Best Laid Plans... A Letter From Donna About Re-Opening the Studio.
Dear diary....errr....ummm....clients (honesty alert),
I have sat down to write this email a solid 8 times in the last week. Each time, I stared at the blank screen for about an hour and then gave up. This time I was determined to get something written, and as I started writing, I also started crying. And then, as I often do when I'm struggling, I texted Lexy (cuz, as you know, she's the BEST). She offered sound advice, knowing me incredibly well, and gave me permission to let go of my need to be in control, to maintain my outward positive outlook, my business-owner-brave-face, and to just be honest about how I'm feeling right now. It dawned on me that THAT was the reason I was having such a hard time writing this. Those of you who know me well, know that I wear my heart on my sleeve in my personal relationships. But I don't often share so personally en masse and in my business life. Alas, these are unusual times, and it feels right to share a bit of my personal experience as we navigate getting back to some sort of normalcy together.
So...I'm sad. I'm scared. I'm anxious. I'm overwhelmed. I miss my team. I miss my clients. I miss my daily routines, restaurants, cafes....all of it. Like we all do.
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A Pilates Perk You Never Knew You Were Getting
Do you do Pilates? If your answer is yes, well, guess what? You also meditate! Which also means, you're now officially a Buddhist. Ok, that last sentence is not true at all, but the mediation part is, and it's one of the coolest aspects of Pilates that's not often talked about.
Meditation has been a part of my life for over a decade. There are many different types of practices, but the one constant is that you are taking attention away from your thoughts in order to be in your body in the here and now. One definition of mediation in its simplest form is: “Meditation is the practice of turning one's attention to a single point of reference. It can involve focusing on the breath, on our bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase. In other words, meditation means pivoting away from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment.”
My favorite practice has always been body-centered mediation, where you focus your attention on different parts of your body while breathing deeply into them. Umm… sound familiar? One of the things you’ve most likely noticed while doing Pilates, is that you simply can not think about your grocery list, your evening plans, or what you’re going to make for that potluck you have to go to tomorrow. For that precious hour of you-time that you’re in the studio, you’re having to focus so intently on what your body is doing, on those tiny muscles you never even knew you had...and on your breath, that everything else just falls away. Without even realizing it, you leave your session feeling lighter, more centered, and more grounded— almost as though you meditated for that hour— because, you kinda did.
Namaste.
—Donna Ligon, Owner and Instructor, Bolder Pilates
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Pushed to the Edge
I did something recently that, in a million years, I thought I would never do. In order to do it, I had to push up against a potent fear of heights, distress at the thought of injury or death, and a well established mistrust of my body to function during the anxiety caused by said phobias. I did it anyway. It’s interesting to me, my choice to do this thing. I’m risk averse, prefer being in control, and I have a fair share of strong aversions: flying, heights, the dark, being stuck in an elevator with a snotty-nosed child who’s just been diagnosed with flu, to name a few. Once in a while though, I like to push myself out of my comfort zone. Like, REALLY push myself. I’ve been sky-diving, paragliding, and even spent time inside a Chuck E. Cheese establishment for a 5 year old’s birthday party! This year, I climbed the Telluride Via Ferrata.
This via ferrata (there are over 400 world-wide) is a climbing route that precariously traverses rock faces and ledges up to 600 feet above the trees with some sections so exposed that you can only pass by utilizing cables to clip into, as well as iron hand and foot holds. I’m pretty sure I’ve been on things like this before...in my nightmares...naked.
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