Expressive Exercise: The Girl with the Pilates Mat

I certainly enjoy getting exercise outside, and get a great deal of pleasure out of being in nature, but sometimes, when outside is not welcoming because of rain or cold, I have to get my exercise inside.

My indoor exercise of choice used to be The Nickolaus Technique, but in order to do those exercises I had to constantly refer to a book, and had to spent a great deal of time on the floor. This year, during this winter-like spring, using an ipad that can plug into the TV, a little YouTube exploration has led both Michael and me to engage happily in Rachel Lawrence's thirty-minute sessions of Pilates. We started with the sessions for people over sixty, and are now enjoying the sessions that she offers (out of the generosity of her heart) for people of all ages.

I think that what I enjoy most about it is how dance-like it feels to do these strengthing exercises. Rachel Lawrence spent her younger years as a dancer, and has the knack of teaching movement in a way that feels expressive, clear, and even musical.

Some of the sequences that she offers remind me of sequences of movement that I did as a young adolescent when I went to "fine arts" camp (meaning dance, drama, and art: I began as a drama major and ended as an art major) and took Hindu dance classes. But when I took those dance classes they were simply torture to me. I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't flexible enough, I wasn't confident enough in my body, and, unlike "native" dancers, I did not find joy in movement for movement's sake.

But now, in my post-menopausal, anti-adolescent, and viola-centered state of being, I am, through the instruction and example of Rachel Lawrence, finding joy in movement. We have also been sharing some of these exercises with Michael's ninety-year-old mother, and doing just five or ten minutes makes her light up.

I'm also finding that the increased sense of balance and improved posture that I have makes my walking even more enjoyable. And, along with my trusty shoulder rest (the kind I use with my viola is called "Pedi"), and my better posture and improved "core" strength, orchestra rehearsals are so much more comfortable.

Thank you, Rachel!