So I have to talk a bit about my pilates class. I've blogged before about how I adore the instructor and I have raved about him on Facebook. But I think most people are unaware of what pilates is and does, so I wanted to elaborate on my own personal experience.
First of all, I have had a neck issue that has caused my right arm to literally be smaller than my left. I was in pain for 8 months and had to get regular chiropractic treatments to fix or minimize the bulging disc (5.3mm) that was rendering me useless.
To further exacerbate my neck issues is my photography business. Carrying heavy equipment, hunkering in ungodly positions, thrusting my head forward the whole time in an unnatural way to get the shot. Followed by hours and hours of work in front of the computer with bad posture and bad form.
My life was a recipe for disaster.
During the therapy, I realized how my poor posture was making my issue worse. Even sitting in the car, my head was incorrectly resting, further aggravating my disc issue.
I think most of us underestimate the power of the core body. The core is your torso and all the muscles that hold you up. Now, I'm not educated in this, so my description is all in lay terms and likely not 100% accurate. But this is my story and my understanding. If you build your core, your internal "girdle" will be strong and hold you tall, correcting your posture and keeping you in correct form.
The Pilates instructor is new-ish to the dance studio I am at. His presence was abuzz as soon as he got there.
I was encouraged to take the class by the studio manager. So, I showed up with my little mat on the first day, and I was choking back tears. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to do some of the moves, or that I would be so weak that I would embarrass myself.
But as I sat in the class, ready to go, the instruction began with the first breath. Breath is so important, and he explained why we breathe in certain ways and what it does for us in the movement process.
As we proceeded to the movements, his instruction was finite. He explained things from the ground up. I totally understood how and why we were doing movements and what each movement would do for my body as I built my strength. He literally talks to me in a way I understand. It's almost elementary.
The reason this is so important to me, is because I have had a series of instructors who were more interested in sharing their day than letting me know the correct placement of my feet. I literally did a move wrong for a whole year in one of my old classes, because the instructor never said the weight of my body should be on my heals. A whole year wasted.... :(
So, trust me when I tell you the instruction is top notch. The movements are not big and hurky jerky. They are slow and precise with constant reminders of breath, position, shoulders down (that's usually for me).......
Yesterday while in the class, he did a form of side plank and then dipping under and back with the other hand. He showed modifications, which were unnecessary for me on the left side. But when it came to the right side, my arm was so shaky, I couldn't do it without the modification and I was so frustrated, I almost started welling up. He quickly explained the stabilizers in our body and how one of mine has become weak.
After class, I explained my frustrations about the shaking and his response surprised me. He said, "When I see shaking I get excited....because THEN, I know what to work on with you!" WOW....and just like that I felt like I had hope in my life again. He didn't tell me it's over. He said, you will get stronger, and I'll show you how!
My favorite thing in his class is he knows each of his students. As he is teaching the class, he is watching each of his students and learning about each one individually. He literally picked off each of our issues yesterday and told us what to focus on. I don't know why the wizard of Oz popped into my head, but I thought of the wizard telling the Lion, "You have courage...it's inside you" and the scarecrow that he has a brain, and the tinman a heart..... And I was Dorothy.....I had it in me all along....I just needed to believe....
I guess I can surmise that he is the wizard. Because he does make good things happen!!!
Who wouldn't want a wizard in their lives???
Happy Thursday
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