The simple secret of happiness..

A few months ago I wrote a blog - 8 steps to reclaim time and find joy - about how during lockdown I realised that I was whipping up a crazy, busy life for myself, that it was my own construct, and how I had to take responsibility and claim that time back for myself.

It was happier

I truly took back control and stop the incessant running around I was doing, filling all the space in a day with more, more. Okay, I still have a demanding lifestyle, and am busy with my Pilates business and my family life still, but something has shifted and I still can proudly claim I am walking (not running) through my life, smelling the roses.

3 months later Im still feeling pretty joyful and am not running around like mad.. however I realised that joy could be in the running too….

I have realised, however, by slowing myself down these months, joy isn't only in the space - it can be in all, and any, of it.. 

In all the jam packed, madness of every day life!

Thankfully so, as the crazy blur of work, school pick-ups, supermarkets, zoom meetings, appointments, dinner prep, are not obvious places of joy..

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing" Annie Dillard

And so, I've been trying to live a bit more consciously with regards to time - to spend it well. 

Really being there with my lovely, amazing clients at the Pilates studio, with my little family, reconnecting with my own body, and mind, as well as helping others connect to theirs. 

We've all really needed each other at this time, and Pilates has been more than the sum of its parts for me right now.

The conscious movement, and the connection it facilitates - with ourselves, and with each other, is what heals, and is perfect for our times.  

If you are in Barcelona, and fancy trying Pilates on the Reformer with me, check out my Intro Offers for January or see what others are saying about it all. 

“Change happens through movement and movement heals.” Joseph Pilates

Pilates helped me slow it all down, and bring it back to basics... 

And so joy is being there in the moment.. 

Even on the school run, at the supermarket, in the queue at the post office

Simple everyday stuff -  it's in there somewhere.

Not always, of course - and sometimes we are overwhelmed, sad, and driven to distraction mad, and quite far from joy - but knowing it is there, is kind of nice.

If you fancy a bit of spending time in Pilates joy, on the Mat, this is a video recorded in the summer as part of the Dynamic Flow series..

It's not for absolute beginners, and you can modify to suit your level, whilst being sensible and responsible for yourself in class. Have fun!

Regular Pilates can boost your long term immunity.

The advice out there can be confusing as to whether or not to exercise during the Coronavirus and how much. There is a popular misconception that exercise can actually depress the immune system however, the evidence supports that it’s important for us to move and exercise, as James Turner and John P Campbell, both professors at the University of Bath, write in their article arguing for regular exercise Conversation based on their own 2018 review about exercise and immunity.

Staying fit, healthy by exercising, eating well and sleeping well is going to have many benefits through this situation and beyond.

Of course, it would make sense that getting stuck into intense exercise when you are not used to it could be detrimental - “It is fair to say that a large increase in exercise intensity and/or duration, especially in people new to exercise, might have transient negative effects on the immune system,” says Jeffrey Woods, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, who studies exercise and immunity, that isn’t going to be the case for most of us keeping up some level of health and fitness at home and most people will be sensible.

Therefore - kind of logically - too much exercise, and certainly starting from nothing, a new and rigorous regime is not a great idea and can put too much pressure on the body, making it more vulnerable (at a vulnerable time) than making it stronger. But equally, no or minimal movement at home, staying sedentary and is not good for us either and can have a depressing affect on the mind as well as the body. A study a Harvard medical review suggest that movement, like Pilates, is really good for our mental health.. Result!

Pilates is simply a perfect practice to keep you strong, flexible, mobile, with tone, balanced and with coordination… and sane.

For me exercise, in particular Pilates, is a must and essential to my physical and emotional wellbeing. Always.

Me, I like my Pilates to get my heart rate going a little - not so much we are a drenched in sweat and stressed, pushing ourselves to the limit at the expense of proper technique - but so we do get blood flowing, glowing and raising endorphins, getting the most out of each exquisite Pilates movement and all the benefits.. Deliberately dynamic, if you will.

Pilates makes us feel so good by focusing our attention on deliberate movement and honing our concentration, combined with breathing correctly and re-oxygenating the blood, this can be incredibly calming and reducing the detrimental effects of stress and anxiety. The muscles get a workout but so does the nervous system and the immune system.

Pilates dynamic and energetic - definitely not boring and or the easy option, but not so rigorous as to cause stress to the body.

You will feel you worked the next day but will be able to walk… hopefully.

If you feel like a class with me book here

Below is an example of how I like move through some Pilates abdominal exercises - getting technique correct, while getting a the circulation going and making the most out of the movement in the muscles and in the internal systems (circulatory, respiratory, nervous, for example..)

It’s good for the body inside and out.. what’s there not to love..

Thank you and see you soon for the next in the series..

In health and happiness and more health

Laura X