Life lessons in the studio

Exercise is not the answer.

Did I just write that? Yes, I did.

Of course, physical activity is one of the keys to health and vitality. But exercise is not THE answer to “How do I live a meaningful, engaged, counterclockwise life?” Sweat is good (and necessary). But just as good (and even more necessary) is attitude or – if you want to get high-minded about it, philosophy.

After decades of honing a sweat-and-grunt gym rat life – not to mention the year I spent subjecting myself to every form of exercise from aerobics to Zumba (get it? A to Z?), I discovered a place where, for me, fitness and philosophy come together. Imagine being in a studio, in a fitness class, where as the instructor cues your movements, she is simultaneously making insightful, potentially life-changing statements. And no, not cheesy. Or self-conscious. Or woo-woo. Simple and natural.

A challenging workout packed with insights and ah-ha moments? Yep, you bet.

Here are a few of the cues given by my Barre3 instructors that mean so much more to me than just advice about how to move.

Find the ease in the effort. The instructor says this just when the effort is beginning to feel overwhelming, when I can’t imagine holding that plank a second more or squeezing the ball any tighter. And, as I search my body for a place of ease (Yes! Unbelievably I can find it), I also de-code the message as a broader directive. Life is about effort – and so often about chaos. But rather than letting the effort be all there is, rather than letting the chaos fill my head, what a gift if, in the thick of things, I can find that place of ease and calm.

Release the tension that does not serve you. The instructor says this when I have a death-grip on the barre or my shoulders are hunched or she can see the tendons pop in my neck. I am oblivious until she says it. And then I feel it. And then I release it. And I think about the life lesson here: Putting down that unnecessary baggage we carry. Letting go of those grudges. Releasing what does not serve you.
It is all about the core. The instructor says as I balance on a ball in boat pose. Yes, all movement comes from the core. But I de-code the statement this way: All movement in life – creativity, curiosity, productivity, meaningful engagement, relationships – everything should come from the core, the core of one’s being, the core of who you are. Your authentic self. It IS all about the core.

Create your own resistance. The instructor says, cueing us to purposeful eccentric and concentric muscle contractions, to feeling the air we move through, to using our own body weight. I internalize this as an important life strategy: Look for challenges. Up the ante. Decide to raise the bar on your own life not because you have to, not because you’re forced to, but because that’s where learning and growth take place. Because that’s where you strengthen resilience and feed curiosity and live with intention and engagement. (This, by the way, is the subject of my new book, Raising the Barre, due out in late November.)

There are always modifications. The instructor says to help those of us with tight hip flexors or wonky lower backs. And I think: What an
empowering and self-determining way to look at one’s life. Whatever you want to do, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, there are always ways to make it work, to make the endeavor successful. To modify means to make it your own.