I wanted 2017 to start with a bang! Post elections, no matter what side anyone is on, there was and still is this anxious energy and I was feeling it the studio. Like a lot of resolutions in the New Year, I wanted to make a choice and change my Pilates practice. They say that if you do something for 10 days in a row it becomes a habit. It would probably be the case if I did an hour of Pilates a day for 30 days I would not only create a new habit, but totally change everything in my life. I imagined I would be so sore in that really satisfying way. My leggings would get loose from all of the rigorous athleticism I would be practicing. My mind clearer. Internal showers everywhere!

January 1st rolled around like a ball. Nope. Not starting today. I live in NYC and I can’t find a class that fits my schedule. Being a professional Pilates teacher, I can’t possibly do an hour of Pilates myself somehow. It’s impossible. I don’t go on Pilates Anytime and just choose a mat class and MOVE. Nope. I do zero things.

I say, “You know what? Let’s be creative and start this whole experiment on Feb 1st. Like a rebel. So cliche to start resolutions on Jan 1st.”

Feb 1st rolls around like a ball covered in butter. Nope. It’s my day off. I’ll start the following Monday.

Monday, Feb 6th. HERE WE GO! I make it to class and it’s ADVANCED! I am such a winner. I dominate this class. I get complimented on my form. I am the goddess of Pilates. This is going to be an amazing 30 days of pure joy because all I needed to do is start!

Fast forward four days of taking class and it’s my day off again. I mean…we should all have ONE day where we don’t do our jobs, right?

Here is where things change. 30 days where I find one hour for high level movement in a row, turns out, is totally and currently impossible for many reasons in my life. Unable to do it. The challenge shifts.

I would find myself answering work emails in the studio while a perfectly amazing class was taking place mere feet away from me and leaving the computer seemed totally impossible. Is ordering more toilet paper more important than my human form? Let me tell you, my internal showers turned into a damp paper towel to the pits. And while I was sitting there listening to class, I realized that I was feeling bad about feeling bad. Is this the kind of year I want to have? No.

What’s next then? Well, I changed the rules of the game. I mean, I created this “game” myself, so why not think about it differently? The new challenge became: Just Show Up.

What does that mean? Pick an hour and be really present for it. This opened my eyes in a way I didn’t know was possible. I picked random hours at various places and tried my best to be my best. Maybe it was listening attentively to a friend tell a story. If it was making a meal, (just kidding, I don’t cook). Perhaps it was starting volunteer work, (not kidding). One day it was being extra attentive to a student who needed extra TLC. It became an hour where I wasn’t looking toward the next hour or day or week. It became an hour of self-practice and NOT looking at my phone. An hour that had no sense of urgency or instant gratification.

Adding this hour to my day DID challenge me to move more. It may have been physical movement at times, but the most telling and “MOVE”ing portion of these 30 days was finding space and time for myself, others and just showing up.

Cheers to a healthy reminder to just show up for YOU. The community around you will reflect your choice and benefit more than you can imagine.