Why do you do Parkour?

So to start this blog off we asked some of the Glasgow Parkour Girls Why they do Parkour?
Here are 4 very different and interesting answers:

Lauren: ‘I mainly got into parkour because Peter introduced me to it but also because when I was younger I would vault a fence without a second thought and climb trees/walls with no qualms, the sorts of things that you do in parkour. I miss that carefree, ‘laugh in the face of danger’ attitude. When you get older some sort of grown up fear takes over and you get scared of relying on your own body, so I believe doing parkour will help keep me young, cheery and fun! Also, it’s like a form of self defense, or self maintenance rather. If you ever need to get away then parkour equips you to do so.’

Rachel:  ‘It is fun, good exercise and I have made a great circle of friends. I like the fact it is outdoors as the fresh air has definitely helped with my overall health (despite the fact im currently ill yet again) . It also gives a good sense of achievement when you can see you have progressed and probably a little bit of adrenalin when you managed to do something which has scared you witless’

Kell: ‘Several ways to answer that- I started after a shoulder injury. After a few dislocations, I had been told that my shoulder would need surgery if it happened again, I gradually became completely of terrified of the surgery and of hurting myself. So much so it started taking over my life and restricting what I would do (I was afraid of handstands). Anyway, after trying a few other things (yoga, running), I had a go at parkour as a way to get over/ face irrational fears. I found a class back home in Melbourne, and that was that. (Not long after, I managed to look at the idea of surgery more impartially, and went ahead with it.)

I continue as a way to overcome fear, and also as some that functions almost as a microcosm of life generally- that is, it’s something that is scary and frustrating, but also wildly rewarding if you put the work in. In some ways I can turn to it (almost as a metaphor) when I’m facing other challenges in my life. That is, I can look at all the things that used to seem impossible in my training but weren’t, things that I made possible, and apply that to whatever else is challenging me.

Also, it’s a meditative/ experiential practice. The loss of self-conciousness of self (when it’s going well,) or flow states are what I’m aiming for, what I’m chasing and they provide balance and perspective for the rest of my life. (I could go on and on here about my parkour practice vs my art practice, but i won’t.)’

Fiona: ‘Basically I do parkour because it’s so much fun. It’s funny because it’s not the sort of thing I’d ever imagined myself doing… I actually find it really addictive. Even though I’m not very good at it, I’d be really sad at the thought of not doing it anymore. I find it really exciting and empowering – I can do things I never thought I’d be able to do, and it’s easy to see progress since I first started. I really like the idea that there’s lots more to learn and do but that’s there no real rush for me to get there. I enjoy that it’s a more individual focused rather than say a team sport. Parkour makes me happy, and I do feel good about myself because of it. I’m really proud of doing parkour as it was huge personal achievement for me to do it as it was so out of my personal comfort zone, and at the time I was quite timid’