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GO SOMEWHERE TO GET SOMEWHERE

ONLINE PILATES MAT CLASSES BY THE LIFT GIRL www.liftgirlpilates.com

When I was in graduate school, I had a professor who used to say this sentence over and over again: GO SOMEWHERE TO GET SOMEWHERE!  (And she really meant it!)  If you walked by her classroom right this very second, you’d hear her say the very same thing. I’m not kidding, you would!  It was her “funny little way” of getting her students to have a purpose behind their actions and not just go through the motions.

In “dancer world,” moving with a purpose translates much better onstage AND to the audience.  The audience can feel what you’re feeling.  They become part of your dance.

With this particular professor, you’d better bring your “A” game to class and move with a purpose.  If you didn’t have one, well…you were in big trouble.  She was one of those special teachers who pushed you until you found yourself.   She knew from experience that it was the only way to capture the heart of, first, the choreographer and, second, the audience. Dancers are a dime a dozen.  People who can take movement and do something special with it–those authentic movers are rare.

Well, (little sigh) the phrase, GO SOMEWHERE TO GET SOMEWHERE, lives on in my work today.  I use that sentence in Pilates, too!  I say it to get my clients to pay attention to what they’re doing, to plan ahead, to be present and move from their heart.  (And their core, too.)  The quality of their movement changes as they immediately start to enjoy the exercise, even if it’s an advanced exercise or one of their least favorites.  They also start to smile inside and lighten up a bit. They become instantly more mindful of where their bodies are in space and move with more zest and energy. They remember why they’re doing Pilates in the first place–to feel good and not merely to look good.  Looking good does not matter if you don’t feel good inside, but that’s a whole other topic.

So I get a lotta mileage out of this one, Miss Professor!  SNAP-SNAP-SNAP, HIP ACTION TO THE SIDE, BOMP-BOMP!  (You know who you are!)

Bye for now!