Movement is Metaphor • Dynamic Body Pilates

I never imagined myself so injured to the point of having not only 4 herniating discs, but shooting nerve pain through my finger tips. Forget dancing… It hurt me to sit up in any chair, lift a coffee mug, or brush my teeth. It took me a long time to acknowledge that what I was doing wasn’t helping, it was harming. How could I fulfill my vision of the world I wanted to be a part of when I couldn’t even sit up without pain? I had to learn to listen to my body rather than ignore what it was telling me, and admit that this wouldn’t be fixed overnight.

“I can’t help but see a parallel between my experience with my injury and how I see the world right now”.

My process after injury: 1. Act like there’s no problem and proceed as usual. 2. Ignore feeling worse and double down. 3. Acknowledge that the pain and immobility weren’t sustainable. 4. Take the action to learn from experts and put into practice what I’ve learned. 5. Begin to heal, move with awareness and ease, and now be able to live the life I want.

I felt a lot of guilt and shame while going through this healing process. Ultimately, I had to let go of these emotions and do the work to get well. I can’t help but see a parallel between my experience with my injury and how I see the world right now. Whether you look at covid, natural disasters, systemic racism, abortion rights, or any of the many injustices in the world, the process I went through with my injury seems a lot like the process that the world is experiencing with these issues.

I see as a Pilates practitioner how connected all the parts of the body are, I learned as a modern dancer that movement is metaphor, and I’ve often asked the question: Imagine the life you desire. How does your body need to feel, look, and function to fulfill that vision? I wonder if we could extrapolate that question to apply to the state of the world. Imagine the world you desire. How does it feel, look and function to fulfill that vision?