1 Red 1 Blue
Last week I moved my home and my studio. I tend to be an organized person so I had everything labeled either studio or home. Still several things ended up in the wrong place! All and all though, the move went well.
The day after moving I headed to my new studio to start unpacking and get it set up. I was excited to put the place in order. And after a couple days of moving and unpacking, my body was excited to hop on the reformer. My back was achy and stiff from the car ride, heavy lifting, and awkward movements. I told myself I'd spend a couple hours unpacking and then I'd spend an hour on the reformer as my treat!
It did not take me very long to get the studio set and everything put away. And in that process I realized I was missing three things. I also knew they were not at my house. These three very important things where a critical part of my business. I found myself with a reformer with only 2 springs. 1 Red and 1 Blue. I was missing 2 Red springs and 1 Yellow spring. Now, if you don't know much about Pilates or about the reformer this may not seem like a big deal. BUT the springs are a big part of the magic of the reformer. The springs provide resistance and support. The springs vary in weight from heavy (red) to very light (yellow). Different movements require different springs.
I had a feeling the springs must have been left on the truck, maybe hidden under a blanket. They aren't very big and could easily get lost in a big space. By the time I realized they were missing, it was too late to call the moving company. With privates beginning in two days ... I wasn't sure what to do? How could I teach a class with 1 red and 1 blue spring only? How could I possibly fill an hour with such limitations? I started wondering if I'd need to reschedule and buy new springs if they couldn't be found? What to do?
I also felt disappointment for the workout I was craving. I decided, however, to hop on the reformer and do what I could with 1 red and 1 blue. The funny thing is - I did a lot. It felt good. I did not run out of exercises to do. I started to enjoy the challenge of figuring out what else I could do with my limited springs.
The next day I called the moving company and sure enough they'd found my springs in the truck and promised to overnight them to me. What a relief! I hopped on the reformer again that day and did another workout with my two springs - 1 red, 1 blue. This day I found even more I could do. I was not limited as I had thought I was. I felt my core, I felt work in my legs and arms and back. I felt strength, balance, and all the movement I was craving. And I had fun with the limited springs
While I am glad I'll have all 5 springs for my first private session tomorrow, I learned I would have been just fine with 1 red and 1 blue. This hiccup taught me to be creative and challenged me to dig a little deeper into my Pilates knowledge. What started off as a stressful realization turned into a really fun workout. I realized in other areas of life, maybe I just need to take a deep breath and start moving forward with what I have versus wasting time and energy worry about what I don't have. Maybe this is a good lesson for all of us. We may just be pleasantly surprised like I was!