#06 Show me something beautiful

Wolfgang A. Mozart spent almost two years composing the opera The Marriage of Figaro. That´s longer than some marriages last nowadays. War and Peace, regarded as one of the greatest novels ever written, took Leo Tolstoy six years to finish. And Leonardo da Vinci worked on the world´s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, from 1503 until his death in 1519.

Three distinct masterpieces with one thing in common: tremendous willpower of the creator.

To work with all your heart on something difficult takes courage. Because you will fail from time to time. So you need resilience. Fall, learn, stand up and try again. And you need tenacity. Because you will fall not only once but countless times. And then, hopefully, you are bold enough. Because people will point their fingers at you, maybe laugh at you, or won´t believe in you.

To work with all your heart on something difficult, you need discipline.

Infinite discipline.

And I think this is what masterpieces are made of. We are intrigued and inspired by a piece of art when we recognize something bigger than the obvious. When a piece of music, a painting, or a book tells a story that only we can hear in our mind. This is the magic of art.

And it doesn't matter if it takes the artist one day or ten years to create it, but how much of their life is in it. Art is captivating when we find ourselves in it. When it makes us feel alive.

Pilates is an art form.

At least to me.

Joseph Pilates, the creator of this movement form, initially called his exercise method Contrology.

His boundless determination and belief that “Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit” still captivates people worldwide.

He dedicated his life to it.

And you can feel it when you practice classical Pilates.

Every Pilates class tells a new story about yourself. Because every day is different, and your body feels different. You explore something new and revisit old patterns. You will strengthen what's already there and seek what has not yet been found.

When you devote undivided attention to your body, you will be surprised at what stories it has to tell you. It will uncover your beauty and reveal your dark side. You will succeed and feel defeated.

Show me something beautiful.

This is one sentence my teacher says in almost every Pilates class. And we all know that he does not mean to look pretty. No, not at all. When he says that, it is time to remember everything we have learned and faithfully listen to our bodies. It is an invitation to try something difficult with all our hearts. It´s a call to believe in what we know, test it and extend it.

“Show me something beautiful” asks for having the courage to try.

It´ll prove your tenacity and your boldness. And every failure will test how much discipline is left.

To create something beautiful, there has to be a struggle. Otherwise, it´s not even worth doing it at all. A great piece of art is born from years of trying, exploring, and failing. And you know when you are there when suddenly a difficult thing feels easy.

I have been practicing Pilates for over a decade and teaching for years. Yet I'm far away from mastering the Art of Pilates. I'm still struggling and failing in almost every class. I´m still exploring new things about myself. About my body and my mind.

I have moments of feeling defeated by cramping muscles. Moments when I ask myself, “why suffer?”. Moments of wanting to give up and eat chocolate cookies. Moments of frustration because you see others grow while you feel falling behind. Feeling tired and empty. Feeling destroyed.

And then, all of a sudden, the magic happens.

After all the struggle and pain, you give it one more try, and suddenly, it feels effortless. It feels great.

You are in control of your body and your mind. You feel strong. You feel empowered.

You feel like nothing in this world can stop you now.

…and then your teacher comes up with a new variation of the exercise, and you have to start all over again.

Be grateful for these teachers.

Even if you hate them sometimes for making you suffer.

They are your key to creating your own masterpiece.