A short story of how we will keep going with the flow!
Trust God, Clean House, Help Others. This is a mantra I’ve had for years. It has been blocked by many distractions, work, raising a family, the most desperate times and the best of times. We do what we can. Born of this motivation to trust was TriPilates.
Private Pilates lessons had proven to be the exact self-care I needed to give me strength, compassion, humility, balance, and resilient energy to walk through a busy life. After certification many years in the making, I was teaching in my basement, mat class at a local dance studio, and driving downtown where I started. It became too much to juggle with my four kids, it felt like a three-ring circus! One day the thought came to mind – how can I make the practice of Pilates more affordable, close to home, for more people. After joining the Women in Business local chamber, I realized I could afford the overhead and follow my heart. Trust God.
Teaching Pilates began in faith, with a strong personal practice and desire to share with others. One day almost as quickly as I opened, a young woman walked in delighted to find Pilates in our town and asked me to take her through the Mat exercises. One thing led to another and a teacher training program ensued. It was great for all of us – our growing TriPilates tribe! No sooner had we begun, when the crash of 2008 hit and suddenly what I thought was going to be less hours for me so I could visit my kids in college, turned into paying for college, our mortgage, and to feed the other kids still in high school. With steadfast faith I walked through the next 5 years one day at a time, we lost our home, any credit we might have had, my husband got even sicker and passed away (taking his last breath under my head over his heart), and all young adult kids leaving home for their young lives. Trust God Clean House.
TriPilates was and is a saving grace. Showing up to help someone else got me through emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Without Pilates I am not sure I would have had the reserves to go forward. Being of service to others, or as St Francis wrote, “It is by self-forgetting that one finds,”- kept me present. One breath at a time, one exercise, one student, one hour, one day at a time. Many of you know my story, and frankly the stress of dealing with the studio shutdown due to the pandemic and recent reopening with so many precautions and protocols for safety has echoed my past experiences. It came at a time I was just beginning to “see the light” – of being able to shift my hours, to reach out to more students, and to service our community more thoughtfully. Every single day no matter what, even in the midst of operating at about 10%, I keep a positive attitude. It helps me be present in the moment, stay in grace, and connect to that well-spring of passion and love for Pilates. Help Others.
How do we show up every day and teach? Whether virtually or in person with new challenges, I suggest we reflect about the gift we have to share. Trust your heart, know that you’ve done your own practice and have something to share no matter what, and help others stay connected to themselves. Isn’t that, after all, what Pilates is? With Pilates we tap into our “powerhouse” – something deeper in my opinion than a structure of muscles and bones – a wellspring of energy and vitality that keeps us healthy. Keep moving forward – or as Joe Pilates wrote, “With body, mind, and spirit functioning perfectly as a coordinated whole, what else could reasonably be expected other than an active, alert, disciplined person?”
I don’t know where we are headed, we only have today. Every day I wake up, suit up, show up, and somehow have gotten through. I BELIEVE TriPilates will continue, it may take a different form – but that is a story for another day. For today, I am grateful.
Trust God, Clean House, Help Others.
