Typically, this is the season when the seeds you’ve planted start to emerge, when it’s time to tend to your plants so they can produce fruit. The trees are in their brightest green, the air is getting warmer, and we feel drawn to be outside more. It’s a shift we all feel in one way, shape, or form, and it signifies change.
As I write this, the need for change in NYC, in the US, and really everywhere is more than apparent. It’s also way overdue. So, where do I begin as a white woman and biz owner? Where do we begin as a biz in an industry that notoriously lacks diversity?
I believe it can start by sharing the experiences and creative evolution stories of women of color in our industry, like the development of Black Girl Pilates by Sonja Herbert, or Chrissy King’s work to educate people like me on how to be meaningfully anti-racist in the fitness industry. It means highlighting organizations like Yoga Foster, “a nonprofit that provides free yoga training and curriculum to teachers who work at underserved schools in marginalized communities,” or learning from WOC leaders in our community how to step up the work we do with Green Hope Services for Women. It means taking a little time to research and support WOC workout brands like Culture Fit. It means stepping out of the safety and isolation of our little studio and putting my money where my mouth is when it comes to the magic of collaboration and the power of the collective.
I acknowledge that I’m late to the game when it comes to addressing racism head on and as a true public health issue. These are the first seeds of change we are dedicated to tending.
Our whole approach to each client’s program is based on the understanding that every body is different and unique in its experience. We are committed to doing our part to make sure our studio and our industry truly and fully reflects that fact.
#KnowYourself #LookBetter
Last week, we had some big wins we want to celebrate!
One client now operating out of Massachusetts was still rehabbing a rotator cuff injury when he relocated. Through continued PT support and our online sessions, he’s been able to understand how to make adjustments to his gardening and is now lifting bags of soil with relative ease.
Another client, on a long journey with pelvic floor and hip pain, experienced some great progress in the really nuanced work we’ve been doing both releasing and strengthening the intricate network of muscles supporting her. With some new cues, she reported an improvement in the quality of her muscle contraction and decreased pain – the likes of which she hasn’t experienced in years.
A new addition to our Tuesday night “Pilates for Better Sex” class gave us some great feedback saying, “Usually people do not discuss pelvic floor and sex, and I really appreciated that you did. It is an awkward topic to bridge but I have a good amount of pain with sex. I try to ignore the pain but it causes stress and a negative association with sex. I was really excited that you told me about options I have. Thank you again for all your help.”