Joseph Pilates is famous for his ingenious creation of a physical fitness system developed in the early 1900's, named after whom it was made. Today so many contrology and Pilates teachers, including myself, lead their students with a deep routed appreciation of him, his knowledge and his reason for helping so many people. I find myself constantly influenced by Pilates quote, "Change happens through movement and movement heals."
Today, I am 37 years old. I was once a child whose parents parented with the sense that "kids should be kids." Heck yeah... I played ghost in the graveyard, threw a ball over and over again until it landed up and over our 16 foot high garage, swam in the pool all day until my fingers looked like raisins and my lips turned purple. I lived in upstate New York in a small city that fortunately had an amazing ballet school. I danced and danced and danced. In the dance studio mostly, but also in my driveway, in the yard, in the pool and even in my chair as I ate my supper. Nothing else seemed to matter. Not my softball team, the flute, or even sometimes my books. At 12 years old, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be a professional ballerina.
I became a professional ballet dancer at 19. It was everything I thought it would be, plus more. Everyday I was fortunate to wake up, climb out of bed, go to the studio and dance. I danced my heart out until one day when I ruptured the tendon in my foot that attached to my big toe. I couldn't even walk. I tried to dance in my sneakers for the next 2 days until I realized that even doing that limited my movement further and caused me excruciating pain. I had surgery days later and was unable to dance for 9 months. This was the first time I learned what my body felt like with a lack of my "normal" movement. I didn't like it one bit.
I rehabbed my ankle post surgery like my life depended on it. My body craved any kind of movement in order to heal. This is when Pilates was recommended to me for the first time. Previously, I had taken stretch and strength classes, fitness classes, and been to the gym numerous times, but none of it compared to what I had just discovered with Pilates. Pilates enabled me to move and breathe in a manner that invigorated me to keep positive and eager to fight for full recovery. Pilates taught me about muscles I never knew I had. I became physically and mentally stronger due to Pilates. After 9 months of healing, I returned to professional ballet. In the years following, I went on to have some of my most memorable and successful days as a professional ballerina.
Regardless of this one episode, I continued on to have more injuries, another surgery, and mentally and physically stressful and anxious times in the days ahead. These vulnerable times always moved me back to Pilates and Pilates always moved me to heal.
Movement in all of its forms roots me, humbles me and has become a way of life for me that gives me purpose. I hope as your teacher, I can help you live your very best life. Whatever time of day we work together, I can't wait to share dedicated time just for you. With time, accountability and movement I guarantee you will feel more alive and present in the everyday.
