Pilates...breath for the body, movement for the mind and wings for the spirit...: September 2015

We buried a friend last Saturday, we said goodbye to a kind, loving man I wish I had known longer. Once again the sands of time so frequently governed by Cancer had run their time too soon. As is so often the case at funerals you learn so much more about the person you knew. This man was a teacher, not a Pilates teacher but a school teacher who has left so many footprints in Children’s lives that it’s not even possible to perceive of this man’s presence not changing lives for generations to come.

When we choose to teach as a profession, whether it may be in a University or in a Pilates class, we leave footprints. Not only the lives of our clients, but of our loved ones, our children, our friends and our colleagues. Everything we advocate sends a ripple, a resonance which relies on trust to propel it forward onto greater things. Passion, knowledge and experience are only worth having if you have the humility to share them respectfully, graciously and with integrity. It is a choice where we as professionals sit in a profession that is increasingly being sold out to profit, ego and point scoring. I have never said I was anything more (or less than) a Pilates class teacher, just like my rescue hounds I am an indeterminable mixture of schooling and Pedigree. But I do love what I do, I love many of the people I am fortunate to work and train along side and I do believe the heart of this work should be protected fiercely. I have seen many judged on their passion, mistakenly accused of arrogance, imperialistic attitudes and Bullying. Since when did having an opinion make someone a Bully?, that easy over political correctness just makes light of what can be a very significant problem within the Teaching profession. Teaching is tough because learning can be tough. If we are not learning we are not truly teaching from the heart but from what someone else tells us is so, without question. When we are lucky enough to find the right teachers in our lives, it’s our job to treasure them, question them, challenge them and to respect them unequivocally, even when their opinion differs from ours. Just as we take care of our clients, professionally, carefully and with integrity these qualities should surely be Industry standard.

So whether you are fortunate to be learning from a friend living with cancer, his extraordinary wife and children. Whether you are blessed enough to have friends, clients or colleagues that share their Pilates and life lessons honestly and openly. Whether you are blessed enough to have the most amazing Mentors and teachers steering you through storms, both professional and personal. Focus your energy of being THAT kind of teacher. We owe it to ourselves like I owe it to my Pilates class students. Imprint your footprints through life with passion, with knowledge, with humility, with learning with laughter and be kind to yourself. In the words of my friend just ‘be the blessing you want to be in others lives’.