Mind to body

A few years ago, when I was nursing my youngest child, I sat there and realized that I had to do something about my back. I was in so much pain, I could not avoid it any longer. At the first opportunity, I walked into a chiropractor's office that I often passed in the car and asked him for help. Manipulations helped but he suggested Plates classes to strengthen my core muscles to support my back.

A few months later, an acquaintance approached me in the street and asked if I would like to join her Pilates class. It was the right time. My baby, one day out of the blue, had refused my breast after ten months of routine breastfeeding and the hormonal changes to my body had thrown me into a depression. I knew that I had to get out and do something about it and this seemed the right opportunity.

I have been doing Pilates classes ever since then and I thoroughly recommend them. If readers are interested in pursuing Pilates classes, may I make a few suggestions? A class that incorporates some Tai Chi and some Yoga along with Pilates, is a great combination of mind to body exercise. And, try to look for an instructor who speaks fairly softly and calmly, not interfering with the 'feel good' karma you are likely to experience. You don't need someone who won't stop chattering and you don't want someone who resorts to a series of individual exercises, not maintaining a calm and tranquil environment, from position to position. Best of all, if you can find a class that ends with a little meditation, you know you are onto a good thing.

By the end of the hour, you may well find you walk out of there in a lovely, relaxed state of mind with a new outlook as to how you might go about the rest of the day or evening. As a dear friend put it to me we all have "elephant shit" to deal with. But, when we feel tranquil and at peace, it is quite a bit easier to find the solutions to our problems.

I highly recommend a drink with other participants at the end of the class, too. I have been to a class this morning and enjoyed the positive spirit that one could feel from every corner of the room. When you take that positive spirit and extend it just a bit further to a conversation over a drink with other participants, true friendships seem to just emerge.

I know life is busy. I know you have a million things to do. But, give it a try if you possibly can.