The value of a positive movement experience

On the face of it, it sounds like a pretty obvious comment. Of course you want whatever exercise or activity you choose to do to be a positive experience. It's just that, when you're in pain, have a chronic condition, are in recovery from injury, have a heightened stress response, excess tension, or fear of movement, it can be easier said than done.

I remember so vividly during my first pregnancy, how I quickly became fearful of movement due to the pelvic girdle pain I was experiencing. I've been lucky during my life to remain uninjured and generally pain-free, so the effects of a painful condition were quite startling, and to me, interesting. Very soon I was overthinking every movement, holding myself rigid, constantly questioning whether what I was doing would excaserbate my symptoms.

This kind of hypervigilence and fear of movement creates a sympathetic nervous system response and can lead to its own issues. It's a viscious cycle - you become fearful of movement, which reduces how much you move, over time you lose strength and capacity, which leads to more pain. Perhaps you start moving differently, consciously or unconsciously, and create unhelpful patterns that become hard to undo. And since everything is connected, that slight change in your gait to avoid a painful big toe over the years leads to a recurring pain in your ribs on one side (another personal example).

The benefit of a positive movement experience isn't just that you feel better and want to keep going, though of course that is of huge value in itself. It's also a way into your nervous system, to calm the body, feel safe and confident enough to allow movement in, and start to unwind the tension and restrictions that might not be serving you. Pilates is so perfectly placed to achieve this. With a focus on breath, with slow controlled movements, and a respect for the body and meeting you where you're at, the effects of a consistent practice go deeper than feeling better or moving more.

It's trust. It's a deep, subconscious, embodied knowledge that you can move, that your body is adaptable, that there is a way in and through. Movement is medicine, and Pilates, when taught well, is the perfect dose.