Welcome to this week’s JTP Newsletter … I am writing this at the end of my birthday weekend, and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who sent birthday messages and cards — I really appreciate it and felt very lucky, so a big THANK YOU.

Looking back over the week, we’ve had super full classes, and it's been great to see everyone coming together, sharing space — whether that be online or ‘in the room’ — and moving together. It gives such a great feeling of purpose and community and we are ready to do it all again this week. 

It's week 2 of this month’s Exercise of the Week — The Scissors. I recap level 1 and show how to progress to the next level. 

It's a great exercise to test your deep-core stabilising muscles, but it also works the hip flexors. The foundation levels of this exercise are also important for the whole of the Pilates repertoire. 

As with every Exercise of the Week, work at the appropriate level for your body and keep away from pain, and if you have any questions please message them to me.

We hear a lot about trying to achieve balance in life. It feels like everyone is searching for a work/life balance, and as I am a bit of a workaholic, I recognise that I don’t always get the balance right for my wellbeing. 

But when I was listening to one of my guided meditations this week, they likened balance in our lives to those of the plants in our garden. In order for plants to survive they need the correct balance of sunlight, water, food, wind, temperature … too much water and they could droop and die, too much sunlight and heat could have the same effect. Obviously, finding the right balance for a particular plant is crucial. 

The problem with this is that all plants are different. Some plants thrive in damp, darker positions in the garden, while others need to be out of the wind and cold. As humans, we are no different. 

The right work/life balance is going to be different for each individual person. It’s never going to be the same for all. So it’s about finding the right spot for you, or as my meditation referred to it — the ‘sweet spot’ — to give balance to your individual needs. This is the challenge: even workaholics need to find better balance in order to keep away from burn out.

What we all need to do is connect to what we want and need. If we spend too much time working, we could miss out on some important life moments. If we spend too much time relaxing, we start to lose sight of our life purpose. 

Remember that just as plants need different things for balance in their survival, so do we. This can also change within our life cycle: for example, what worked 10 years ago, may not work now. It is when starting to assess the work/life balance, an understanding and acceptance of things that may need to change will start to show up.

It is recognising these experiences that enables us to find the balance in life and helps us to start living with a better understanding of what we need/want our life to look like and feel like. It’s what helps us to live a healthier, happier, more peaceful life. 

Have a great week folks — keep looking, moving and feeling good.

With love

Jane xx