How I’m Moving From Softness to Devotion
My 4-step process to 100 days of devotion to the life I desire
Softness can turn into escape. Structure can turn into control. Harmony lives in discerning what you truly need in this season of life, and becoming a kind yet firm parent who helps you prioritize what matters most to you long term.
Before 2018, I lived a life of discipline and structure with no room for humanness. And I was proud of it. After my accident, my capacity became so limited that if I made it through the day without crying over the dishes in the sink, I considered it a success. That experience completely changed me and forced me into a very soft life for quite a few years. Anything that asked for more structure or energy left me immediately overwhelmed.
Even though I made progress in my recovery, I still felt stuck and unable to move forward in life. I knew something had to shift. In 2021, I committed to the 75 Hard Challenge but softened it to meet myself where I was. That commitment marked the beginning of my posture transformation, it literally changed my life. It helped me move out of chronic pain. And I’m forever grateful for that decision.
These days, I see more and more people reaching for softness. I get it. I have needed it too. But softness without intention can become chaos. Rest can become numbness. Flexibility can become avoidance. We could say the same about structure without intention, which can turn into obsessive behaviors and pushing through mentalities. That is why the ability to discern when you need softness and when you need structure, without making either wrong, is the real practice. It is where harmony begins. It is how you learn to live in rhythm with life, rather than against it.
Our brains are wired to conserve energy, and from an evolutionary perspective, that makes complete sense. The brain consumes a huge amount of the body’s energy, so it naturally prefers routines, shortcuts, and anything familiar. Doing less or the same becomes a strategy to preserve resources, especially in times of stress. So if you’re finding yourself resisting structure or leaning into comfort, it could be that your brain is trying to keep you safe.
During summer, I let myself flow intentionally. I didn’t hold myself to structure and I really enjoyed that. But come September, I could feel something shift. A craving for more structure. But also, resistance. A part of me still wanted to float. I could hear myself negotiating. Can’t I just keep flowing?
But I knew the answer. I needed a container to flow within.
So I committed to 100 days of devotion to the life I desire and started it on September 8th. This devotion includes the body, the mind, and the business. Today, I’m sharing the body piece, which rooted in movement.
Here is how I’ve been doing it. Have a read, and let it inspire your own version of what I now call The Devotion Project:
Step 1: Define your project
Identify a problem and turn it into a project. The reason I love this approach is it gives you a sense of ownership. It helps you avoid perfectionism because from the beginning, you see it as a process. It also takes urgency out of it.
When I did this the first time, the problem was chronic pain. I needed to find my way back to training. My goal was simple: find movements that didn’t make the pain worse. That intention became the starting point for a much deeper transformation. It shifted how I understand posture, how I work with clients, and how I relate to my own body.
This time, the problem is different. I want to increase my capacity for more. More strength. More business growth. More resilience for life.
Step 2: Set the container
Create a soft structure. Ask yourself, what’s the bare minimum you can commit to?
For me, that’s been movement twice a day. Minimum fifteen minutes each time. That’s it. I don’t set rules about what kind of movement or how intense it has to be. Just the act of showing up is the practice.
Back then, I had to move gently. My body couldn’t tolerate much. So I walked. I did light stretches and FRC mobility work. That’s where I was.
Now, it looks like strength training, mobility, walking, posture work, or rolling around on the floor. It all counts. The goal is not to do it right. The goal is to show up.
Step 3: Let the body lead
Something always shifts when I stay consistent. Movement invites more movement. My body begins to ask for more. That’s when I start transitioning into more structured training. Sometimes I write my own program. Sometimes I follow one I’ve already bought. Sometimes I invest in something new.
Last time, this led me to postural restoration. I ended up enrolling in a training and later a movement coaching certification. That path changed my life and my business. You don’t have to invest in anything to start. There are so many free resources out there, including my YouTube videos.
This time, I’ve committed to strength training three times a week through a postural lens. The rest of the week, I move intuitively. I know myself. I need variety. Repetition bores me. So I give myself choices.
Step 4: Sustain without strain
This phase will evolve as a natural result of the previous steps, shaped by the rhythm you’ve built and the clarity that emerges along the way. The goal is not to push harder. It’s to stay present with the process.
Last time, I began layering in strength training and had to figure out what my body could handle. There was a lot of trial and error. I had to learn what kind of strength work supported my posture and what didn’t.
This time, I don’t know what the next 100 days will bring. I’m letting the devotion show me. I’m trusting that if I keep showing up, the path will unfold.
To sustain something without strain, you have to stay curious. You have to keep listening to your body. To the resistance. To the needs that shift with each week.
If you are in a season of wanting to let more life move through you, I created this affirmation practice during the recent new moon. Press play and receive.
👁️ What your body has been trying to tell you?
If you want to go deeper and explore your body’s story, take this quiz to see what patterns show up for you!
The way we hold ourselves matters. Not just because of how it looks. But because it shapes how we live, how we relate, and what we’re capable of imagining. Let your body speak. Let it interrupt the collective war and offer you a new way of being entirely.
Client’s Unconditioning ↓
If you feel called to re-pattern your body, regulate your nervous system, and reclaim your power, I invite you to book The Alignment Diagnostic call with me: https://tidycal.com/hedishah/the-alignment-diagnostic
During this session, we’ll assess your body’s current state, uncover hidden imbalances, and create a personalized movement plan to help you shift from tension into alignment.
Offerings↓ ↓
꩜ Monthly Reset
Oct 29th . Wednesday . 3 pm GMT
These sessions are designed to release the stress you have been carrying, reconnect with your body’s wisdom, and step into the new month with clarity and intention. In the final week of each month, we will come together for:
Nonlinear movement to shake off tension and emotional residue
Guided reflection to integrate what the month brought
Intentional planning to meet the next cycle grounded and resourced
This is about returning to your center, unconditioning yourself from systems built to keep you small, and living a sovereign life. Come as you are.
Leave lighter, clearer, and more connected.
Prepration:
- Wear comfy clothes
- Have plenty of space to move around
- Bring a pen and paper
Duration: 45-60 mins
Where: Insight Timer
Cost: Free or donation-based
Thank you for joining me on the path of unconditioning,
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Hedi Shah
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👁️ Bodyworker & Mindfulness Teacher
🌊 Teaching change makers to uncondition their bodies, nervous systems, and voices from systems built to keep them small so they can move, speak, and live with sovereign power.
📲 Website | Youtube | LinkedIn | Insight Timer
"That is why the ability to discern when you need softness and when you need structure, without making either wrong, is the real practice." 💯❤️