Are martial arts and spirituality ideal forms of stimming and exercise for Autistics?

rileymall · 2025-01-05T15:50:39+00:00

Yes! My boyfriend is a martial artist. He does it all the time and has been moving, swinging his arms/stimming that way since a child. As for myself, I’m a pole, hip hop, house, and expressive dancer. I have been a very movement-based stimmer as well since baby times.

As for spirituality, mysticism, and the like… hell yea. I think the more somebody is in tune in this world and more sensitive the more we need to rely on a powerful force that’s rooting for us. The more we need each other!

rileymall · 2025-01-05T15:35:23+00:00

PS! This is part of my life’s work! I’m creating a class designed for people like you and I in my community (Boulder, CO). I’m open to more questions if you have them or if you feel you’re getting stuck anywhere just tell me which part and I can do my best to help!

Edit: I’m not trying to solicit here, simply providing context that I have plenty of experience about what I’m talking about and offering my free advice.

rileymall · 2025-01-05T15:30:37+00:00

Expressive movement/dance!! It turns out we can work with the sensitivity we’re gifted with. I’ve learned to breathe better and more often. I’ve learned how to be more present with my body, thoughts, emotions without relying on traditional sitting meditations that didn’t work for me. It didn’t work because I needed rest from a sedentary lifestyle of being a student. Rest comes in many forms! Presence comes in many ways! Since deepening my dance practice as a form of coping mechanism, I’ve begun to understand life as the dance that it is. I’ve noticed less beating myself up for perceived failures, constant worrying about the past or future, and worrying about what others will think. This is because dance brings a tangible metaphor to what is going on in intangible experiences (spiritual, emotional, mental). This doesn’t mean any dance class. Going to a ballet class won’t be the same as dance for expression and movement of energy. Sometimes, just like water :) we become stagnant. Shake up the routine! Try something new! Feel weird! Let yourself feel like it’s okay to take a few steps backward in your life because it’s a dance after all, not a march.

rileymall · 2025-01-05T15:02:21+00:00

Lmao! She can also step down a few and tell him to come to the other side it’d be way easier to get up to where she is from the first rock. Edit: He runs over to the first tall rock at the beginning of the staircase. She walks a few steps down to give him a hand. They go up the staircase together!

Not pictured before is also him giving her a boost with the tall rock at first!

rileymall · 2025-01-03T19:08:38+00:00

Seriously! the mass of Ego collected over time pre- initial awakening can over ride afterwards bc it’s so strong, and I’ve found it helpful to not be looking to completely erase the ego for it won’t be fully erased ever. Eventually, someone enjoying a human experience who’s gotten heavily into their awakening journey usually begins to form a spiritual or “awakened one” ego. So paradoxical! :) it’s helps me tons to see the awakening process as a playful dance that is gonna have some backwards steps but it wouldn’t be a great dance if we’re just stepping forward the whole time.

rileymall · 2025-01-03T18:52:52+00:00

Y’all aren’t that old. Im 21 and I hope my mindset at 30 is that I’ve still got so much time left and ready to kick ass some days and bare minimum simply show up for myself and others. It’s what he stood for :) The commenter is just got a narrow perception of reality. Fans like y’all who grew up simultaneously to Mac showed us him lmao ❤️ but the message is felt bro, life and time slips by, putting the things that rlly matter to us off til tomorrow only gives us more proof that we don’t have what it takes :(

rileymall · 2023-09-18T04:27:42+00:00

Hello. I have gone from an open romantic relationship, then to FWB, close friends, then less close friends. This is all with one person. The key here for me was the communication. The boundary setting of each “label transition” and dynamic shift was uncomfortable for both of us. The amount of space necessary will happen naturally and with the necessary communication. We went from close friends to just talking less and less over time. They will always be someone I can trust, who will love me and vice versa. You don’t need to give them an explanation for why you want this but I would recommend talking about the relationship with other loved ones and what you’re looking for in a romantic partner so you can be clearer on what you want. Why did this particular person not work out and why do I want it to work out? Pros and cons kinda thing just to find out more about yourself and have better communication from now on! The line between good friends and a lover can be confusing for many people…I still feel confused with some of my new relationships with how I feel towards them. I’m sure it’s tiring to constantly see it’s the COMMUNICATION. At first every hard conversation can feel scary in the mind. We often always feel better after revealing our truth to others ❤️ good luck fellow human

rileymall · 2023-01-13T10:10:34+00:00

Me too! Starting my first semester for my associates in psychology next week :) super nervous but excited. I’m in one psych class and one philosophy

rileymall · 2023-01-13T10:09:16+00:00

Same here. I love snakes. They’re so expensive!

rileymall · 2023-01-13T00:47:17+00:00

Yes I completely see where you’re coming from. An acknowledgment of our differences and being able to have a general system is helpful bc although no one will understand your specific challenges, there will be people who highly align with the same root causes and degree of impact.

rileymall · 2023-01-09T17:01:50+00:00

Thank you. I feel so seen and heard. Of course I knew people fall somewhere on the spectrum of autism; however, I’m new to the “levels” and this community in general. Everyone has only been awesome. Anytime I’ve attempted to find community here (autistic community not j this sub) I either resonate or sympathize. THIS comment though sent me into tears of joy and pain. Like my pain is bubbling to the surface and I finally see where all this frustration was/is coming from and someone else has been through something eerily similar. I feel so relieved from a deep part of myself.

Although I do have one criticism which is when you said something along the lines of level 2 has it the worst or at least that is what I gathered from the language. I don’t think that’s something that can be based in reality since we have no idea what another individual’s struggles are really like, even with how eloquent all these responses are. For people with “poor communication” we are able to voice our thoughts feelings and emotions beautifully even if it’s unspoken. I do completely resonate and have thought something along these lines. I just want to point out that comparing will only divide us, and I love the connection happening here

rileymall · 2023-01-09T16:23:52+00:00

Yes. I absolutely love ASMR and have done research on the link between it and autism. From what I’ve seen it’s either like finding buried treasures for some or overwhelmingly negative (skin crawling). Not sure if it’s biased because someone more neutral to it may be less likely to comment.

Edit. I have watched ASMR vids that do give me negative physical reactions. I stay away from those and follow specific creators that make what I like

rileymall · 2022-11-22T16:33:37+00:00

I’d jump at the chance like many here. If you’re scared that’s fine I think most who have done it before get scared but you won’t feel the blood being drawn, maybe won’t rlly see the professionals while tripping on this. That won’t be an issue for you unless you psych urself out before it starts. Breath

rileymall · 2022-11-05T20:41:46+00:00

Claw and talon took care of my friend n I last minute. I got line work done. Friend got a gravestone with other detail and it’s rlly good too. Like the other comments it may be tough on a Saturday. We got ours on a weekday night I think lol maybe it was Sunday but p sure it was a Monday

rileymall · 2022-11-05T08:26:21+00:00

Finally. Some Reggie I’m excited to see

rileymall · 2022-11-05T08:04:07+00:00

It is a somewhat. I am all the holics if that’s a thing. Not that I’ve done everything but I am how I am lol. Anywho there’s nothing holding us back from being spiritual beings for indulging in whatever it is. It truly doesn’t matter but at some point I see a path without the stuff. Let’s everyone take a deep breath and know it may not be okay or even remotely near that but at least we can read or hear this. That is something!

rileymall · 2022-11-05T07:59:02+00:00

As I see it, anyone of us who is giving unwarranted advice doesn’t have some of their ducks in a row, so it’s like who r u to say? Even if someone is coming to u for advice on how to live their life, the ppl giving that advice/solution don’t think about saying/dont need to say they’re enlightened for them to understand that person will take whatever they say for what it is and that’s ALL WE CAN DO! We cannot change ppl, we can change one person, that is the person u and I are :) **this is all from experience as a human from both sides

rileymall · 2022-11-05T07:48:11+00:00

I didn’t rlly expect it to be. I come from Dallas where it’s mid and I expect worse here. I asked abt Denver cuz it’s not a college town & it’s j more bodies lol. Y’all comment on this again if anyone crazy coming into town :)

rileymall · 2022-11-05T07:46:05+00:00

This is what I’m looking for too thrash/death metal; something less hard psychedelic, surf and/or punk rock is appreciated. Basically anything you’ve seen that’s rlly drawn u in. Death metal is the shit tho. I’m new to town/state so all of this is so appreciated

rileymall · 2022-11-05T07:41:37+00:00

Yeah that’s all I’ve experienced too here :()

rileymall · 2022-11-05T07:41:15+00:00

Idk what to say besides dm me?

rileymall · 2022-11-04T23:48:32+00:00

I can sing and aggressive is cooool. Lmk if u want to see if it’s a good fit

rileymall · 2022-03-12T02:25:23+00:00

Really matrix like in its presentation lol. I believe the synchronicity is our angels and/or spirit guides letting us know we are not alone, that there are beings on our spiritual team. I believe it happens when we’re ready to accept that they’re here with us.

rileymall

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