#16 My Love to Move

As I’m preparing for a move to a new place, feelings of an innate desire to move lightly arise. While cleaning out my old home, I realize how much unnecessary baggage I have collected over the past two years. Literally and figuratively. So, as I start packing up the old me, I’m shedding old mental clutter, creating space for new beginnings.

To move my mind, I must move my body.

This is why I do Pilates. This is why I love to move.

Moving forward

Pilates is more than just a workout. To me, Pilates is a lifestyle, and it has taught me invaluable lessons over the 13 years I’ve been practicing. From the very beginning, I felt something unique about it.

At first, I was simply amazed by the physical benefits of Pilates. But very soon, I realized that there was more. There is some genius in the classical method. Something that doesn’t only move the body but teaches important life skills.

Pilates is my place of structure and order in a world full of chaos. It resets my mind and reboots my internal systems in some magical way. After Pilates, I am a different person, maybe even a better person.

My Happy Place

I love the smell of the leather, the cool of the metal, the sound of the springs, and the rhythm of each exercise that transforms a workout into an endless and harmonious dance between body and soul.

Pilates makes me feel strong. Physically and mentally. The combination of raw physical effort and calm concentration made me fall in love with the method. It has taught me that you can´t force anything, either in Pilates or in life.

The method is my daily reminder that the only way to grow is to show up and do the work. This includes training the body to become stronger and using your brain to understand better. Learn and sharpen your mind, be aware of yourself and the world around you.

Student and Teacher

Every Pilates class is a lesson, whether I´m the teacher or the student.

When working with clients, I see them as a wonderful conundrum that wants to be deciphered, ready to untangle the senseless and embrace the beauty of imperfection. Every student has a unique way of exploring and learning. It´s the task of us teachers to give them the right tools for their quests.

We, the teachers, guide but never force; we inspire people instead of entertaining them; we carefully challenge and celebrate sincerely.

Pilates means to do the work and let change happen. It means to stop resisting and giving yourself over the process. It means moving forward, no matter how slow and small the steps are.

Moving the body will also move the mind. Sometimes an overload of physical and mental stimulation through Pilates or any other practice can be intimidating, confusing, and overwhelming. As life can be. Pilates helps me build resilience, prepare to cope better, and be calmer in challenging times.

Even though I have been doing Pilates myself for over a decade, I still experience moments of utter thrill and humbling frustration. Sometimes within one class of 60 minutes of my own practice. It creates a genuine love for learning, a genuine love to move, and a desire to remain a student in Pilates and life itself.

I believe we all need teachers in our life and that they can appear in many different ways. Be aware of whom you trust and from whom you want to learn. Not every teacher is the right one for you. Trust your gut; the universe will send you the right teacher at the right time.

What Pilates has taught me

Patience and Persistence

Nothing can be forced. Everything can be achieved.

I have been kind of flexible my entire life, but I couldn’t do a full front split when I started my teacher training. The front split on the Reformer is part of the classical order. I wanted to give my best and forced myself into a deeper stretch during a training session. I went too far and pulled my left hamstring muscle. It took me months to fully recover.

Several years and countless training sessions later - at 36 - I did my first full front split. Effortlessly. Unforced. It taught me to be patient. It showed me that good things take time.

Endurance and Trust

Show up, do the work, and let change happen.

As someone who loves order, structure, and control, I’m reluctant to throw myself into big uncertainties. I think that without Pilates, I would have never dared to get a divorce.

When you go through a divorce, literally everything in your life will change. Everything. And you will face things you could not even imagine. You will feel things you were not even aware you were capable of feeling. I was riding an emotional rollercoaster during this process, alternating between feeling relieved and overwhelmed.

Motivating yourself is challenging when you are tired, and your body feels heavy from not sleeping. However, I came to realize how important it was to continue showing up, no matter how difficult it felt. Even if it’s hard, keep going. One step at a time.

Pilates kept me sane and strong in the most difficult years of my life. When everything around me was chaos, I could still trust my practice. And trust myself.