A Journey Mindset

Towards the end of one of my first Pilates private sessions with Nicole Kennedy, owner of Empowered Body Pilates, she said something to the effect of “looks like you are going to go on a journey with that shoulder.”  A journey? With the shoulder that aches after a long day of working as a letterpress printer? My body hurts. That doesn’t seem like any kind of journey I want to take. Turns out, it was exactly how I needed to think about it.

As I started down the path towards a teaching certification in classical Pilates, this mindset of taking a “journey” with my body has stayed with me. I’ve made progress learning how to keep my shoulders down and back and to recruit more from my side body. My journey with my shoulder is nowhere near complete, but I feel stronger in the way I walk and work. I rarely need to ice my shoulder in the evenings anymore. When I am consistent and concentrate on the form of the Pilates exercises, that’s when I feel the most change happening and solidifying in my body. Learning how to exercise with correct alignment and form is one of the great benefits of classical Pilates.  

It’s also the mindset of being on “a journey” that has made the sometimes hard work in my Pilates practice into a positive process. With a journey, there is no negative thinking about my own body. I’m not angry that my shoulder is hurting or that it’s a real challenge for me to keep from shrugging my shoulders up to my ears all day. I don’t feel discouraged that I can’t  get my body to do what I want it to that day - because it’s a journey and that implies a path towards a longer-term goal, one that has a good chance of being obtainable. With exercise, a positive mindset matters regardless of your age or stage in life.

Our relationship with exercise changes throughout our lives. We have different reasons for exercising when we are young, and we may still have some of those reasons as we age, but new goals will show up as the body changes. Priorities in life shift, and how and why we exercise shifts around those. Classical Pilates at Empowered Body Pilates is where I found my exercise journey with my shoulder – and in effect, with my entire body and exercise mindset. What’s your Pilates journey?

---

The author practicing the Roll Back with the Roll Back Bar on the Mat at Empowered Body Pilates.

What are some of my favorite classical Pilates exercise that help me focus on my shoulder?

• Reformer

  • Footwork - Making sure my collarbone stays wide and my triceps and arms are pressing down into the carriage

• Cadillac

  • Push Through Bar

  • Arm Springs - Circles and Triceps

  • Roll Back Bar

  • Breathing

• Small Barrel

  • Stretch over Barrel and Arm Circles

• PediPull

  • Chest Expansion and Arm Circles