My Pilates classes offer more than just the teaching of Pilates. I knew this before the pandemic happened of course, yet what we have all endured over these past 2 years, has revived in me just how important socialisation and community really are and how exercising together offers both.
As I write this article, I am hoping by the time it is published that we won’t be experiencing another lock down. There are so many ways in which these times of separation have affected us and I think it took a while to shake off the enforced introversion, a little while longer for those naturally introverted to dust off their social skill set.
Certainly I noticed how much quieter my class participants were initially, when we returned to halls, myself included as we all readjusted to socialising with people outside of our ‘bubbles’.
I was more than ready to ‘go out’ to work, yet I am thankful the technology existed to facilitate streaming classes from my lounge. This kept me working, encouraging others to exercise and clinging onto some semblance of community – live streaming has also added a new element to Promise Pilates classes, as the remote participation option for clients is set to stay for each session, however in my opinion, there is nothing like the real thing of sharing a tangible, physical experience and being around a group of people all invested in the same activity.
It’s fair to say that exercising our bodies in group classes, also exercises our ability to socialise with one another and I imagine not since the great wars has the exchange of ‘positive strokes’ been so crucial. The giving and exchanging of salutations, encouraging comments, facial expressions and gestures with one another, is so paramount to human sensibilities and each one of us must seek to find our own personal balance on how much socialising is needed and the ways in which to achieve this to maintain a healthy happy soul.
– This article has been published in the January edition of Life Magazines – http://www.lifemagazines.co.uk