Pause, Pleasure and Pilates

Ritual N. The established form for a ceremony. A way of doing something in which the same actions are done in the same way every time. 

The transformative power of ritual can transform not just your health but your whole way of being. It’s about celebrating the habitual and making a ceremony out of the everyday. A ritual doesn’t have to be complicated, it could simply be a moment of pause, repeated daily or as often as you can. It could be a nightly bath, a walk through the park, or a daily Pilates session.

In our busy, fast paced world, carving out pockets of pause and pleasure is a necessary act of self care. Joy is not a “nice to have '' but a key Ingredient to building resilience and good mental and physical health. 

Pilates is perfect for this, especially a one-on-one session, where it’s just you and the instructor. For that hour, you can shut out the rest of the world and focus only on what’s in front of you- the stretch and tone of your muscles, the deepness of your breath, the warmth of your body as you move from one transition to the next. This mind body exercise can become a meditation of sorts, a beautiful and peaceful ritual where you give your body and mind the message that you are worthy of love, worthy of self care, and worthy of the strength and resiliency you are building on the mat. 

Pilates restores. It gives me purpose, not just because I run the studio but because Pilates is a way of life, a way of moving with ease through the world with my head up and my posture strong. Pilates is just one of my rituals, but one I can't live without!

Whenever you find something that is restorative and life-giving, set aside time for it whenever you can and return to it whenever you are feeling stressed, drained, burnt out, or in need of something more. Whether it's through movement, meditation or another form of self care, don't forget to prioritize yourself.  You can only give others what you pour into yourself. 

How do you practice self-care on the regular?