the why behind The Why.

Hi friends,

You know that thing where you spend an hour writing something and it’s pretty good and then the internet doesn’t save it?

…sigh…

So here we go, let’s try this again.

I wanted to start by saying thank you for being here. Starting our virtual world again (yup! There is a new video class waiting for you in our Aligned Video Library and more to come soon!) has been nice for me in a way I didn’t anticipate - I think I underestimated my need for connection with you all and while I’m still not seeing your faces, this brings us together.

Just like it always has.

While the internet may not be the best at saving my work, it does come in pretty handy when it comes to connecting us all.

And I think I’m finding (again) that connection is what drives me and this.

Connecting is and always will be the point.

Which brings me to our topic today - The Why.

We talk a lot in instructor training about how giving the what isn’t quite enough, we also need to give The Why.

Why, you ask? Let’s look at it.

Imagine you’re taking a class and you’re given the following cue - “Meet me with your feet either on the wooden platform or up on the footbar then, hold the carriage closed as you exhale, press into your feet, articulate through your spine and lift your pelvis up into a bridge.”

Cool. We’ve got a clear movement happening, we know the carriage is staying still and we have some options for our starting position…

but we’re missing The Why. Why would you choose to bring your feet to the wooden platform vs. the footbar? What would that do?

So let’s try that cue again and add The Why this time - “Meet me with your feet on the wooden platform. Keeping the carriage closed, exhale to press into your feet and articulate through your spine to lift your pelvis up into a bridge. Inhale at the top and exhale to articulate back down to the mat. If you are able to keep the carriage closed and this feels good on your hamstrings and lower back, feel free to step your feet onto the footbar for a deeper challenge. If that causes any pain or discomfort or you have trouble keeping the carriage closed, feel free to step your feet back to the wooden platform - no big deal!”

This time we have a clear movement, we know the carriage is staying still, we have some options, we know why we might choose one of those options, we know what we’re watching out for and we know what we can do if we feel something we aren’t trying to find in this moment.

That’s a lot more information than the first example and helps you make a clear, informed decision about your body and the movement.

So why don’t we always get The Why in class? I have a few thoughts:

• Check out the number of words it took to give the first cue. Now check out the second cue. Those words equate to energy, breath and timing when you’re teaching. It’s entirely possible to figure it out and get it all in! But, it takes some work to do that and to do it well.

• You have to know The Why before you can tell anyone else about The Why. It’s possible that The Why is still being discovered - which isn’t always a bad thing! There’s an opportunity to learn and grow together in a moment when everyone is on their way to finding The Why at the same time.

• Sometimes, it works better as an instructor to NOT give all the information but instead to ask questions about what’s happening in someone’s body during any given movement moment. That helps US learn about YOU and your body, but generally speaking…I personally reserve this for private sessions where we have the time and space to explore and go deeper on things in this way.

• It’s also possible that your instructor (knowingly or unknowingly) is part of the corner of fitness that believes you don’t need to know what your options are or what The Why behind the movement is. There is a philosophy out there that suggests that your body and its movement should be left to the professionals - that they know what’s best for it. So you don’t need to know The Why because there’s no occasion where you would take an option other than what’s been given to you by the professional you hired.

As I hope you can imagine, this last why behind you not receiving The Why is my least favorite.

YOU are the person who lives in YOUR body every day.

YOU are in control of the movement YOUR body does.

YOU are the only person who knows what something feels like in YOUR body - what’s normal and not, what’s good and not, etc.

YOU are in charge of what does and does not happen in regards to YOUR body.

So…if you don’t have The Why, aren’t given any options and aren’t asked any questions about how things feel…how will you ever make empowered movement decisions for yourself?

How will you ever know why you’re doing what you’re doing?

I think it’s important for us to know The Why behind what we’re doing in Pilates but I think it’s essential for us to know The Why behind what we’re doing in life - in the big moments and the little ones too.

Why? Because then you’ll remember why you decided to do what you’re doing in the first place which will come in handy if you ever start to doubt or question yourself.

For example - I am not a morning person. Not even close. Actually, my husband has had to spend time and energy on working to remember that I am not mad at him in the morning. My lack of facial expression and verbalizations truly has NOTHING to do with him and everything to do with the fact that I cannot understand how I am awake and on my feet at such an early hour.

So why do I do it if it’s so hard for me? Either because a) my cats need food, and I love them, so I’ll get up and feed them to prevent them from destroying our apartment in protest of not being fed exactly when they want to be fed, b) I have an early morning client who I adore and want to show up for or c) I know I won’t have time for a run later in the day so I’m getting up to get it in because I know I need to do that in order to be properly trained for whatever race I’m running.

Without those why’s, I can confidently promise you I would be in bed until 9am every morning instead of my current 4:30/5am reality.

Those why’s get me on my feet and push me past my comfort zone.

And just like those why’s, not all why’s have to be big. Sometimes we tell you not to slam the carriage because yes, we want to protect both you and the machine but really, we don’t want to get annoyed with you.

When the why’s are big though, I find the rewards can be too.

Because you, my friend, are The Why. Pilates People exists because of YOU. This community continues on because YOU continue to show up - here, at the studio and in the world.

YOU did and are still doing this.

YOU are providing us with options and empowering us to explore, grow and expand.

We can’t thank you enough for that.

Because of you, I’m still here. So are you.

My friends, these are Sunday love notes, but hopefully, you’re reading this on Friday or Saturday, October 10th or 11th when it was released. I wrote to you a day or two early this week because in Sunday - October 12th - I’ll be running the Chicago Marathon with Haymakers 4 Hope.

I have a few why’s here: a) I like running, b) I love competing, c) I want to run the World Majors and this will be my 3rd, d) I’m working towards being a marathon guide for differently abled runners and am continuing to test myself in races to make sure I’m able to finish under any circumstance for them and finally, e) I know way too many people who have had and/or are currently struggling with cancer.

And as this training’s gone on and I’ve ridden the peaks and valleys of what is preparing for a marathon, I realized those first four whys weren’t cutting it for me. I needed The Why.

So this race is for them - the father in law I’ll never get to meet, the grandmother I had just started to understand, the aunts and uncles I couldn’t be here without, the Girl Scout troop leader who spent countless hours helping me learn and grow, the clients I’ve grown to call friends, the ex boyfriends, their new wives…it’s a long list full of love and loss.

And it’s a big why that’s hopefully helping me do something I once considered an impossibility for me.

So…what’s your why and what is it about to make possible for you?

All my love, always.

Cassandra + Pilates People