On Training the Mind
Somewhere around a decade ago I was in the midst of owning and operating my 3rd Pilates studio in Dallas, TX, and in walks this woman for a continuing education weekend I was hosting with Alycea Ungaro… She had a silky smooth voice, she was smart, beautiful, funny, an excellent communicator, the list goes on! I knew I had to have her on my team. This woman was Morgan Palmer Bolton. That day I told Morgan that I would be patiently waiting for her to circle back around, and come work with me. She did. Morgan started with incredible skills and education, was already a fantastic teacher who clients loved, and like any good wine, she only continues to age to perfection! Here is a blog she wrote for me to explain what she will be teaching at our inaugural Pilates Pedagogy Retreat April 20 - 23, 2023. You to will walk away knowing how incredibly talented this presenter is!
Rachael Lieck Bryce
On Training the Mind
By Morgan Palmer Bolton
“Logically, man should develop his physical condition simultaneously with the development of his mind – neither should be sacrificed at the expense of the other.” -Joseph Pilates Your Health, Chapter 4
So, you are thinking of joining this Pilates Pedagogy retreat (hosted by the great & powerful RLB) and may be wondering why mindfulness is even on the docket. We know from Joe’s words that the body cannot function well when operated by a noisy & chaotic mind. You already know how to train the body. How do we train the mind?
Before you get all groan-y & uncomfortable with the words ‘mindfulness’, ‘meditation’, I want you to think of these words as tools to exercise the mind. Just like any other muscle, we have to train for more than just strength. The flexibility & agility of our attention is paramount to our health. This is neuroplasticity. I’ll be addressing the neuroscience, neurobiology, embodied cognition behind these ideas. I’ll debunk what our misconceptions are around some cliché words and describe how to make these ideas palatable for you & your Type A students.
As a professional dancer, my training taught me that I must wrangle my mind. I had to be ‘in the present moment’ to embody the works I was tasked with. One must know how to stay focused when a random or negative thought pops up (and they will - this is the nature of the mind). To progress through the system of Contrology effectively & safely, you must “give yourself good class.” No mucking around in the corner!
As a movement professional, you will get exactly nowhere with your students if they are notfocused. No muscle gains, no ‘ah hah’ moments, no ownership of their own workout. This is burnout territory for YOU. Training the mind can happen by the nature of doing the work. BUT! Can we make this brighter, faster, and ultimately more effective & pleasurable for you both? YES! We can achieve our goals for our students, even the less abled and green. They can experience cardio, flow state, and the internal shower Joe’s method so beautifully calls for, but not without the participation of the mind.
When I studied with Alan Herdman, he had this concept of ‘Shut Up’ exercises. An exercise that almost forces the student to go internal. That helps in our attention wranging as a teacher. When I bridged with Real Pilates and Alycea Ungaro, the elegance of her tactile cueing, economical language, & systematic understanding of the classical Pilates repertoire changed how I delivered the method of Pilates. I became more succinct- there was less noise from me as the teacher. I saw the change in my clients. I felt the change in myself.
For me, it wasn’t until I was staring down the barrel of a second C-Section during pre-vaccine pandemic times (2020 was so fun!) that I realized part of what I always loved about movement was available in another form. I couldn’t reach for movement the same way. I couldn’t reach for a substance or a comfort food. I couldn’t even reach for personal connection & I damn near lost my marbles… but MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) saved my sanity. Knowing this was possible without movement fundamentally changed how I relate to myself and how I trained my students. The results have been profound.
I cannot wait to share the strategies I have developed, to help you communicate these ideas to your students inside the system of the Pilates method, in articulate conversations outside the method & how ultimately both the teacher and the student can live a more INTEGRATED life.
Who doesn’t want that?
By, Morgan Palmer Bolton