a quiet pull, a whisper that said. . .

‘something here isn’t moving the way it should.’

Years later, when I began teaching and exploring more holistic movement practices, that same pull began to show up in other ways, not just in my muscles and joints, but in my life.

Every time I felt stuck, whether in my business, in my relationships or in my sense of self, I noticed a familiar pattern:

I wanted flow, but I was avoiding friction

If you are anything like me, we can often think friction is a sign that something is wrong. That if we were more evolved, more disciplined, more balanced, life would feel smooth(er). But the truth is, friction is feedback.

It’s the body and life saying. . .

’this is where growth is trying to happen.’

When I finally stopped fighting my painful knee and started listening to it, I noticed how I approached challenge everywhere:

I pushed, I performed, I tried to fix (perhaps the ballet dancer within me). What my knee needed wasn’t force, what it needed was attention, curiosity and breath. It needed me to stay with the discomfort long enough to understand it, and that’s when the shift happened. . .

The knee tension didn’t disappear overnight, but something in me softened. I began to see that the friction in my body mirrored the friction in my mind, the parts of me that wanted to control, to perfect, to avoid vulnerability. The resistance itself became my teacher.

Now, when I work with women who feel stuck, in pain, in movement patterns, or in fatigue, I remind them that friction isn’t failure. It’s the body’s way of saying. . .

‘something new is trying to emerge.’

Growth, after all, doesn’t happen in comfort. It happens in the moment we stop resisting what feels hard and start moving with it, breath by breath.

Friction isn’t the opposite of flow, it’s the beginning of it.

And sometimes, the smallest release, whether that’s a muscle letting go, a joint releasing, a breath softening, a thought shifting, this can open the space for everything else to move.

So today, lets reframe it, instead of asking. . .

‘How can I get rid of this resistance (or pain)?’ try asking,

‘What is it trying to show me?’

Because growth isn’t about erasing friction, it’s about learning to meet it with awareness, compassion, and courage.

For ease please listen to this audio below as you practice

So as you ‘move inwards‘ today I’ve decided to create a self care practice called Listening to Resistance. This practice blends mindful movement, body awareness, and journaling to help you soften what things feel stuck and invite growth in, through presence.

Our Intention:
To transform physical or emotional resistance into awareness and insight. An invitation for you to shift from fighting resistance to listening to it with compassion.

1. Creating Space (2 minutes)

Find a quiet spot where you won’t be interrupted.
Stand barefoot or sit tall on the edge of a chair.
Close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths.
As you exhale, imagine softening the edges of your body — as if you’re giving yourself permission to arrive.

Whisper to yourself: ‘I’m here, and I’m listening’

2. Scan for Resistance (3–5 minutes)

Gently bring awareness through your body, from the crown of your head to the base of your feet.
Notice where you feel tightness, heaviness, or resistance.
Don’t rush to change anything. Simply notice.
Maybe it’s a jaw that’s holding tension, or a hip that won’t let go, or a heart that feeling guarded.

Place a hand on that area of your body and
Breathe into that space.
Imagine each inhale creating room, and each exhale melting a layer of that effort away.

Ask: ‘What are you trying to show me?’

Don’t force an answer, just stay open to sensations, images, or emotions that may arise.

3. Move What You Feel (5–10 minutes)

Let your body respond.

What is it wanting to say out loud?
If that part of you could move, how would it want to move?

It might be a small rotation of the shoulder, a slow sway of the spine, or simply shifting your weight from one foot to the other.
Keep your breath connected, keep it slow, fluid, and forgiving.

Let the movement express what words cannot.
This is the language of the body: intuitive, unedited, deeply wise.

4. Ground the Insight (5 minutes)

Now continue sitting or move to lie down in a comfy position.
Notice how your body feels now as you move, any difference in tone, breath, or openness. Then, take out your journal and complete this sentence:

‘My resistance is showing me that. . .’

Write freely for a few minutes. Let what wants to be known, be known.

5. Close with Gratitude (1 minute)

Place a hand on your heart or belly, and thank your body, not for being perfect, but for speaking to you in its own language.

Repeat quietly:

‘I trust what my body shows me. I grow by listening, not by forcing.’

A little reminder: Resistance is not the enemy — it’s the doorway. When you meet it with awareness instead of frustration, it transforms from something that blocks you into something that guides you.

Remember the hardest part is continuing to show up for yourself with all the things you have to do and accomplish today.

Thank you for continuing to show up here. It’s an absolute pleasure to share this time with you. Thank you.

❤️ Namaste Tracey Xx

---

Please feel free to share You Are Not Alone with loved ones and friends. I trust whoever needs to read my musings will find them as a source of inspiration and hope. They are all written from my heart and offer the opportunity to dive deeper into truth, authenticity and trust.

image by David Fenner

Moving Inward = Self-care exercises designed to devote time to turning your gaze inwards and spend some precious ‘me time’ as often as possible. This helps to cultivate a beautiful conscious conversation with your body, mind & emotions. Through this process we get to practise listening, to be who we are, and creatively explore who we want to be. I hope the audios that I create with each essay helps you with this ❤️ how we move matters - where attention goes energy flows.