THE FIRST REQUISITE (Part I)

As the new Autumn term is starting in the studio I get to set my intentions and clarify purpose, motives and themes for the courses I teach.

I absolutely love this process!

Re-evaluating helps me to re-examine WHAT I do, WHY I do it and HOW I want to do it.
It helps me become crystal clear about what I want for the term.

It also fuels me, motivates me, re-sparks my passion and fills me with good energy & curiosity to learn more and know more! 😊

The overall frame of "what I do" doesn't really change but it does evolve:

New information, better understanding, new words & ways to explain, new perspectives, new knowledge to integrate, different and new ways to connect and respond to needs ...

If you are taking classes in the studio or thinking of joining, it is important that you understand WHY and WHAT the studio stands for & for me to explain HOW we teach.

I'd like to share it with you.

There is a famous and much used Joseph Pilates quote,

" Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness."

These are the words of Mr. Joseph Pilates - a man burn in 1883 in Germany, emigrated to the USA in the early 1920s and died in 1967.

*I* on the other hand, am a woman living in the 21st century and I'm teaching Mr. Pilates "Body Conditioning" method - formally known as "Contrology" -which nowadays we call "The Pilates Method", or simply Pilates.

I am not ignoring the words of the master and founder of the method I teach, but admittedly I do have a bit of different view that deviates from the above quote as our human knowledge had expanded, science had advanced, and there have been quite a few cultural changes too...

With the aim of explaining the studio's approach and my teaching, let's talk about this "Physical Fitness" for a moment:

“ Physical Fitness ”

The term "Fitness" seem to be used nowadays very loosely and "being fit" would mean different things to different people.

When people tell me "I want to fit" I ask:

"Fit for what?" 

What it is that YOU want to be able to do with ease (with no pain or discomfort)?

Over the many years I've been teaching I heard many different answers from different people about what they want to be able to do:

• Go on The Camino de Santiago walk.
• Be able to pick-up & play with their kids or grand-kids.
• Keep working in the garden.
• Improve hose riding skills.
• Prepare for childbirth.
• Go back to running (or any other physical activity they used to do).
• Regain ability for day-to-day activities after surgery.
• Prepare for upcoming surgery to shorten recovery time after.

The list goes on and on from the simplest of activities like sleep comfortably or be able to sit & stand with ease to running a marathon or an Iron-man Triathlon.

My point is that "physical fitness" means many things.

It's YOU that gets to define it for yourself.

It's Your Life, Your Body, Your Needs, Your Desires, Your Goals. YOU. 
Not some abstract concept of fitness...

AND THE STUDIO IS HERE TO HELP YOU!

It Is Our Job To Help You Carve A Path Of Possibilities.

[And we take our job very seriously]

It is our job even if, ESPECIALLY IF, you feel stuck.

🚩 If you don't know where to start,

🚩 If you're not sure what you need,

🚩 If you're overwhelmed, stressed, in pain, tired, exhausted, confused, can't see a way out, don't know what to do...

The studio provide a container filled with expert skills, knowledge, tools, strategies and instructions without any of the outside noise, distractions and/or pressures.

✔ Have the space and time you need for yourself. 

✔ Learn how to regulate your nervous system to de-stress & release unnecessary tension.

✔ Understand your body better and know what is needed to keep it strong, mobile, balanced & healthy.

✔ Find different, more aligned, robust and efficient patterns of movement to help you carry yourself (hello 'posture') through any activity you choose pain-free, with ease & integrity.

End of Part I

Coming up, in Part II:

I'll be talking about the "Happiness" part of Joe Pilates' quote and what *I* mean when I say:

" Feeling good in yourself AS you feel good in your body " ...

I want to take the opportunity to say ♡ THANK YOU ♡ to all of you that had joined the September courses - I feel honoured and privileged to have you in the studio and am so excited to work with you!

Kindly yours,

 Aoifeღ