introducing...

As you may have noticed, we have re-branded ourselves with the name Pilates Inspired Practice. I’d love to take this moment to share with you why I’m so very excited about it and what it means to me

Let’s start with the ‘practice’ part. What is a movement practice?  It is the beginning of a wonderful moment when we decide to invest in the way our bodies move and take responsibility for how the movement makes us feel. It means we trust ourselves to move in a way that is good for us. It means we value our bodies so much that we will carve time out of our busy days to play. To stretch. To strengthen. To massage. To try to not only listen to what we feel like we need but also feel empowered to deliver what is needed. To know that we are our own best teacher. It is part of any weekly class or session you attend and it moves beyond that into your own investigations at home. 

My intention with these videos is to help
​ amplify and support your movement practice. 

I recently had a quick conversation with a client who uses both the online videos and attends classes. Though it was brief, the talk has stuck with me because I think her experience demonstrates what I believe to be the essence of a movement practice:  learning how to move with an intention to listen and having an honest conversation with oneself.  She said that at home, she find its it difficult to do as many repetitions as we do in some of the videos but in class, she can much more easily find the discipline to continue. What is the difference? At home no one is watching. No one will know if we go into Child’s Pose or just collapse on the floor. No one will also know if we do even more repetitions. So what do we do? What does it mean to experience movement when no one is watching? When no one is judging?  We get to have a deeply personal conversation with ourselves. Can I hold this plank and breath and feel good about where I am?  Or do I need to come out and relax? Can I answer this question honestly and trust the answer and not feel guilty? Or on the other hand not push myself too far? I love this internal dialogue. Some of us will find that this comes more easily than others. Some days will be clearer than others. But this is the essence of a movement practice! To listen, respect, and learn how to take care of ourselves. And when we move with an intention to listen we will learn each and every time we practice. We’ll move from a place of awareness as opposed to a place of trying to get somewhere. The plank is not ultimately the point.  The number of repetitions is meaningless. The point is how we get there and our experience in it. 

So on to the ‘Pilates inspired’ part. I think it’s important to say Pilates inspired because the tradition and spirit of the content in the videos is deeply Pilates-based.  But I also feel that I have strayed far from the confines of a traditional Pilates class and want to honor the other types of movements I’ve picked up along my way as the efficient and effective additions to the practice that they are. 

Because ultimately, we move to feel better. 
​We move because we are built to move.  

So how important is it to name the technique?  I often wonder about this and honestly don’t know the answer but for us now, I believe the name of the technique matters less than what is delivered. I have the utmost respect, appreciation and love for the Pilates tradition.  And I hope that both what I have gleaned from the Pilates world and also the added bits from yoga, self-massage, fitness, dance, etc. are as helpful for you as they have been for me. 

Pilates Inspired Practice is a space to help us on our journey to get to know our bodies.
I hope we will learn how to move well, how to strengthen our system,
and how to make space and ease in the body the new normal
​so we can go about enjoying our lives and enjoying the movement of life!