What’s your story? ✨
In The Supermum Myth in one chapter we delve into narrative therapy – we’re all made up of stories and live according to the dominant narrative in our lives. Have a think today about your best stories, what character you place yourself as in your life, your family, your community?
I started doing pilates 15 years ago…basically because Madonna did it. What better reason hey? I kept reading in magazines about how it gave her abs of steel. And I was intrigued by what this “core strength” that everyone was banging on about was.
And I loved it, it truly changed not only my body shape but most importantly my perception of my body: I’ve always been very unhappy and cup’s half empty about my body. Very sporty but not happy with the way I look. I still suffer from that, more postnatally since “control” has gone out the window. But Pilates helps to keep it all in perspective mentally, and has meant that two C-sections haven’t taken too big a toll on my body.
Pilates helped me to feel STRONG, found muscles I hadn’t considered finding before, challenged my brain and suddenly made me aware of my #posture and movement every single day. It was awesome and I was hooked. Thanks Madonna 👏🙌🏼.
So why am I a teacher? In 2004 my best friend died and I was sick with grief. I found myself in Thailand at a yoga retreat 🌴and had an epiphany that life is horribly SHORT and too short not to do things that move you. So I decided to train to be a Pilates teacher, and began my training in the summer of 2005. ❤️🙏🌴✨.
In 2007 I was made redundant from my Managing Editor job in book publishing, which was my burning platform to jump, go freelance and just do it. I went back to that yoga retreat in Thailand to teach Pilates, in 2007 and then again in 2010, and it felt like a fitting tribute to my lovely departed friend that I could wink to her and say, do you know what, I did it. High five me.
Pilates has healed me in myriad ways: physically, making me kinder towards my body. Physically and emotionally : shepherding me through 5 pregnancies (3 unsuccessful) and two births, the demands of small people on your body and mind: my body has gone through a lot and pilates is there to keep the mind-body pathways firing, to strengthen my abdominals yes but to remind me to breathe, to soften, to release. Pilates is ace. Thanks Madonna.
Get in touch if you’re local and would like to hear more about my classes in Peckham.