Pilates has been an integral part of my fitness routine for over 20 years. Venues have varied from dusty village halls with ineffective overhead heaters, with confetti lurking under benches from weekend weddings. Many community halls have a stale, musty residue from decades of after school clubs, Scouts, Brownies, WRI and countless community council meetings. School halls can have a whiff of smelly mops, hastily rinsed, leaving sour streaks across a well worn floor.
Pilates instructors have also been an interesting mix, but the highly skilled practitioners stand out head and shoulders above those who have questionable practices. Two who stand out for me are Natalie Garry from DanceSing and Lisa Hain, both of whom teach Body Control Pilates, a concept devised by Joseph Pilates who said “Every moment of our life can be the beginning of great things”; “Change happens through movement and movement heals.” and “Pilates is complete coordination of mind, body and spirit.”
Poor mental health can have a detrimental impact on our physical and emotional wellness, and when a physical injury or trauma occurs, the impact on mental health can be overlooked. This year I have read, “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel van der Kolk, and “When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress.” by Gabor Maté. Both authors provide anecdotal and scientific evidence on how bodies hold onto pain through trauma, which can sometimes manifest later in life by attacking the immune system resulting in an increased likelihood of cancer, MS, MND, and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
When I am fully engaged in a Pilates class, my mind is focussed on intense stretching, perfectly aligned balance and closely supervised posture. I leave every session feeling uncurled, almost taller, as each specific area of the body like the soles of our feet, our abs, glutes, triceps and most importantly of all, lungs as we inhale deeply ‘to the back and side of our rib cages’ have been given a good workout.
Pilates is fun, we use a wide range of equipment to enhance the exercises: large inflated Swiss balls, small squishy balls, mats, rings, foam rollers, tennis balls and even golf balls. But there are times when Lisa will take us back to basic mat work, with no equipment other than our determination to perform to the best of our ability, all the while pushing a wee bit harder.
Going back to basics on the Pilates mat, recently, prompted me to return to some focused questioning for some clients for whom I was in danger of mentoring, rather than coaching. Using a series of common coaching questions, I allowed the silence to carry the weight reassuring clients there is no right or wrong answer, that their response comes from a place of deep understanding, which is only successful when the coach/client relationship has been established with trust and empathy.
Today during a peer supervision call I was asked what I was struggling with, specifically in respect of team coaching. My throat constricted, tears welled up and yet there was also a sense of relief that an excellent coach, who has become a trusted friend, recognised that I was stuck. The relief was palpable and as I shared my brief story, I knew I was in a safe space, that the thing holding me back was me, and I could choose to address that or ignore it. I now have a plan, a timescale and a renewed sense of focus to achieve one particular task: to complete my essay for team coaching accreditation.
“Coaching is the bridge between where you think you are and where you know you need to go, moving you from managing your life, to being the lead role in your life.” Neil Keeler
In our small seaside town, an array of local services and independent businesses have fine honed their skills, engaged with the local business and social community, maintained faith in their product, and generated a consistent presence inviting locals and tourists to buy.
The time is right to return to basics: to take care of each other, to shop locally, to look for an expert who might be living next door, or working steadfastly in the community, to lean into our integrity by “choosing what’s right over what’s fun fast or easy; and it’s practicing your values, not just professing them.” Brene Brown.
I am accepting new clients for coaching up to and including 21st December, when I will close for the festive break reopening on Wednesday 4th January.
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