Pilates and Inner Peace

Why is it so difficult for us to be still and focus on our breath?  It's a seemingly easy task that becomes alarmingly difficult to do in the midst of our chaotic modern lives.  We are constantly distracted by other people, places and the millions of things we have on our to do lists.  Quite frequently we are disturbed and annoyed by other people!  So much in fact that we eclipse our own happiness and ability to be present in the moment.
I know, what does that have to do with Pilates?  Well, when we approach Pilates or exercise as a distraction from our chaotic lives or we can't let go of our annoyance with others we lose our connection to ourselves and our inherent peaceful nature.  How can we relax our shoulders or engage our abdominals when we are irritated, frustrated and annoyed?
Next time you let the behavior of others destroy your sense of inner peace ask yourself why it is beneficial to do so. Is it helpful to yourself or the other person?  Does it accomplish anything useful?
If the answer to these questions is 'no' then let it go and reside in your natural state of peace and joy :)

Pilates and Travel

I will be taking a short trip this weekend (yay!), which means time spent in cars, on planes, and on public transit.  Whenever I travel, I try to use what I've learned in Pilates training to recover after a trip.

Back when I was traveling for work, the first thing I'd do when arriving at the hotel was to lie on the floor and do some bridges, toe taps, and basic stretches to get my abs warmed up and my back relaxed after being compressed for so long.  I try to make sure I work in some spinal flexion (such as chest curls) as well as some spinal extension (swan pose).  I also want to add a little spinal rotation in the mix (spine twist or saw would be good examples) to make sure I'm moving the spine in all the planes of motion.  It's amazing what some good stretching and a little muscle warm up can do to get me going again after feeling crunched for a trip.

Anyone else have some go-to moves for relaxing after a long flight or car ride?

Yummy gluten free cauliflower tortillas

I've made other gluten-free tortillas but I think this is the best one yet.  And you will get your veggies while eating them.  And, they are soft!

 

Cauliflower Tortillas (Paleo, Grain Free, Gluten free)

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 17 mins

Total time: 27 mins

Serves: 6-7

Ingredients

• ¾ a head of cauliflower riced or 2 cups riced and packed
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. For these I actually rice my cauliflower slightly more fine that cauliflower rice. Toss ¾ a head of cauliflower cut up and most of the stem removed and pulse until you get a texture slightly finer than rice. (Once it’s riced measure it to make sure you have 2 cups packed.) You can also do by hand with a grater.
3. Place riced cauliflower in bowl and microwave for 2 minutes and stir, then another two minutes and stir again then place in a dish towel and squeeze excess water out as hard as you can. (You’re going to want to get out as much water as you can and be careful not to burn yourself because it’s going to be very hot.) DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
4. Place drained cauliflower back in bowl and add two eggs, salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
5. As a note it will be a little bit runny but shouldn’t be pure liquid either. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet into 6 small fairly flat circles.
6. Place in the oven for 10 minutes then pull out of the oven and carefully peel them off the parchment and flip them and place back in the oven for 5-7 more minutes.
7. Once they’re done place them on a wire rack to cool slightly.
8. Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat and place the tortillas into the pan pressing down slightly and brown them to your liking. (Don’t skip this step because it gives them slightly crispy on the edges and gives them a wonderfully nutty taste)

Add your favorite fillings or leave flat and make a pizza for the kiddies.  Dinner!

Working it

Check out Tuesday night's reformer class performing Control Front to Pike with the short box.  An excellent way to challenge core strength and stability while feeling and looking really bad ass!

The Art of Doing Nothing

In our culture there is a huge emphasis on DOING.  Working harder, faster and longer are revered by our leaders and innovators.  What is not taken into account are the ramifications of this said methodology.  What are the consequences both individually and societally of not emphasizing stillness and inner reflection?  If you are tired, injured, sick or stressed as a result of implementing those values is the net gain of more money, things and ego-based satisfaction really worth it?  It would almost be more beneficial for us to ask those question before taking any action so that we use our life energy in a way that is balanced and increases our quality of life rather than detracts from it.

What does this have to do with Pilates?  It is in fact imminently applicable.  We approach working out much like we approach life - GET ER DONE!  We are focused on goals and not process.  When we disregard process we treat our bodies as machines not as sentient entities.  Our workouts become rote and we wonder why we don't feel good after we workout or we don't look any better.  Bringing stillness and mindfulness to our Pilates practice opens up a world of opportunity.  It allows us the opportunity to make better and healthier choices that give us increased rather than decreased quality of life.  It also allows us to take that awareness into our daily lives if we choose to.  The more you can view your Pilates practice as a microcosm of how you experience life the more you will get out of it both on or off the mat.

Time for Sunscreen!

It is *finally* starting to feel like winter will end this year here in Chicago.  I'm as happy as the next gal about the weather shift, but those of us with fair skin have to start thinking seriously about sunscreen these days.  After only an hour in the sun unprotected this week and I managed to come home with a minor burn on my neck.  Keeping the sunscreen tube in my purse from now on!  For anyone confused about what to look for in a good sunscreen, the FDA has put together a useful (if slightly annoying) clip.  Enjoy:

Double Rainbow!

Those of us that were here at Urbancore Monday evening around 7 pm were treated to the most amazing view from the front window.....a double rainbow!