WELCOME SEPTEMBER — a month of change, a month I love, bringing back memories of going for walks with my Mum when I was young, as the leaves start to change colour, acorns dropping … but there’s still a lot of warmth in the air.

September also means the new block of Face-to-Face classes starting, so we have a full timetable from Monday 5 September. We still have a few spaces in some of our sessions — Rosebery Street on Wednesday evenings, and Rempstone on Thursday evenings. We also have just a couple of spaces left in our Absolute Beginners course which starts on Wednesday 14 September. For more information just reply to this newsletter and ask.

Swimming is a classic Joseph Pilates exercise, and it can be adapted and practised from different start positions. 

The key aim is to strengthen the posterior muscles and stabilise the spine, but also to lengthen the legs. It is a multi-muscle exercise, core, spine extensors, gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings … tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius and soleus … to name just a few.

Let’s keep those legs lengthening here and work on your stability through the core. 

Keep away from pain and work appropriately for your body.

I was reminded of this speech last week as I was sorting through some of my paperwork and want to share it with you today. As you read it, I am confident there will be some things that resonate with you:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate 

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.

We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God, your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone, and as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Nelson Mandela 1994, Inaugural Speech

I hope there will be something you can take from this — take it into your week, be brilliant, gorgeous, fabulous, show your talent and let your light shine.

Have a wonderful week, 

With love

Jane xx