I am continuously drawn to how everything is connected; in life, in Pilates… everywhere! At the beginning of 2020, I outlined the monthly themes for the year. Some of them automatically had their place, like March MATness and 25 Days of Pilates. For others, I chose them based on different factors such as the season, the placement of the sun, the time of year, etc. Ironically, I chose BALANCE for April. Coincidence?

Under “normal” circumstances, life is a delicate dance of balance. Throw a pandemic into the mix and our world is turned upside down! It seems like something you would only read about in a history book. It’s difficult to conceptualize, comprehend, accept and adjust to. And even though each of us are going through our own experience, there is something universal about it in that we are all trying to find our balance in this constantly changing, unprecedented time in our history.

 I know that for me, I have sought refuge in my Pilates practice. Pilates has given me the greatest gift of connecting to myself amidst whatever chaos surrounds me, which I would say is a pretty useful tool right now. Keeping our minds and bodies moving and strong is the essence of what we need to keep ourselves healthy and moving forward.

“Change Happens Through Movement and Movement Heals” - Joseph Pilates

I recently read this and thought it was so beautifully true; “In its purest essence, a studio, is nothing more than an empty room. It acquires its magic by the people who gather there.” Studio Flo is magic, it’s a space filled with learning, experimentation, acknowledgement, commitment, community and a whole lot of LOVE & LAUGHTER, but right now the studio is empty and all that magic continues with all of you in our new virtual studio. Just one example of something we have all learned to adapt to, to keep ourselves balanced in mind, body & spirit. 

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change” - Charles Darwin

So, in our new virtual studio filled with all your magic, at the heart of the entire Pilates method on the Mat, lets focus the month of April on BALANCE:

• The balance we bring to each other with our presence
• The balance we create for ourselves by keeping our mind and body moving through our Pilates practice
• Improving our physical balance with an extra emphasis on standing Pilates exercises
• Countering the effects of aging by enhancing our balancing abilities
• Countering the effects of gravity by improving our standing posture
• In each class you will be challenged with different ways to improve your balance 

Personal Challenge: Take a mental note of how you feel at the beginning of the month, the middle, and the end.

- Laetitia Richter, SFP Education Director