Pilates instructor

How to Motivate your Clients to Keep Moving

Article by By Polestar Educator Carlos Marin Burguillos

Polestar Pilates celebrates 30 Years of Movens Mundi “Moving the World”. Make this year amazing for your clients by motivating them to keep moving!


The definition of adherence to treatment, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is:

“the extent to which a person’s behavior — taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes — corresponds with the agreed recommendations from a healthcare provider.”

Adherence to an exercise program or a certain activity, in this case, Pilates, is something fundamental to ensuring the healthy objectives the practice generates are obtained. For this reason, we are going to explore the possible influences, variables, and tools we can implement in our teaching to make this happen.

It should be noted that adherence to physical activity is influenced by the motivation of the subject since it is a psychological component that controls the direction, intensity, and permanence of the behavior (Murcia,2007).

In fact, motivation determines the initiation, maintenance, and completion of behaviors in which we are involved, and its analysis can help us to understand how people begin and continue in physical exercise (Deci and Ryan, 1985). The Theory of Self-determination (Deci and Ryan, 1985), an explanatory model of human motivation, directly relates self-determination to intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is what drives us to do things for the simple joy of doing them. The execution of the task itself is the reward. To be intrinsically motivated is to take on a problem as a personal challenge. It is to face it just to find its solution, with no hope or longing for an external reward for doing it (Jiménez, 2007). 

This is why being aware of the achievements obtained and the mere enjoyment of the sessions are two essential factors to facilitate motivation and therefore adherence to the pilates program. In this order of things, our work as Pilates professionals gives us a multitude of options to promote the intrinsic motivation of our students and thus improve adherence to the method. 

To facilitate its practical application, I would like to divide these endless elements into two large groups: the development of the program and the pedagogy during the sessions.


DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRAM:

In this section, we will cover topics from the selection of objectives to planning the “base exercises” integral to achieving each of these objectives in a session.

In order to maintain and improve the intrinsic motivation of the student, it is important that the exercises chosen are within the student’s comfort zone and close to their limit, allowing for an achievable challenge with determined effort.

As teachers trained in Polestar Pilates we have two tools developed with this purpose in mind:

Polestar Fitness Screening(PFS): A tool through which we can precisely determine the functional objectives for a specific client, to be best able to adapt to their needs.

Polestar Program Design & Sequencing Guide: A tool in which we define the essential exercises of the program according to the objectives determined in the PFS and the ever-changing capacities of the student throughout the program. This we combine with the categories of movement which facilitate developing the program by integrating all planes of movement, positions, and apparatus.

In short, it is about the program being adaptable enough to change instantly to meet the physical and mental state of the student, not the other way around. 

This is most easily achieved in individual classes, where we can modify the pre-established program in a very efficient and immediate way; but how do we achieve this in group classes, regardless of how small they are? 

When working in a group setting, each student presents different characteristics and objectives. Because of this, a personalized adaptation of programming is diminished and we need other tools to give the sessions a certain “mobility”. 

In addition to the basic progressions and regressions of each exercise and the option of creating homogenous single level groups (which is not always possible), I propose three ideas that have been very useful for my study:

  • Before the student joins the group and after the “evaluation of movement ”(PFS), invite them to do at least a couple of private sessions to lay a foundation that at the very least reviews potentially dangerous movements and movements requiring the most modifications for said student. This allows the student to feel more comfortable when joining the group, autonomous, and therefore safe when just by saying “Antonio, the shoulders”, the client knows exactly what you mean, and you can continue the group class with this individual cueing. 
  • Evolve each exercise almost “from zero”, even if it is one repetition for each modification. This will help your students to “enter the movement” and become aware of the state of their body in that precise moment for that specific gesture, to feel the progression in the effort, need for control, coordination, etc., and decide with criteria where to stop or how far to continue with the progression of the exercise.
  • Carry out a collective evaluation once every season (or determined number of weeks) in which each student scores themself, without the intention of “qualifying”, but rather to determine the progress and the points still to be reinforced at the individual level, and mark some general guidelines or “keys” that facilitate the most deficit movements. It will serve as positive reinforcement for the students who already have them integrated and give a boost to those who need it.

PEDAGOGY DURING THE SESSION:

Pedagogy is a general theory of learning that studies the laws of the general process of education and training with an emphasis on creating a learning environment that is suitable to multiple learning styles. I include in this group everything related to the way of teaching during Pilates sessions, which has an influence on the intrinsic motivation of the student.

It is essential to keep the student’s attention focused on the session so that learning can occur. Although many of the factors that influence this process are endogenous to the student, we can significantly influence this process.

LANGUAGE: Let’s divide language into “verbal” and non “verbal” to analyze the way in which it influences attention and student motivation

NON-VERBAL: Non-verbal communication is defined as a process where we transmit information to another person without using any type of word, spoken or written.

Nonverbal communication includes:

  • Gestures
  • Facial expression
  • Eye contact
  • Body language
  • Posture
  • Clothing
  • Spatial distance
  • Physical appearance
  • Rhythm
  • Intonation, and tone of voice

Playing with these variables offers endless possibilities and therefore can significantly influence the perception of the exercise by the student.

For example, the act of walking around the room and placing yourself in different points can influence the students feeling of integration, even more so if you look at each student, nod or smile, or approach and speak privately to a specific student with a lower tone of voice if the moment requires. Take into account the response of each student to these gestures, as not all students feel comfortable when they receive special attention or see their personal space “invaded”. Again the adaptability of your non-verbal language to each concrete learner is the key to success to maintain their focus and motivation.

VERBAL: Verbal communication uses words to convey a message. I propose several ideas that cover various objectives that will influence the intrinsic motivation of your students:

  • Words are associated with connotations beyond their own meaning. For example: “Trying” to do something implies the idea of ​​failure if it is not achieved. This can frustrate more competitive and less skilled students. I propose the word “explore”, where each action becomes part of an exploratory process with no glitches or errors, but movement options.
  • Talk about what you do want your students to do. Sometimes we try so hard to say what “could go wrong” that we are unintentionally pushing our student towards that option, or posing “success” as something so unattainable that it blocks any intention of movement. Look at the difference between these two instructions: “lift your leg and try not to move your pelvis at all ”, vs “raise your leg and feel how your pelvis rests heavily on the mat ”.
  • Use language that is accessible to your students. Using technical language does not elevate your status as a teacher, and what’s more, it could create a gulf between you and the student, making it difficult to communicate. This can generate frustration if the students are unable to understand the exercise when it is supposed to be something within their reach. What’s more, I suggest that you use colloquial words, and from time to time use a joke to break the tension, grab the attention of your students and generate an atmosphere of trust in the session.
  • Teach simply. Sometimes we want to say so many things about the exercise that after two minutes of explanation we still have not transmitted what movement we are asking our students to perform. I propose a simple scheme avoid falling into this error:
  1. Describe the initial position (if it coincides with the end of the previous exercise, eliminate this step).
  1. Define the base movement of the exercise (if it entails any real risk for the student, now is the time to comment. Otherwise, it gives rise to error, because experience is where you learn).
  1. State the objective of the exercise (you do not have to do it explicitly, just state what you want the student to achieve).
  1. Propose some guideline or technical indication that facilitates the achievement of the objective.
  1. Observe the execution and decide if it is necessary to make any correction (touch or verbal), reinforce some part of the exercise, or reward a specific gesture.
  1. If necessary, create a loop between the previous two, or add modifications in the exercise returning to point 2.

TYPE OF INSTRUCTION

In the same way that you can decide what kind of teacher to be (the serious teacher, the authoritarian, the joker), you can choose the way to approach an exercise. Apart from the general teaching guidelines which are more concrete, I propose some fun options:

  • Games: When playing a game, you are able to grasp the attention of your students and help them tap into a more playful feeling. This facilitates interaction between students and creates a bond between them that favors adherence to the method. A simple way to incorporate a game is to have students maintain a certain position that requires balance and have them pass various objects to each other, such as balls with different weights.
  • Simon Says: Once a specific exercise has been explained, modify some aspect with each consecutive repetition. This will keep the student’s attention, in addition to challenging their ability to react to external changes. For example, during one-legged footwork, alternate between one leg and the other, toe or heel of the foot, place of support on the bar, etc.
  • Give it a Turn: Create a sequence of fluid movement in which each gesture links with the following, and when they have it fully integrated, reverse the order of execution, or vary the order of the parts.
  • Improvise: Give specific guidelines that determine the essence of the exercise according to its objective, and suggest that they move the rest of their body freely and even randomly. You can put on music and give them time to express themselves and explore freely.

I hope that this small compilation of ideas has been interesting and especially useful if you decide to put them into practice.Carlos Marin Burguillos Educator for Polestar Pilates Spain, Valladolid.


REFERENCES

Jimenez, M. Intrinsic motivation. Competence, self-determination, and control. On:

Fernández-Abascal, E .; Jimenez, M .; Martín, M. Emotion and motivation: Human adaptation.

Madrid: Ramón Acelles S. A. Study Center, 2007.

Deci, E .; Ryan, R. Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation,

development, and health. Canadian Psychology, v. 49, n. 3, p. 182-185, 2008.

Murcia, J.A., Gimeno, E.C., & Coll, D.G. (2007). Analyzing motivation in sport a

study through the theory of self-determination. Apuntes de Psicología, 25 (1), 35-51.

Community Highlight: Polestar Practitioner Peter Clerkin

In your own words – describe “the Spirit of Polestar”:

PC: Using Pilates as a tool to create a positive movement experience.

What Three Words come to mind when you think of “Polestar Pilates”?

Holistic

Evolved

Legacy

What do you love about teaching Pilates?

PC: I love teaching because I can express and articulate what is good about Pilates as people do it – I know that a class or an individual person will feel better than they did before at the end of the session and I love to be present to see that change occur. I took my teacher training in London and my educators were Liz Bussey and Diane Nye.

What are your current Inspirations?  

PC: My current inspirations are researchers and physiotherapists trying to understand pain science so that it can be applied to Pilates, or movement practices in general, as a way to build resiliency in our clients. Polestar Educator Juan Nieto does a lot of good work in condensing this research and making it applicable to Pilates

Why Pilates?  How did you find the practice?

PC: I have been a Pilates teacher for almost 10 years – before that, I coached youth sports and earned an undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Science. Movement fascinates me and Pilates is a wonderful way of moving and making shapes that is in the moment, fun, and rewarding. Afterward, you feel improved emotional and mental health, and the physical, mental and emotional benefits continue the more you practice.

Pilates takes me into flow more than any other activity.

Why Polestar Pilates?  How did you come to join the Polestar Community?

PC: I felt that it was the gold standard regarding teacher training and I love that across the world we can all find common ground with the training and methods we use.

What do you hope to convey in your teaching?

PC: Moving is vital to being healthy and living a varied and fulfilling life. Also, that it can be fun, explorative, collaborative, and a way to understand your own unique body.

What is your favorite Quote? 

PC:

“The only constant is change”

Simple but powerful, I interpret it as trying to embrace what may come next and adapt to that rather than expecting things to be a certain way.

What is your Favorite Apparatus or favorite way to move?

PC: I love the ladder barrel – I think because a lot of the other apparatus are similar to each other. I like that the ladder barrel is a wonderful way of moving through many directions with your spine and also as a way to perform movements with a greater range of motion around the major joints.


You can find Peter on social media @peterdoespilates and discover teacher training opportunities here.

Unlock the Myth of Intra-Abdominal Pressure


What Is Intra-Abdominal Pressure And Why Does It Matter? 

Intra-abdominal (IAP) pressure is defined as the steady-state pressure concealed within the abdominal cavity and resulting from the interaction between the abdominal wall and viscera; IAP oscillates according to respiratory phase and abdominal wall resistance.

How do we educate people who have lost the capacity to appropriately use intra-abdominal pressure?  Think about the following statement: The appropriate amount of stiffness for the anticipated activity. What does this best describe? Stability? Core Control? Powerhouse? All of these things? 

The answer is all of them. Whether we are talking about stability, the powerhouse, or core control, we should be talking about the same concept. That is, does someone have the right amount of support for the anticipated load or activity? I intentionally use the word anticipated. The brain is using information from past experiences to determine the best approach. This enables us without thinking to know how much stiffness to create in preparation for picking up a jug of milk versus a bag of dried leaves for example.

Joseph Pilates implied that the powerhouse is where things start. What kind of tools do we as movement practitioners have to facilitate the appropriate amount of stiffness for the anticipated load? When asked how they would rank the greatest influencers of intra-abdominal pressure, our #PilatesHour webinar attendees answered as follows:  

A lot of people think it is about muscle control or abdominal strength. This is not the case. When we talk about the abdominal wall and intra-abdominal pressure with our clients, we often confuse them. This is because intra-abdominal pressure involves much more than just the abdominal wall. Intra-abdominal pressure is the stiffness inside the trunk, particularly in between the chest and the pelvic floor. It is this stiffness that is necessary to control the amount of movement based on the load. 

The Power Of Breath 

Breath is a powerful influencer of intra-abdominal pressure. The diaphragm is in fact one of the primary muscles and controllers of intra-abdominal pressure. Some people do not utilize the breath or the diaphragm efficiently or as part of dynamic control. This provides a terrific opportunity for Pilates instructors to affect IAP simply through training efficient and supportive breath patterns. 

The appropriate amount of stiffness is going to be determined by the activity and facilitated by proper alignment. For example, holding your breath in and of itself will create stiffness, but does it create the appropriate amount of stiffness? Is this a stiffness or support that can be maintained for a period of time? Proper alignment and practice lead to efficient and successful movement that seldom has to do with core strength. 

Most of our bodies are given the appropriate amount of strength to be able to handle the movements we choose to participate in. That does not mean that tomorrow, with my body in its current condition, I can go out and perform a 400-pound deadlift if I chose to. I am not conditioned for this activity, nor do I have a need to lift 400 pounds.

However, if I were training to perform that specific loaded movement, my body would naturally start gaining strength by steadily increasing the deadlift weight. Tissue adaptation would happen, meaning that my abdominal wall, my back muscles, and my pelvic floor would all start to change based on the demand that I would be making on those tissues. 

This leads to the question, How much control, mobility, or stiffness is necessary to accomplish the task at hand? 

Let’s say the box in this photo weighs 40 pounds. What parts of his body must recruit and create stiffness to keep him from falling? What if the box were 100 pounds, vs 15 pounds. How would that change the situation? 

When we look at the dynamic movement of kicking a ball, what are they doing and what muscles must be turned on for the person in the photo to be able to kick the ball? Which fascial trains or slings are being activated or tensioned to be able to have the appropriate amount of control of the trunk so that their leg and body can accelerate the foot through space and kick the ball down the field? 

How can we support clients in improving the efficiency of their intra-abdominal pressure? 

  1. Help them find their optimal alignment 
  1. Help them find efficient breath patterns within their optimal alignment 
  1. Progressively load them, working always within ranges where they can maintain the above 
  1. Work through the above points to help them perform the activities in which they want to participate 

With this basic introduction to intra-abdominal pressure, we see that it is more about alignment, breath, and load than focused abdominal work. I encourage you to try facilitating the above points with your clients and see how their quality of movement and integration with activity improve. 


Brent Anderson, PhD, PT, OCS, NCPT is the President and Founder of Polestar Pilates International. Brent is a licensed physical therapist and orthopedic certified specialist with more than 22 years of experience. Based on his extensive background in rehabilitation and movement science, Brent elaborates on Joseph Pilates’ mind-body work through the Polestar curriculum by developing tools for critical reasoning and applying supportive scientific research. He also infuses the integral role of psychology and energy systems on motor control and motor learning.


Brent hosts our weekly webinar #PilatesHour featuring special guests from the movement science field and Polestar community. Watch episode 82 “The Science And Myth of Intra-Abdominal Pressure” here.

Community Highlight: Carlos Marin Burguillos

Carlos Marin Burguillos is an Educator for Polestar Pilates Spain. Discover how to keep your clients motivated to move with Carlos here.


In your own words – describe “the Spirit of Polestar”

CM: It is a way to rediscover natural movement, under the principles of science and self-exploration.

What Three Words come to mind when you think of “Polestar Pilates”

Family

Commitment

Movement

What do you love about teaching Pilates?

CM: I have always loved to train and from a very young age, I frequented gyms. Understanding the why and how of movement multiplied the effects of my fitness training.

Being an educator of future teachers means sharing everything I have learned over the years, in movement and in life. I believe that each person moves and understands movement in a special way, and having the opportunity to share my unique perspective makes me feel whole.

In my Pilates studio, we teach students different ways of moving so that each one can internalize in a way that best suits their way of life. I believe that the freedom to teach and explore within the principles of Polestar is what has helped my students the most to feel good within their bodies.

What are your current Inspirations?  

CM: Currently, I am very dedicated to my movement studies. Leading teacher training courses with Polestar is a window for me to share what I know with others who are moving in the same direction. I would love to be able to convey the little ideas that I develop throughout my experience with as many people as possible.

Why Pilates?  How did you find the practice?

CM: Pilates is the medium and the purpose is to feel good in the body. I learned about Pilates through a friend who suggested I take a class, and since then I have lived from it, for it and with it.

I think that the evolution of science and learning places me more in using the “pilates environment” than sticking to the traditional exercises as shown in the manuals. Knowing why and how to do things is important!

Why Polestar Pilates? 

CM: Polestar was the first school I trained with. I have also completed many courses with other schools. Polestar is a family to me and I have felt continuous accompaniment and support in all areas of my life from Polestar Spain. Polestar International makes it possible for this symbiosis to exist.

What do you hope to convey in your teaching?

CM: I hope to convey the knowledge of the principles to be able to help clients set objectives and carry them out. From there I hope to convey my point of view of the movement – how the support points create the stability necessary to release into the movement.

What is your favorite Quote? 

CM: First move – Then move well – Then move around a lot – And then improvise and be happy.

What is your Favorite Apparatus or favorite way to move?

CM: I think the Reformer is the most versatile apparatus, especially when teaching a group. All of the Pilates apparatus provide options and environments that enable learning.


Carlos is an Educator for Polestar Spain – You can find Carlos on social media @carlosmarin_move

Community Highlight: Edwin Carvalho de Oliveria

What Three Words come to mind when you think of Polestar?

  • Community
  • Movement
  • Quality

What do you love about teaching Pilates?

ECO: I love the possibility to offer people a better and more active lifestyle.

Where did you take your Training and who was the educator?

ECO: I am going through the comprehensive teacher training in Jacksonville, FL with Polestar Educator Lynn Peterson.

Why Pilates?  How did you find the practice?

ECO: I started to practice Pilates when I was performing in a dance company with my Pilates teacher, Selma França, an educator from Brazil.

Why Polestar Pilates?  How did you come to join the Polestar Community?

ECO: I used to practice Pilates and many other systems of movement we had to in the dance company. In our schedule, we had Pilates three times per week. Years after practicing with Selma at Bale Jovem de Salvador, I started going to Physio Pilates Ondina with Alice Becker to watch and assist her classes.

What do you hope to convey in your teaching?

ECO: Hope and reliability.

What is your favorite Quote? 

ECO:

“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

ECO: I apply this teaching 4 days a week, I also move my body every day. I love what I do.

What is your Favorite Apparatus or favorite way to move?

ECO: I love Mat work because of all the possibilities it offers, it also gives you autonomy to practice no matter where you are!


You can find Edwin on Social media @edwiincarvalhoo

For more information on Teacher Training visit our website polestarpilates.com

A Yoga State of Mind

Christi Idavoy has dedicated her life to movement.  As a young dancer and philosophy student at NYU she found an instant affinity with the science and practice of yoga.  The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in NYC was Christi’s second home as she studied the traditions of Swami Rama from 1999 – 2001.  On a voyage to share her passion for yoga as a healing art she moved to Costa Rica where she taught yoga and furthered her studies as a graduate student at the United Nations University for Peace.  In 2005 she stumbled into a Pilates studio in San Jose, CR where she started her career as a Pilates instructor. 

Today Christi has lectured and taught yoga and Pilates in many Latin American countries thanks to her role at Polestar Pilates Education.  When she met Polestar founder, Brent Anderson in 2009, she knew she had found the organization that would allow her to bring together her passion for international relations and development with her career as a movement practitioner.  With her extensive experience as a Polestar Senior Educator, Ambassador, and Examiner Christi is a truly a “teacher’s teacher”.


What if yoga were a mindset, a state of being, a way of identifying with ourselves?  What if we could bring this yogic identification into all of our activities, classes, and relationships? 

In celebration of International Yoga Day, we will have a look at what yoga is, how we can benefit from it and bring into our everyday lives. 

There is a universal order to which all things belong.  When we contemplate the natural rhythms of day and night, the way a seed becomes a tree, the rise and fall of our breath and heartbeat, we can see that there are patterns that repeat themselves, which are not dependent on our knowledge or understanding of them.  If we reflect on human development and the processes of the natural world we will find again and again a series of innate, unconscious living patterns that our lives depend on and yet, they do not depend on our cognition.  The observation of living organisms is what gives rise to many ancient schools of thought, including classical Hinduism. 

Just as these universal patterns inhabit and animate us, so are we able to witness and observe them with the right stimulation, guidance, and focus of the mind…this is where the yogic state of mind comes into play.

We often think of yoga as a series of movements and breathing exercises and while physical movement and breath is a part of the yogic system, yoga is actually a philosophical school of thought that addresses all aspects of life.  There are six schools of classical Hindu philosophy that originate in India, one of which is yoga.  The Indian sage Patanjali systemized yoga circa 200 BCE in the Yoga Sutras. 

Although references to yoga already existed in older Hindu scriptures, it is believed that the ancient texts were very varied and too complex for the general public.  It is also believed that Patanjali authored the Yoga Sutras by compiling the already existing teachings into a simpler and more concise format.  The Yoga Sutras are the most commonly referenced yoga text, making Patanjali the father of yoga in the eyes of many.  A sutra is a literary aphorism, or a small amount of text that contains a universal truth.  The word sutra literally means thread or string.  The Yoga Sutras are a series of brief statements weaving together universal truths, namely truths that are self-evident.  

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra 1.2, defined yoga as the cessation of the fluctuations, or whirlings, of the mind.  We see here that the central focus of yoga is not the body or the breath, but rather the mind.  What is really interesting is that yoga is a verb. When we look at the etymology or origin of the word yoga, we find that the word yoga comes from the root ‘yuj’ meaning to yoke; to unite or bring together.  

It is something that we do.  So the question becomes, what is it exactly that we are bringing together?   

The human mind has the ability to travel in time.  We can spend countless hours reminiscing on the past or dreaming of what the unknown future has to bring.  Although it may not feel like it at times, our will determines where our mind goes.  We can choose to travel down the endless corridors of the imagination and we can also choose to think about how we feel in any given moment.  What we are yoking together in yoga is our mind with the present moment. 

The body and the breath are tools or vehicles that allow us to practice and embody presence.  Presence is the state of existing, fully immersed, in mind, body, and breath, in a present moment.  Realizing that you are not separate from your experience, but rather you are the essence of an experience. 

You are the agent of all that occurs because without you there would be no occurrence.  In order to simplify this concept let’s recall a moment when we experienced great bliss, happiness and joy.  So much so that it felt as if time and the world around us ceased to exist.  All we experienced and can remember to this day is that enormous sensation of joy that ran through our entire being, to the extent that the mind became fully immersed in that particular moment.  This absolute consumption of mind and body in the present moment is a yogic state of mind.  Sometimes it occurs during confusion or exhaustion. 

For example, have you ever been in a movement class where you are so focused on what you are feeling that your mind just doesn’t have the opportunity to jump out of that particular moment?  Or that when it does you are able to notice the wandering mind and bring it back to the moment when cued by the teacher?  Here you are moving in and out of a yogic state of mind.  

In order to ‘cease the fluctuations of the mind’ or practice yoga, you do not need to do any physical exercises.  Yoga as a mindset is achieved through the same non-judgmental observation our ancestors engaged in.  The accepting and curious mindset is the one that arrived at the axioms that form the foundations of the modern world we enjoy today.  Perhaps our greatest power lies in our ability to observe and listen.  To guide our mind into our body and feel how we expand as we take a slower, deeper breath.  To guide our minds, without judgement or the need to classify sensations and perceptions as good or bad, right and wrong, but rather simply accept what is, opens us up to endless possibilities.  When the movement of the mind is centered on anything occurring in the now moment we feel can feel presence.       

As movement teachers and practitioners we have endless opportunities to bring ourselves and others into presence. 

How one acquires this skill takes time and is quite simple.  Notice your body and breathe.  Acknowledge how you feel. Do this over and over again until it becomes a habit.  When you are in a Pilates class, notice where your mind is, are you wondering if you are ‘doing it right’ and if so, pause and shift your attention into noticing what you feel, what you are doing, and how you are breathing.  Keep asking your mind to notice, acknowledge and accept what is, for here is where every now moment is occurring.  


You can find Christi on Social Media @christiidavoy