Time for Changes
Personal Life Changes
In the mood for Ideas
Would it be better not to think about any of this, then? And, as a result, let it be, just enjoy my cup of tea and the rain outside? What’s more, allow the stillness to take over, embrace a stoic perspective on things, and don’t move anything.
We failed
Today, we failed. He died alone. And we all became a little bit poorer, a lit bit less human. I can’t imagine the despair or isolation he must have felt. What were his last thoughts? What is this all about? A man drowned in Venice. There were many people, many tourists around. They didn’t help. Instead, they took their phones and cameras and recorded the event. The people shouted “let him die”, “swim back to your country”. And then, in front of everyone, watching and recording it, he drowned. In the meantime, a boat was nearby and threw him a life ring. He refused it. Maybe because that was his intent all along; maybe because of what he was hearing. Perhaps a combination of both. He died. I wonder what happened in that moment. Did people watch him go under and waited until it was clear he was not coming back to the surface? Did they just keep walking and taking pictures of the beautiful monuments? Maybe they wondered if they should or could have done anything to prevent this? Who knows, maybe some felt a hint of guilt, although now it was too late. Initially, the man had escaped his own country and was asking for refugee status, to be accepted in Italy. However, the request was denied. He was 22 years old. Was he a father? Was his family eagerly waiting back home for his news? Were they excited with the dream of a better life? Did they fantasise about Venice, a place of wonders? Maybe they believed Europe is a land where people have all they need and help each other....
The Charlie Mountain plot
Now, who is Charlie? If you remember the terrorist attack to the Charlie Hebdo newspaper , you’ll know that… Je suis Charlie, you are Charlie, everyone is Charlie.
Finish line
The final milestone to the Coaching Certification has started. This evaluation consists of eleven sessions of Observed Coaching and professional feedback. Today was the first session and it was very good to see other people coaching. There were many different styles and approaches they used. I took great tips and realised that I am happy with many aspects of my coaching style. One of the highlights was the Observer. She was awesome at giving constructive feedback. She made sure that the message got through while keeping the receiver motivated. Giving feedback is hard and it is often harder than receiving it. This is especially when you care about the receiver or the topic at hand. Sure, feedback is a gift. Yet, sometimes it's a bitter one, even when wrapped in good intentions and arguments. When getting feedback, one thing that has helped me a lot was to think of how much I could take from it to get better. It's not about me, it's about the project of situation. Also, when it is not useful, I remember that Feedback is often more about who gives it than who receives it. Trying to get in the feet of the person giving feedback (their beliefs, impressions, projections, expectations...) can be quite helpful in understanding what is being said. Back to Coaching. I am excited about getting it done and I have been working more on the website to promote the service. I still don't know when I'll be able to start given the new member of the family. Either way, I can't wait...
Written Exam: Checked
I just finished the required written exam to become a certified coach. It was actually a lot of fun despite my discomfort in studying and actually getting started. It is yet another example that will hopefully help me remember that often the anxiety preceding an evaluation is really not worth it and things end up being way more as one would normally expect them to be rather than how we fantasise and agonise about it sometimes. Anyway, it's done and well done and it's one step forward. All the written assignments and projects are submitted, the theoretical classes attended and the coaching hours as a client and as a coach implemented. Still missing: a couple of group sessions and then the oral exam, which takes no less than 11h, spread out through 6 sessions. This will happen in January & February so it will be a good way to kick off the new year. In the meantime, between these milestones and the Psychometric certification, I'm becoming more confident in becoming a real coach - it's extremely rewarding and seems it fits my profile very well. For now,...
A session with pregnancy in mind.
A Pilates session focused on Pregnancy. “I felt that my whole body can work together to make my bounce around and take care of my baby.”
How awesome is that?
Destruct to Construct
The challenge remains, though, as there are always more exercises and variations to experiment with. Or new approaches to exercises you can already make, bringing you back to a fresh perspective. A new layer, a deeper learning experience.
Priorities
Deciding when it’s time to push and when it’s time to let go. A journey of balancing different priorities between pregnancy, passions, family, health.
Hanging in there
My body remembers this accident very well and doesn’t trust hanging at all. One could argue that if I hadn’t been able to grab them, I wouldn’t be here at all. So, in that sense, my arms were the heroes that saved me.
Push and Pull
Having been a ballet dancer and what not, I can only imagine the type of training and dedication she went through. I wouldn’t be surprised if she thinks she’s actually kind of a softy with me.
The curve – continued
Pulling Straps makes me angry. It’s hard to explain but it’s incredibly annoying. I push through it because I know I react like this is because it looks sooooo simple and yet I really struggle with it.
The curve
A series of Pilates exercises addressing the curvate of our backs. The focus was on the bend between the lower and upper back.
Exercise Flow – Wunda Chair and Cadillac
Wunda Chair - Footwork This was a nice warm up exercise and an interesting one. Instead of focusing on extending the hips, the focus is on the “return of the pedal”, to the initial position where flexing the hip is actually the main movement. This requires a conscious effort to let go of the hips, letting them fall into their sockets, while moving this whole area. It doesn’t come naturally but it surely sets the note for the rest the session where one needs to let go of the old habits and explore something different. The different foot positions (toes, middle foot, heels) are brilliantly designed to work on the different lines, enhancing the purpose of a nice warm up. On toes: Currently the easiest one, stretching and engaging the Superficial Back Line. It’s a nice stretch and if you manage to keep your upper body centered, you really feel a nice stretch all the way up to the back of your head. On arches: A bit more of a challenge as, unfortunately, my initial thoughts still go towards “I have flat feet…, there are no arches”. Which is a pity because, actually, now there are arches (compared to a year ago) and these feet deserve some more recognition. Moving on, in this position to main line is the Deep Front one, which is the one that tends to bring all these surprising reactions and emotions to the surface. To be treated with respect and curiosity. When it works, it really works and there’s a sense of growing emotionally and literally. On heels:The toughest, from a mechanical perspective. It...
Expand and let go
A Pilates session aimed at letting go and releasing a lot of tension in the hips. How embracing fears and insecurities can enable your body and flexibility.
Stretching
Pilates is really underrated, incredibly underrated. Playing with a ball while lying on a mat is not, by the way, Pilates. That's playing with a ball while laying on a mat. There's a lot of content online about what Pilates is so I wont go into it in detail but one of the main things that is worth highlighting is the extreme effort and focus on improving your body. It's a lot of mental, emotional and physical hard work, regardless if you use the "torture machines" or just the mat. I love it. So I decided to become a trainer and I am now an apprentice to become a certified instructor. Here is why Pilates matters so much to me. I was working and studying at the same time, with this huge workload and amount of stress. When things finally got better, I collapsed on the street and I hit my head pretty hard. The bruises on my face eventually went away (still have a tiny scar to prove it!) but my neck was injured and hurting badly. I went to the doctor and he told me I had hyperextended it too much and that I should get used to the idea that it would always hurt. Still, I could try Pilates or Physiotherapy - "one of those things" - to see if it would improve a little. I tried Pilates; twice a week for maybe a year. It might seem like a tacky before-and-after commercial but my neck really is back to normal. There's one exception: sometimes, when I fly and we are about to land, my neck...
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