Seasons change. Right now, wherever you are on Earth, there is a shift. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re leaving summer and entering autumn. When we think season change, our minds go to weather change, wardrobe change, schedule change. Lots of change outside of us. There’s energetic change within us too. Personally, as I approach autumn in New England, USA, I feel a little more ambitious. Like the squirrels, I feel an urgency to get things...
If you’ve ever experienced knee pain, you know we use our knees a lot! If the simple act of standing up from a seated position hurts, how are we supposed to workout? Well, knees always need TLC, not just when you feel pain, and painful workouts are always a big no in my book, but we can still keep moving even when our knees limit us. The key is to feel out what you can do without pain. This will be...
Struggling to get to your at-home workout space as often as you’d like? Make it feel more sacred. The space we workout in should be a sacred space. First, because we spend a solid amount of time in it. Second, because we work hard on ourselves in it. And third, because we shut out the noise of the world and connect to ourselves in it. Often, we think a space is sacred because it’s connected to religion, like...
The affirmation of the week this week is The best is yet to come. It actually came out of Dolores Cannon’s mouth during a 2008 lecture she gave on what she’s learned as a past life regressionist. She talked about the twists and turns of her own journey on this planet, and how she delighted in her “new” (and legendary) career which didn’t start until she was in her fifties. She repeated the best is yet to...
In Sanskrit, the heart center is called “Anahata” which translates as unstruck. I’ve always loved this way of seeing the heart center because it connotes the notion that your heart’s true nature is impervious to damage. There is no doubt that the body follows the mind, but vice versa is also true – the mind follows the body. A great example of this is when we stand taller, lifting the heart, our mind shifts, instantly and momentarily, into a more confident, more open energy. Have you ever...
When you’re Pilates Strong, you’re not just strong – you’re integrated – and that’s a big deal. Strong is great, but integrated means: 1. You’ve got stellar mind/body connection. 2. Your muscular system is united. 3. You’ve got a heightened awareness of proper alignment. Movement at large, including traditional strength training, promotes integration, but (in my opinion) Pilates is the integration superstar. It fast-tracks us and it complements just about every other form of exercise. All those professional athletes and dancers – especially the one’s with career...
One of the biggest things I’m working on personally this year is not living with the feeling of “I’ve got to be somewhere else” or “I’ve got a million things to do.” Our society really celebrates busy-ness and rushing around, and women especially are expected to go-go-go with to-do lists galore. I bought into this for years, but now I see it for what it is: a lack of being present. You and I can accomplish just...
Fitness is all the time. It may, at first, seem like it’s just that hour or so you spend working out each day, but at closer examination, you’ll see that everything is part of your fitness routine. From the quality of your sleep to the hours you sit at your desk – even the people you surround yourself with – it’s all part of your fitness routine. I have a client that flies all over the...
What the heck is Four Elements Flow? That’s what my husband asked when he read the name of the newest video workout on ellenbarrett.com. It’s a good question…allow me to explain. Four Elements Flow is a 45minute fusion low-impact cardio workout where instead of focusing on cardio, strength and stretch, it brings awareness to air, water, fire and earth. The workout fuses yoga, barre and Pilates in a seamless, all standing, flow. Why divert attention from the usual...
We had a fierce, non-stop downpour on Friday afternoon into the evening, and it stunned me. All I could do was wait it out. I woke up this morning still thinking about the intensity and drama of it all. Mother Nature really is awe-some. It got me thinking….there are things out of our control – we can’t control the weather, stop time, or force others to think in a certain way. Over the last few...
