We love hearing from our Polestar community about their Pilates journey and training. Check out this recent testimonial from Polestar community member Gamze Gunay from Bejing!
I remember the times I was working hard until the late hours at the office. No matter if it was the night or weekend, or even a holiday, I was to finish my duties. The workload was increasing continuously and it felt like there were dozens of knives in my back. All I knew was that I needed to move; however, I couldn’t find the time for it. I was just shuttling between office and home. I was feeling totally stressed and I wasn’t supposed to reflect it to the people that I was responsible for as a human resources professional. I couldn’t even get rest when I slept.
The pain in my back was so intolerable that I finally had to see a physiotherapist, and he suggested a 10-day therapy to me. Even though we discussed that 10 days wouldn’t be enough itself and that I had to keep moving, we decided to give it a try. I had to go to therapy during my working hours. While in therapy, I understood that the more I worked, the more workload was given to me and there was no interruption during my absence. So I decided not to work out of working hours and let my manager know about it. Otherwise, I was going to fall out of love with my job to which I dedicated myself passionately. Therefore, I got the chance to start my journey of Pilates that I was so curious about. And I wasn’t wrong about the feeling that there was something for me in it. The equipment, the environment, the feeling before and after the session… they were all making me feel better day by day and I was working at the office in a healthier way.
I was practicing four to five times per week and my teacher told me,
”the happiness on your face every time you get in the studio is priceless.”
We talked about the possibility of me leaving corporate life to be a Pilates teacher. Meanwhile, there was something happening in my life; my boyfriend proposed to me while he was living in Beijing, China, and it wasn’t going to be the final destination as he would be appointed to many other countries all around the world time after time. That meant that I needed a job much more global than human resources and one that would make me happy.
So, I decided to take into consideration my conversations with my Pilates teacher and pursued a path to become a Pilates teacher. Before moving to Beijing, the first thing I did was search for the training options, which led me to the Polestar Comprehensive Training Program here.
Now I’ve completed the program and am getting ready for the certification exam. Pilates is filling the gaps of my new life; it is my best friend; it is my new job; it is my therapy. It is a way of meeting new people and helping the ones that share a similar story with me. By digging down deep into its principles and teaching techniques and gaining more family members through it, I understand that starting my journey with Polestar Pilates has been my best choice. I am proud to be a member of the Polestar Pilates family and am happier than ever!
Love from Beijing as a Turkish member,
Gamze Gunay
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