This post has been percolating in my head for a wee while now and I managed to get some great photos to send my message across. It also coincides with the August #bearyourownweight challenge which I though was the perfect opportunity to get these words out into the world instead of in my head.
Before I became a mother, I didn’t do much in the way of exercise or movement. I started running a good few months before I fell pregnant but that was about it. I did carry on running throughout my pregnancy, but it was the discovery of Pilates that was the most life changing. So, life changing in fact that a year after having my daughter I decided to train as a Pilates teacher. It took me a year to get my qualification, juggling studying and motherhood and massaging, and as most of you moms know, it can be a bit of a juggle, but I managed and I haven’t looked back since.
Pilates has been a constant learning process, about my own body and others. Allowing natural movement to occur correctly and strengthening at the same time. I was a weakling! I look at myself and my abilities now and it is quite an amazing difference between 7 years ago and now. Pilates was the starting point in beginning to trust my own body, both mentally and physically. Emotionally, I have always been pretty good at listening, sometimes not acting, but listening;-)
One of my most favourite things about doing Pilates, is having the knowledge that exercise makes a huge difference in ones life. It keeps the joints loose, muscles strong and body happy. Less aches and pains and the joy at accomplishing a new move with ones own body weight – priceless. And to be able to pass that on to my daughter. I hope that I am instilling a love of movement into her so that when she grows up, there is an awareness of what makes the body beautiful. It is not make up and clothes and what others think, it is the beauty of being able. Beauty from the inside. I hope to instill the love of challenging her own body and mind, in not accepting ‘I can’t do it’ . I hope to instill the joy of working through fear even if that fear can be debilitating at times. But for her to KNOW inside and out that fear is just a feeling and it can be overcome in some way or another. I hope to instill joy in her body so that when the ‘I’m not good enough voice’ arises, she can hear it, acknowledge it and then let it go because she knows that IN her she is good enough. Better. Perfect as she is and unique. And with movement, I do believe that this can be achieved at any age.
I, currently, am 37. I am strong and happy with who I am, it may have taken me a little while to be content with who I am, but I am here, take it or leave it. And being able to do things that I NEVER imagined I would be de doing or be ABLE to do, just proves that at any age you can hand yourself a challenge, work towards it and prove to yourself that anything is possible. Aerial Silks is challenging both physically and mentally, doing drops is NOT my most favourite thing as you have to let go of the fear, Let it go and just drop knowing that you are safe and to trust the body. It brings to mind exactly what life is like. Sometimes one just has to LET GO and LET IT BE. Life lessons through movement.
One of the many blessings of being a mother? Being able to pass this on to my daughter. Being able to share this experience with her. Unique, brave and purely awesome, I hope that the joy of movement stays with her as she walks this path called life.
