Are you doing it wrong?
Patricia Hunt | JAN 8, 2024
It all started with a Wish List...
In December 2023, I asked everyone to complete a Wish List for classes in 2024. it has always been my intention to teach people rather then poses or exercises - movement is rarely a one size fits all and I wanted to know how everyone was getting on. I also wanted to know what you wanted to see more of, less of and if you had any unanswered questions or ungranted wishes!
Before I dive into the results of the Wish List I want to say a BIG THANK YOU, to everyone who completed the questionnaire - I really mean it when I say that your feedback is important to me and I promise to do my very best to grant all of your wishes ✨💫
Let's dive in...
HOW HARD ARE YOU WORKING?
In the Wish List, I asked you to rate your perceived level of exertion from your class - I included this question so that I could gauge where I might need to ramp things up and where I might need to dial things back a notch. What we're looking for is the sweet spot, the Goldilocks effect - not too much, not too little, and I am delighted to say that 95% of you are hitting that sweet spot, with just 5% of you working just a little too hard - take it easy my friends, it's ok to choose the first option sometimes!
Gauging our level of exertion is actually really important, probably more important than the exercise or the movement itself.
And that brings me to the title of this blog...
ARE YOU DOING IT WRONG?
The thing is there is really no bad movement, no bad exercise, even... dare I say it, no bad Yoga pose (and we know what a challenge some of them can be). It's more about the capabilities of our tissues, are our bodies ready, strong enough, mobile enough, resilient enough, to handle a particular amount of stress?
It's all about tolerance.
An analogy for you...
Think of rugby players. If an untrained person went on to the pitch to play high level rugby it's very likely that they could be injured in a tackle. Rugby players train and build strength so that their bodies can withstand the forces they have to deal with on match day. There is still a risk of injury but the risk is far less then it would be for the untrained person.
Activities like Yoga and Pilates are really safe but it's still a good idea to progress at a level that suits your tissues. Which is why I like to offer options throughout the class.
My advice...
Start with option 1 and GRADUALLY build up from there.
See how it feels in the moment
See how it feels in 24/48 hours - gauge if you feel ready for more or less
Move with intention and purpose
Remember that every exercise/movement can involve the whole body...
What is your face and neck doing? Can you still smile 😊
What is your breath doing?
WHAT IS YOUR BREATH DOING?
Breathing is unique in that although it is controlled by the autonomous nervous system (i.e. we don't need to think about it - our bodies look after it, just as well as we breathe in and out about 22,000 times a day) we also have the ability to control our breathing, for example when we talk, sing or during exercise and this is because we have motor control over some of the breathing muscles.
What our breath is doing is a really good indicator of our levels of exertion during physical activity and it's also a really good indicator of our levels of stress in general -if we are stressed we tend to breathe more quickly to get more oxygen to our muscles so that we can run away from those pesky tigers.
Traditionally in Yoga and Pilates we were taught to breathe, breathe in doing this and breathe out doing that. In more recent times it has become apparent that, at worst, this can interfere with normal breathing function and make people think that they are breathing wrong!
And at best it's really just not necessary. Of course there are times when a particular breathing pattern might make sense, think exhaling while doing cat, but even then there is no hard and fast rule and it can be fun and interesting to mix this up to see the effects.
And of course we can manipulate the breath in breathing practices (pranayama) in Yoga to achieve a desired outcome - in some cases for more energy, alertness and in others to evoke calmness and relaxation.
For the most part, during our Yoga and Pilates classes we just don't need to worry about breathing - so breathe freely and be happy, knowing that your super smart body is doing it right.
MORE WEIGHTS
I also asked if you'd like Kettlebells added to your classes or to the class offerings and although not everybody was keen on the idea of adding kettlebells to our current classes there was a trend towards a request for adding more classes with weights.
It's common knowledge that as we age we lose strength, muscle mass and bone density so we want to do all we can to prevent it.
I've being doing my part to spread this information and to share with you some tools to help us to stay strong and healthy. So you can expect to see more classes with weights - with options of course for no weight, some weight or your choice of weight.
And more classes with options for some impact loading - think skipping without a rope, which is proven to be a really great way to build bone density.
MORE CORE!
And some of you wanted MORE CORE - all I'm going to say about this is...
be careful what you wish for 😉
MORE RELAXATION TIME
Yogis, you know that I would never let you leave the class without your relaxation.
But I hear you Pilates friends - you want more! I promise it's coming, 2024 will be the year of relaxed Pilates people.
Once again, thank you for your feedback.
Please know that you never need to wait for a Wish List or a Feedback form, I'm always open to your suggestions and feedback and I never get tired of you telling me that you enjoyed the class 😊
I'm looking forward to seeing you at class soon!
Image with thanks to Freepik
<a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/magic-lamp-spiritual-lamp-wish_13031397.htm#query=WISHES&position=16&from_view=search&track=sph&uuid=e12c87dc-851c-4cc0-87e1-bcfc9c360ee7">Image by macrovector</a> on Freepik
Patricia Hunt | JAN 8, 2024
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