Joseph Pilates once said; “It is the mind itself which shapes the body.”
The other day before class, we were chatting about our Pilates Evolution. Without a doubt our bodies have changed. Strength, Posture, Flexibility – all the things that Pilates promises and surely delivers. But we all agreed that Awareness has been the greatest gift. It begins on the mat. Years on the mat. And through the practice of caring for our bodies, we learned about ourselves.
I thought that this would be the best place to start. Reflecting on this journey towards Awareness.
Throughout my life I was always involved in sports. My father was extremely athletic and always encouraged us, especially in Basketball. Junior year I made the Varsity Basketball team, and to my dismay, rarely made it in the game. Halfway through the season the athletic director called me into his office and told me that it was a waste that I was playing basketball. He told me I was a runner. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but decided to take his advice and switch to indoor track. Running became my life.
In September 1999 I ventured off to college on a running scholarship. I wasn’t the best runner on my team, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was recruited by several Division 1 Colleges. It was an exciting time.
My first year of college was thrilling. But it soon became clear that the majority of my life at college would be consumed with running. During a typical day, we would run 3 miles in the morning, head to classes and then meet for another workout in the afternoon. This might be a track workout or a distance run. After that we would hit the weight room or the pool. I loved my teammates and there was time for fun, but running was like a job.
When I came home for the holidays I fielded a lot of questions about my weight. I had always been slim, but at this point I was at the lowest weight I had ever been. At the time I was only 18, and I didn’t know (or care) about the stress I was putting on my body.
Sophomore year I achieved a huge accomplishment. I was named All-Conference, which means I placed in the top 5 in the entire Northeast Conference. I was at the top of my game and at the same time extremely unhealthy.
I could write an entire post about my experience with running (and someday I will), but that was just the beginning of my journey. That was my first step onto the Awareness Bridge.
In my 20s I didn’t really believe in exercise that wasn’t painful. But I had also learned that this type of work was not healthy or sustainable. I didn’t know anything about Pilates at the time, but somehow his words were shaping my path; the mind itself shapes the body.
My first experience with Pilates was at a small studio in Albany. I came expecting stretching and realized it was a lot more. This work was appealing to me because it felt good, but was also challenging. After only a few months into this new practice, my teacher told me she was moving. This discouraged me and I almost gave up on Pilates. But something kept calling me back. It was the idea that exercise could be more than just the physical workout. I wanted to learn more.
When people tell me they are interested in becoming a Pilates instructor, I tell them to first take classes from as many different teachers as they can. Each person has a style and a unique perspective. Some you will favor, others you won’t, but you will learn from each of them.
It was in 2008 that I met Kay Fuller. She was 71, a former ballerina and my new Pilates Instructor. This was where the real adventure began.
to be continued…
