My dreams were not formed the weekend that lasted from Thursday 5th September to the night of Sunday 8th September, but rather, my dreams were reinforced and reignited!
Flying up to Sydney from Melbourne as a Pilates instructor (or as I prefer, Pilates Teacher) I experienced both excitement and anticipation the same time. I admit that I cannot rule out that I was also feeling a bit anxious and nervous. I mean, how often do people come eye to eye with their most wildest dreams, spend time immersed in those dreams then ‘live’ to tell the tale several days later? Surely, something unidentifiable would occur – out of my control or not, I still could not help but wonder…..
On the Thursday, pre-conference activities were underway with continued setup of apparatus and seating at the Australian Technology Park. I was there, however, for a pre-arranged Private Session with MeJo Wiggin! Excited as I was, nothing could amount to the feelings I experienced post-workout!
MeJo took me through an intense ‘Gratz’ Reformer workout which is a piece of Pilates apparatus crafted with Joseph Pilate’s unique design. I had never used a Gratz Reformer before and boy, did I love it! With the leather belt (strap) creating a unique type of friction upon the reel, moving the carriage along the steel frame, elicited a palpable sensation that only someone with a love of Movement could appreciate! After the supposed ‘hour’ session (an hour session was not enough) I was greeted with surreal emotions….Now, I am not going to say that I had watery eyes, but I can say that MeJo ‘felt’ my emotions and empathized with the feelings I was experiencing (possibly due to her teary eyes, I am not sure!)
The rest of the workshops played out like a movie production, without any glitches, without any difficulties. We discussed the history of J.H Pilates, everything he stood for and everything which became post Mr. Pilates. The presenters, Brett Howard (whom I was fortunate enough to experience his instruction), Brent Anderson and Blossom Leilani Crawford conducted their own workshops discussing different yet valuable Pilates related material – such as, “Kathy Grant’s Cats and Beyond” (Blossom’s workshop) and “Pilates for Scoliosis” (Brett’s workshop).
Time was the one variable which I needed to have more of…..More time for consolidation AND more time in the company of the presenters, discussing and reminiscing about past experiences, feelings they felt and ways to become a more effective instructor.
Basically this weekend, to sum it up, was and became an ‘Out of Body Experience’, one which can only be replicated when surrounded by like-minded individuals.
That is, people who are positive thinkers, positive movers and people behaving positively with purpose. This purpose (which was the theme over the weekend) is to carry on Joseph Pilates’ Legacy by delivering it to the people, offering them a chance to experience perfect movement.
As my company (Yodgee’s Pilates) says, Start Living In Your Body! The sooner people start doing this, the better humanity will be.
Learn more about Joshua on his Facebook page for Yodgee’s Pilates.
Words by Joshua Freedman