Joseph Pilates Inspires My Pilates Life, My Mummy Life & Me!
In this weekly Blog Series, I will be sharing insights into My Pilates Life as a Pilates Studio owner, Teacher, Student, Mum to boys and Polestar Pilates Educator. I will bring to life some of my favourite Joseph Pilates quotes, what they mean to me and how relevant his message still is!
Patience and Persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavour.
Joseph Pilates
Today I did full unmodified, no filter Neck Pull for the first time in 14 years! It felt amazing! Pilates Teachers you get what this means!! Regulars at Pilates Mat classes it’s like the Roll-up with a sting in its tail! I didn’t realise until today that I had a limiting belief that I wouldn’t ever be able to do it and that would somehow just be ok. That is so not me. It’s so not ok! I don’t make a habit of limiting myself, or so I thought! This one snuck up on me.
I can’t lie, I actually shed a tear - it means that much to me. The reason this is such a big deal for me, is because I have Diastasis Recti. This is where your six pack muscle separate along the line of your linea alba (this muscle is a big deal for Neck Pull because it is responsible for a big part of the movement). This initially happened to me while I was pregnant with my eldest son Arran 14 years ago and when I had two further beautiful boys Harris 9 and Ewan 5, and to compound the condition further I had major abdominal surgery 2 years ago. I’ve worked really hard to heal myself, work with it, understand it and educate others how to prevent and heal themselves! I have consistently worked on myself not only through daily Pilates but also Transformational Breathing, Hypnotherapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Yoga, Coaching and Personal Training. In this time I’ve managed so much of the Pilates repertoire but this one exercise has eluded me, until today!
The difference in the last year is that I have upped the ante and I started the year with a deeper sense of determination to own it and step up mentally and physically. I embarked on a master mentorship with Lolita San Miguel who had the honour of training and certifying with Joseph Pilates himself. This has me traveling solo to Florida and learning some repertoire that is new to me. So as I approach my 40th year I am starting something new, traveling for the first time and discovering myself again. No limits!
Pilates is not just a method of exercise it is a way of life and a belief system. I so strongly believe that patience and perseverance work! It might be 6 months or 14 years to achieve your goal, you don’t know when that awesome moment will occur, when you achieve that incredibly advanced Pilates movement that has eluded you for so long! But when that moment arrives you will be so grateful you persevered.
Claire Sparrow
@clairepilates
