The opinions expressed in Breathing are what Raphael reckons, and are not necessarily the opinions of Breathe Yoga & Pilates unless you agree with them.
As winter sets in and the cruel, cold winds off the icy northern tundra blow past our windows, it feels good to be snuggled cozily in front of the fire, with a good DVD and some hearty soup. And perhaps some sweet treats.
Also a glass of wine would be nice. And a hot chocolate to finish with, to help us sleep.
We will emerge at the start of spring, groggy, Thick-headed and Thick-waisted from our long torpidity, (or perhaps from the wine and chocolate). Now, as the New Year approaches in the springtime, as we are bombarded by “New Year, New You” type promotions; NOW is our chance to start anew, and undo the damage of the long decay.
Uncovering your Look - an interview with Fashionista Extraordiare James Kelly
Breathing (Br): Welcome James, it's great to have you here
James Kelly (JK): It's lovely to be here. I've never seen the inside of the Breathe website before - I like what you've done with the place.
Br: James, speaking as someone who is very much in touch with "your Look", what advice would you give someone who is still searching for their very own Look?
JK: Well, first of all, a Look is a very individual thing, a very personal thing. Sometimes people can feel shy about expressing their Look, because it can be a very revealing thing personally, I mean it's intrinsic to who you are, and that can be hard to put on display out there for everyone. So the first piece of guidance I'd offer to people searching for their true Look, is; it's already within you. You already know what you love. Whether it's a Look from your childhood, or an era that's always captured your imagination, or just an affinity with a certain Look. Don't be afraid - go for it!
Br: So once you've uncovered your unique Look, how do you go about filling your wardrobe with clothes that express it? Do you have any shopping tips?
JK: There are different ways to approach shopping, and I don't profess to know everything about it, but what I've found to work for me, is this: Always be on the lookout for pieces to put together. Don't look for anything too specific, like going all out to find a particular item in a certain colour - that way leads to heartache, especially if your Look is unusual. Just go for any item that fits your Look. Only buy things when they're perfect. Don't pick up anything that doesn't absolutely rock you. When you do find that magical piece, whether it's a beautiful second hand item for $3, or a Pierre Cardin Tie Pin for $3000, buy it immediately. It's that simple.
Br: What are your biggest inspirations?
JK: I've always loved Hemmingway, so he's been a big influence on my fashion sensibility. However lately I'm really enjoying the Sartorialist website. I love keeping in touch with what real people are wearing out ther in the world. Lastly my family have always been inspirational to me, especially my partner Lena and my "li'l Ragga" Mila - I love the way Lena can take items that seemingly don't fit together and make them into a cohesive ensemble, and the way she wears her clothers with such grace and naturalness; watching Mila start to discover her Look has been a beatiful journey for me.
Br: Thanks so much James - all the best for your future fashion forays.
JK: I've enjoyed our conversation.
That's it for another issue of Breathing, I can tick that off my list. phew.
Just like Led Zeppelin and Spinal Tap before me, I'm naming this album the same as the band; this is an issue of Breathing called Breathing. If it was a record the cover would be just pure Sunburnt Orange, with the Breathe Lotus embossed faintly on it, and when you open it up (it's a double album of course), the inside is lined in a beautiful, rich Shag which is in the exact same Suburnt Orange colour.
Where have the Great Statements/Great Statesman gone?
When Julius Ceasar defeated Pharnaces II in the Battle of Zela in 47 BC, he sent a 3 word message back to the Roman Senate proclaiming his victory; "Veni, Vedi, Veci".
Translation: "I came, I saw, I conquered". This terse remark both announced the totality of his victory and served to remind the senate of Caesar's military prowess (Caesar was still in the midst of a civil war). What a dude.
It seems all the Grand Gestures of Rock are a thing of the past. Do people still say things like "Dr Livingstone, I presume" or "We will fight them on the beaches" or "I had a Dream..." or "Quite frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" or "There's a lady who knows / All that Glitters is Gold / And she's buying a stairway to Heaven"? The song lyrics these days seem so banal, and the politicians so colourless - where are the Roosevelts, the Winston Churchills, the Ghandis, the Disraelis? Our politicians these days are not Grand Statesmen anymore, but merely Good Managers of the Economy (or are they?). Has mass communication made us all too well-informed, too slick, too worldly? Do we all know too many buzz words?
Our promise to you
Breathe's promise to you this Christmas is... no special Christmas offers. No Gift Ideas. No stocking fillers. We won't be hosting any B-List celebrities, nor will any prominent Melbourne radio shows featuring a daggy guy and pretty woman who laugh too hard at each other's jokes be broadcast live from the Yoga studio. There will be no sausage sizzles, no One Day Sales, not any "New Year/New You" promotion. There will be no runout of last year's models at reduced prices, nor will there be a free gift with every purchase. Sorry.
All we can offer you this Christmas is some Yoga and Pilates that could change your life.
Happy Christmas in November.
Cool Old Guys* of History share their wisdom on Album Artwork and other aspects of
Statecraft
"I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter." ~
Sir Winston Churchill, on the eve of his 75th birthday
"Men willingly believe what they wish." ~
Julius Caesar
"The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps." ~
Benjamin Disraeli
"In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, an ancient race of people... the Druids. No one knows who they were or what they were doing... " ~ Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap
"Action expresses priorities." ~
Mohandas Gandhi
"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."~
Margaret Thatcher
I hope you are enjoying this instant. I am. It's a pleasure to write to you; I hope you're looking forward to a wonderful day, and a wonderful week(end). I look forward to hearing your feedback, and to seeing you in class!
Occasionally I like to reflect on things that ssit me. (Sorry if there are any typos in this issue; I don't use spell-checker because it insists on spelling everything in American). One of the things that really sucks in this post Politically-Correct-management-speak-can-do-Anthony-Robbins-Seven-Habits-of-Highly-Effective-People-Automated age, is the scripting of so many of our interactions according to the "rules of influence". For instance, I'm not sure whether you've ever experienced INTENSE FRUSTRATION and HOMICIDAL RAGE when you call up your major telco and speak to a computer generated voice. It strikes me as a little crazy to be on hold to a computer, listening to a late 80's hit song about Australia over and over again. Perhaps it's just me.
It's funny that the big companies seem to have totally missed the point with all their research-based sales-speak. I recently spoke with a person in the complaints department of a large company (I was complaining about their service). This person had obviously been trained to say "thank you (customer name)" every time the customer uttered words, so every sentence started with "Thank you mister Bender,". Somehow, though, I still didn't feel heard and appreciated.
Is meaningful human interaction able to be reduced to a formulaic speil mouthed by uncaring automatons? I hope not! Why the scripts? Why not just empower people to be themselves, and offer them the opportunity to relate with people, person-to-person? Radical concept wot.
So in the spirit of Keeping it Real, we've got some Real Poetry for you this week, as well as some Old Guys keeping it Real. Enjoy!
We're pleased to present the world-debut of the provocative "Vulcan Canon", by the award-winning British-Australian poet Henry Shires.
VULCAN CANON
I am too fast to live, to old to die
You sprats, you tiddlers – I throw you back
I have bigger fish to fry
I am American idle, next year's top model,
Survivor, eye of the tiger
I am a stone cold killer – I highjack Michael Jackson's Thriller
I can bend it better than Beckham
And I am better looking than his wife;
You Call THAT A Knife!
I am Vin Diesel at my laptop easel
I am Slayer, I'm a player
I am East and West side
A six pack Tupac and a bigger Biggie too
I a could be all the Pussycat Dolls-in-one; for you
Tell them to be patient and ask death for speed; for they are all there but one - I, Chingachgook
I am not "only the cook"
Yippee Kayay Motherfuckers
I'll be back
Brad Pitt
Shit (Howls at the moon)
Cool Old Guys* share their Wisdom on Keeping it Real
"The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have, or becomes what he is not. It consists in the dissipation of one's own ignorance concerning one's self and life, and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins the spiritual awakening. The finding of God is a coming to one's self." ~ Aldous Huxley
"No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this. The only right is what is after my constitution; the only wrong what is against it." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I desire only to know the truth, and to live as well as I can...And, to the utmost of my power, I exhort all other men to do the same...I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly conflict." ~ Socrates
"Revile those who flatter you." ~ Mevlana Rumi
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence." ~ Albert Einstein
Issue number 27, Monday 11 August 2008
Things that feel good, things that feel easy.
When I find myself in times of trouble...
This week, I've got a lot going on: We're moving house, I'm flying to Canada for a course, Bintu's had a cold and hasn't been sleeping well, and all the other regular things that are part of life, like managing a business, dealing with crazy people and crazy deadlines, etc.
When I'm feeling under pressure, and not getting enough sleep or relaxation time, I've noticed that my instinct is to conserve energy by doing less of the things that I usually do to nurture myself. Instead, I tend to want to go for "quick fixes" like more caffeine, crappy DVD's and sugar. What I've noticed, of course is that these things don't actually make it easier to thrive and enjoy life immensely.
To deal with this situation, over time I've developed the idea of things that feel good now, and things that feel good after. Of course things that feel good after, may also feel good now, but somehow when we're tired and stressed, we have to exert our self-discipline to do them Whereas the things in the "feel good before" category are easy to do. The reason for this is that the "feel good now" things are all PASSIVE things, whereas the "feel good after"(and usually during) things are all PRO-ACTIVE.
Things that feel easy
Here are some of the things that I've discovered from personal experience, and from observation, that are "easy" to do, where the pleasure is short lived but the regret lasts a lot longer.
Having that "just one more" (drink, chocolate, piece of cake etc.)
Eating stodge late at night
Staying up watching Rage til a good music video comes on
Saying yes to an unwanted invitation, because you don't want to be rude
Giving your child lollies to keep them quiet
Indulging in thoughts like "it's not fair" or "why does this always happen to me"
Blaming others for how I feel, or the situation I'm in
Watching mindless things on telly/DVD/at the cinema
Having a coffee late in the day
Allowing myself to get cranky
Stopping to talk to one of those really friendly Red Cross people in the Bourke St Mall
Things that feel good
These are things that I sometimes don't feel like doing, but when I JUST DO THEM, I immediately feel better, and the good feeling lasts a lot longer.
Exercising self discipline with what you put into your body
Pilates and Yoga
Catching up with an old friend, just to catch up
Cleaning the house
Saying no to unnecessary social engagements
Doing a favour for a friend
Cooking a special meal for someone special
Calling your mother to say hi
Going for a walk in nature
Deciding to slow down and exist in this moment
Attempting something you're afraid of
Teaching someone something they really value
Saying I'm sorry
Listening
Taking a nap
Joseph Pilates
Krishnamacharya, who taught BKS Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois Yoga.
Cool Old Guys* of History on Things that Feel Good, Things that Feel Easy
"The most dangerous of our impulses reign in ourselves against ourselves. To dissolve them is a creative act." ~ Hugo von Hofmannsthal
"Act the part and you will become the part." ~ William James
"It's easy to be negative and unmotivated, but it takes some work to be positive and motivated. While there's no off button for those relentless "tapes," there are things that you can do to turn down the volume and shift your focus from the negative to the positive." ~ Donna Cardillo
"What is to give light must endure burning." ~ Viktor Frankl
"There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." ~ John F. Kennedy
"To be engrossed by something outside ourselves is a powerful antidote for the rational mind, the mind that so frequently has its head up its own ass." ~ Anne Lamott
"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I hope you are enjoying this instant. I hope you're looking forward to a wonderful day, and a wonderful week. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and to seeing you in class!
In this age of corporate efficiency, where everyone has read the latest books on leadership, and time management, and "how to make raving fans out of your customers", it's refreshing to come across the occasional example of good, old-fashioned laziness, incompetence and inefficiency. This is one such story.
You may have noticed that the lighting in our lift is a little "intimate" at the moment. Here's the astonishing and amusing story of how it came to be so. It's quite funny really (in a kind of ironical way).
One day recently when I came in to Breathe, I noticed that the light in the lift was a little low, so I went and got a new globe for it. When I started to put the new globe in, I was taken aback to notice that the entire light fitting had been removed rather clumsily, leaving nothing but a couple of dangling wires (hopefully not live!).
When I asked the reception folk why the light mechanism had been removed from the lift, they didn't know anything about it; the light had been working fine the day before, and then it was gone... After we scratched our heads for a while, someone realised that the lift mechanics must have removed it, as someone had noticed that they had been at Breathe that very morning, working in the lift.
Now what was really special about the lift mechanics taking the light fitting out of the lift is, they were there to finally service the lift, because it had been making a bumping noise. When we first noticed the bumping about 6 weeks ago, we called the lift company and they said they'd be out to fix it. Unfortunately, they didn't show up and so we called and called them every day, until finally they arrived, unannounced, last week, and triumphantly removed the light fixture, before departing, equally unannounced.
We knew they'd been at Breathe because we noticed they were working on the lift; and then they were gone, and the light fitting with them. Unfortunately the bumping noise remains, but at least we don't have to worry about replacing the globe in that light fitting anymore...
Since then we've again called, and called but so far to no avail. It's quite amusing!!!
The Marx Brothers share their olde-worlde incompetence and laziness as they interrogate a midget...
Cool Old Guys* share their wisdom on the lift guy
"The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency." ~ Bill Gates
"We can’t become anything we want to be. We come into this world with a specific, personal destiny. We have a job to do, a calling to enact, a self to become. We are who are from the cradle, and we’re stuck with it. Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it. If we are born to paint, it’s our job to become a painter. If we are born to raise and nurture children, it’s our job to become a mother. If we were born to overthrow the order of ignorance and injustice in the world, it’s our job to realize it and get down to business." ~ Steven Pressfield
"It is as if evolution has built a safety device in our nervous system that allows us to experience full happiness only when we are living at 100%--when we are fully using the physical and mental equipment we have been given." ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
"When I looked into the mechanics of being a businessman, I found it wasn’t rocket science." ~ Donny Deutsch
Today I'm pleased to be able to share with you some of my favourite and most inspiring training regimes from different realms, including martial arts, yoga, and dance. I hope you find some joy and inspiration from them!
Randy Couture training to fight world champion Tim Sylvia.
For those of you who feel you are getting old. Randy is a hero of mine. Watch him here, at 43 years of age, training to take on the 6'8" world champion Tim Sylvia in no-holds-barred fighting.
Leslie Caron in An American in Paris
Ok so she's not training, just sitting around reading a book, but it's my blog so I can include it if I want to! Embodies the phrase "making it look easy". Enjoy.
Strength training for Parkour
This is a great example of true core strength - it's like extreme Pilates!
Strength training for martial arts
Possibly my favourite, and one of the most disturbing videos I've seen on the net. Whatever you do DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Incredible training for martial arts.
Gymnastics training
It's amazing to watch the competitions at the olympics, but watching the training can be even more inspirational, humbling and emotional. Check it out when you need some perspective.
Flexibility training, the old skool way
Ever wanted to do oversplits? Don't watch if you have a weak stomach.
Cool Old Guys* share their wisdom on training
"We aim above the mark to hit the mark." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." ~ John F. Kennedy
"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals." ~ Larry Bird
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. ~ Epictetus
"It you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal not to people or things." ~ Albert Einstein
"You must be the kind of man who can get things done. But to get things done, you must love the doing, not the secondary consequences." ~ Ayn Rand
You may have noticed that Julie has become one of the Reception folk; I've got a lot of time for Julie. Funnily enough, I knew Julie long before she worked at Breathe - we first met when we both worked at a particular cafe in Brunswick Street around 1992, when Julie was still studying Naturopathy.
When Julie was practicing Naturopathy and massage in Gertrude Street, I used to go around and get a massage from her sometimes, and she'd always give me advice on nutrition, homoepathics, herbs and stuff. We've worked together at a few places too - we both worked at a certain Yoga and Pilates Health Club in Sydney CBD, and at a martial arts school in Newtown before that. So we've worked together a lot over the years, and although we haven't worked together for quite a while, I know we'll enjoy working together at Breathe. I still get a massage from Julie occasionally. She's very good.
Julie has just come back to work after the birth of her daugther Bintu 18 months ago, and I'm very pleased that she's agreed to come and work with us at Breathe, and that I'll have the chance to work with her again. Even though we haven't been at the same workplace for a while, we still keep in touch all the time, and I know that whatever shape our working relationship takes, it will be fun and rewarding. I really feel that I know Julie well enough to say that about her - we're married.
So anyway, say hi to Julie next time you see her at reception for a Turtle or a Buddha.
Cool Old Guys* share their wisdom on Julie
"In my 35 years in business I have always trusted my emotions. I have always believed that by touching emotion you get the best people to work with you, the best clients to inspire you, the best partners and most devoted customers." ~ Kevin Roberts
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." ~ Helen Keller
As you know, here at the home of Breathing, we don't shy away from controversy, nor do we hesitate to call it like we see it. This fortnight, we've conducted a survey of all the staff at Breathing, and come up with our All Time Top Fives, without fear or favour. If you have All Time Top 5's you'd like to share with us, we'd love to hear from you. You can email us your submission. We'll publish the top five submissions. BTW all the All Time Top Fives below have been approved by the Breathing Top Five subcommittee and are official.
All Time Top 5 Daily Moments of Anticipation (DMA's):
Waking up, when you know you have a few minutes before you have to be out of bed...
The moment when the coffeepot starts bubbling and steaming
Cycling to work, anticipating playing with certain people there
The moment when you step out of work for the last time that day
The last moment of holding, juuust before you complete an extended movement/posture in Pilates or Yoga
All Time Top 5 Movies:
Princess Bride
When Harry met Sally
The Blues Brothers
Singing in the Rain
Anchors Aweigh!
All Time Top 5 Pilates teacher tricks:
Just another 3,2,1... and now reverse
And now hold for only another 3,2,1,... and continue
And holding for 3,2,1 ... and now hold for another 5...
And only another 3,2,1 ... and now 10 pulses
And pulsing for another 3,2,1 ... and now lift your left leg off the mat and continue (only evil Pilates instructors use this one)
All Time Top Five ways for Yogis to end an email:
Om Shanti
Namaste
Peace
Om
See you on the Mat!
Top Five Recent Fashions that People will Regret in The Future:
Low waisted jeans combined with g-string
Celtic Tattoos
Those earrings that make really big holes in your earlobe, just like a New Guinea Hill Tribe.
"Pornstar" t-shirts
Wearing 1 leg of your jeans rolled up
Top Five Oxymorons:
Live Television
Gym Yoga
Modern Classic
Tofu Burger
Instant Coffee
Top Five Excuses not to do Yoga and Pilates:
Work's really busy at the moment
I'm feeling tired
I don't have enough time at the moment
I can't afford it, what with the mortgage payments etc
I'm not fit/flexible enough
Top Five Reasons to Do Yoga and Pilates:
Helps deal with work stress
Increases energy and vitality
Helps slow you down and get perspective on your situation
You want less unhealthy indulgences
It helps you close down your internal dialogue
Cool Old Guys* of History share their wisdom:
Luke: "I can't believe it. Yoda: "That is why you fail."
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." ~ William Shakespeare
"I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." ~ Mark Twain
"What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly." ~ Lao-tzu
"The internal dialogue is what grounds people in the daily world. The world is such and such or so and so, only because we talk to ourselves about its being such and such and so and so. The passageway into the world of shamans opens up after the warrior has learned to shut off his internal dialogue." ~ Carlos Castaneda
That's it for another week!
I love to read your feedback and comments, so please feel free to email me.
We took Bintu to the zoo on the weekend, and we looked at the fish, the tortoise, the otters and the gorillas (which are her favourite). It got me thinking about evolution.
We're perfectly adapted for our surroundings
The human race is perfectly adapted to the daily lifestyle and environment of a hunter-gatherer living in stone-age Europe or Africa. I'm not sure if they had Yoga back then.
Apparently our genetic evolution has moved much more slowly than our technical progress over the years. Basically we'd be a lot happier chasing wooly mammoths and digging roots, and then singing about it round the campfire, back in the days when life moved a LOT more slowly. Aaah the good old days! This theory can explain some of why we often struggle to deal with the fast pace, constant pressure and high rate of change that are all part of modern life, and why life can sometimes seem stressful and overwhelming. (Great news - in another 40 million years we'll be perfectly adapted to today's lifestyle!)
Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary
Throughout our evolution from tadpoles, to lizards, to primates and then humans (evolution is only loosely represented here - apologies to any evolutionary biologists reading this) certain parts of our brain developed to thrive and survive at each stage. Our brain is kind of like a dwelling that began life as a tin shed, and has been renovated repeatedly by successive generations as the family grew in size and complexity. Each (evolutionary) generation has added new and more sophisticated rooms onto the existing structure; each bit tacked onto the bit before it, without prior planning, till we're left with a brain-structure that is part reptilian (archipallium), part early mammalian (paleopallium) and part monkey (neopallium).
Psychology
Some psychiatrists and anthropologists argue that many mental illnesses are in fact perfectly adapted evolutionary survival traits - perfectly adapted for a stone-age hunter gatherer that is: Not so perfect for dealing with modern life. You can check out more detailed information on these ideas called Evolutionary Psychology, or you can listen to a fascinating Radio National podcast featuring these ideas here.
Where Yoga fits into evolution
Apparently our brains, incredibly complex and sophisticated instruments that they are, often can be made happy and content by very simple things: Moving our bodies. Stretching. Enjoying fresh air. Being around family. Doing good things for others. Sleeping in the afternoon sun. These are things that are programmed into us genetically, and when we make them part of our existance, we're usually much happier for it.
In this modern, fast-paced world where we're almost like a prehistoric fish that's 10,000 years away from the watery world we grew up in and evolved for, Yoga can be like a balm that soothes, smoothes and rejuvenates us. The simple (but not easy) process of tuning in to our breath, and quietly connecting with our physical self can actually make up for 40 million years of evolution in just a few minutes, and make everything alright again. That's why I love Yoga.
Anyway that's the story of evolutionary psychology. What a (r)evolutionary narrative! Perhaps I'll write a book on the subject. Or do a Yoga class.
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose." ~ Helen Keller
"It is through your body that you realize you are a spark of divinity." ~ B.K.S. Iyengar
"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier." ~ Joseph Pilates, aged 86
"The yoga mat is a good place to turn when talk therapy and antidepressants aren't enough." ~Amy Weintraub
"Yoga is bodily gospel." ~ Reaven Fields
"Don't just do something; sit there!" ~ Author Unknown
It's been "a little while" since the last issue of Breathing made it's way in the world. But now here we are, back again with more pithy wisdom and amusing anecdotes, all with a tenuous connection to Pilates and Yoga. What's more, we've taken the liberty of making our resurgence with a new online format that allows us to offer you all kinds of cool new features (like photos and stuff). Enjoy!
The Shocking Story of the Mysterious Missing Months
As you may already know, I have a daughter, Bintu, who is 1 years old. Bintu likes to "help" me when I'm working on the computer, and as she's a perfectionist, things can sometimes take just that little bit longer to get done, especially in the mornings, when it has been my habit to write Breathing. Each issue just got harder and harder to complete on time, although we sure had a lot of fun doing it; we ended up spending lots of time on YouTube looking at movies of Diggers and Kittens, which is fascinating, and worth a whole other issue all by itself.
Le veré mañana, Maria Celeste
Eventually there came a day when we (Bintu and I) just couldn't get Breathing finished in time to send out before I had to leave for work, so we left it to finish tomorrow. or the day after... Aaah mañana, will that day never come?
Suddenly I looked at the date and realised 4 months has passed, since that fateful moment when I abandoned the last issue of Breathing in mid-sentence, just like the Mary Celeste. Bintu didn't seem too fazed by the whole thing, though. I think she feels it's all been worth it, although she's glad to be back into the swing of things.
Andrew is a friend of mine. I originally met
him through work a long time ago (we worked
together with Miche le and James i n the old
Sydney days ) . In fact, when Andrew and I met,
neither of us was a Pi l ates instructor yet,
although we both did do Pilates every day.
Now we’re both STOTT certified Pi l ates instructors , and we both
work at Breathe, with Michel le and James , in these new
Melbourne days ; but it wasn’t always that way.
When I was first introduced to Andrew, he was dancing with
Opera Australia, and also studying with Michell e to become a
Pilates instructor, and he seemed like a nice boy (with great
posture). Andrew is ver y pol ite and softly spoken, and he’s
always well groomed; kind of like a blonde Clark Kent , without
the glasses. That’s the impression I got of him anyway. He was very excited (in a quiet way) about becoming a Pilates instructor.
Unremarkable beginnings lead to great things
Isn’t it funny how often, when we first meet people who are
going to be important in ou r l i fe, they can seem just like regular
people to us : Or, how some action we take, that doesn’t necessarily seem like such a big thing at the time, was i n fact our first
step on a path that ends up making a profound difference in our
life. That ’s how it was for me with Andrew.
Student days
Andrew loves Pilates . STOTT Pilates teacher training takes quite
some time, and involves lots of studying , so Andrew didn’t do
much hanging around . I d idn’t really start to pay attention to
him unti l he finished his training , and started teaching. By that
time everyone was paying attention to him.
Where I was working at the time, there were a whole bunch of
Pilates instructors working , and several o f them were exceptionally talented and experienced (like Michel l e for instance ) , s o the
standard was ver y high, and our clients were actually spoilt for
choice. (Having so many great Pilates instructors around, actually
gave me the erroneous idea that great Pilates instructors are
common. They’re actually exceedingly rare ) .
Graduating to the bottome of the heap
Andrew passed his exams and he duly took his place as a “junior ”
instructor ( that means he got pai d less and got the crap classes;
so he ended up teaching the 4am cla ss on Wednesdays and the
midnight cla ss on Monday evenings for instance). When Andrew
started teaching though, a funny thing happened; almost f rom
the first cla ss he taught , people started flocking to do his classes,
even passing by more experienced instructors (except Michelle
of course) to enjoy doing Pilates every day with Andrew.
People would just rearrange schedules to come to class, even
at inconvenient times . It became apparent that he had something
special.
And rising quickly
It ’s wei rd how quickly Andrew’s popularity grew too, cons idering
there was nothing but word of mouth to recommend him.
When I first did Andrew’s cla ss , I d idn’t real ly know what to
expect . I wondered what al l the fuss was about . H is style was
gentle, but FIRM with no fri l ly bit s . H is cla sses were simply
choreographed, but ver y chal lenging to strength, balance,
flexibility and coordination, and most of al l you really got a
sens e that you’d worked, and that you’d earned the right to feel
good after class, and for the whole day. It was more than all
that though – it was an experience, and it was more than that :
Andrew’s cla ss opened up whole new realms of possibility for
me. He taught differently. He had his own st yle, right from the
start . I really value that about Andrew, because he taught me
something about myself. After just one class , I felt the need to
tell all my friends to come along and try a class with Andrew.
The next chapter
Now that Andrew has moved to Melbourne, and he’s teaching at
Breathe, I ’ll have the chance to do Pilates regularly with him,
and to become a better teacher i n the process . I ’m als o looking
forward to lots of chat s about Pi l ates and other things over
coffee in Centre Place, the official Breathe “Melbourne vibe”
hang-out .
Cool old guys of history on Andrew’s success
"Again and agai n I therefore admonish my studen s in Europe
and America: Don't aim at success - - the more you aim at it and
make it a target , the more you are going to miss it . For success ,
like happiness , cannot be pursued ; it must ensue, and it only
does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication
to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's
surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must
happen, and the same holds for success : you have to let it
happen by not caring about it . I want you to listen to what your
conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the
best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the
long-run -- in the long-run, I say! - - success will follow you
precisely becaus e you had forgotten to think about it ." ~ Viktor
Frankl
Have a great week, don’t forget to look after yourself in the
silly season.
