'MOVE'ember post: Leigh-Anne Henning

Move and Restore your happiness.

Joseph Pilates states in his book ‘Return to life through Contrology’...

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind, fully capable of naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure” 

The whole focus of our exercise routines these days are on aesthetics and not on what exercise could do for our mental health, energy levels and our zest for life. We exercise only for the look we want to achieve, the weight we want to lose or the little black dress we want to wear at our Christmas party. Imagine if we went for a pilates session or a yoga session and did it purely for the enjoyment of it – what kind of an amazing effect it would have on us? Imagine that our weekly pilates class became a time for us to focus inwards on ones self and not on the worries of the outside world.

 ‘Move’ember' has been a great way to get us moving and restoring our happiness. 3 Simple challenges set up to get us back into some simple tasks and moving again.

Due to my torn Achilles, I haven’t taken on the squat challenge but I have decided to make sure I move for 20 minutes a day and especially to move in a more mindful way. Yes I do crazy things, yes most of the time I will be doing something outrageous and I move most days for more than 20 minutes but I have come to realize how important it is to have some time to focus inwards on myself and to restore my mind. So for me this is my challenge – to find a quiet space, a quiet time to move with thought and reflection for 20minutes. I know that this will help to restore my happiness and make my mind a more peaceful place, especially after my injury.

So I want to challenge all of you to move for 20 minutes, be present and to continue this into the next month and the new year. I often hear people say that they don’t have the time – yes our lives are busy, we are always crazily busy, always running around, but its 20 minutes. Take some time and go for a walk, remember the simple things like nature and the outdoors. Fresh air and nature have amazing healing qualities – both refreshing, uplifting and can return our zest for life. 

“Return to life”

Leigh-Anne Henning is our Pilates Studio Manager. She believes in 'The Return to Life' that Pilates offers. She has a lot of experience working with clients in pain and early into their rehabilitation but also with the high level client who can achieve full classical Pilates repertoire.