As we enter springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, I look upon my favorite season with different eyes this year. There is much happening in our national and global community that is making headlines and hitting home. I see this season of rejuvenation as an opportunity to uncluttered our minds and lives – to continue living and moving with renewed focus and attention upon that which truly matters. Now is the ideal time to ease anxieties by taking a breath to offer encouragement rather than to utter complaint, to calm the mind and body rather than fuel anxious overdrive, and to lead movement forward rather than seeding stagnation. Let’s all spend this time to build and support family and community.
While taking care of each other, we must not neglect caring for ourselves. This may mean a few moments of quiet reflection or an uninterrupted, focused Pilates practice. We must allow ourselves self-care with the grace and non-judgement we offer others. This allowance may also look like approaching our daily or weekly rituals as not only a means to strengthen ourselves physically, but to also strengthen our mental and emotional states, character, and resolve to be stronger links in the worldwide chain of connection.
Personally, I plan to direct my energies to family, health and practice. As I turn to my own practice, and assist others in deepening theirs, I’m reminded of a well-known quote by Martha Graham:
All that is important is this one moment in movement. Make the moment important, vital, and worth living. Do not let it slip away unnoticed and unused.
These amazing words guide and voice permission to completely invest in each moment and movement as they are happening. They are particularly helpful when we find ourselves running through motions looking toward what is next or with thoughts about what happened before. They offer grounding in the present. Within our physical Pilates practice, the concept of utter presence serves to bring the mind, body, and spirit to the practice to integrate and honor the movement and the details that make up the whole. Thus, creating the perfect opportunity to tune into the many levels of ourselves to move and accomplish something complete. I wholeheartedly believe this ability carries over through the rest of our lives.
And so, dear friends and clients, I hope that you are also able to see this season as a time of renewed life and an opportunity to simplify and realign your focus on that which is truly most important to you. We at Body Works Pilates are honored to hold space for you to care for and truly be present in the moments (and movements) you spend with us. The Body Works community supports one another like family. Thank you for being a part of the whole.
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