Body Balance

I've just been to this really cool gym class recently that is a fusion of Taichi, Pilates and Yoga moves, all synchronised to a great selection of songs.

Usually, I prefer non-committal exercises like jogging which gives me the autonomy of deciding when and how much I want to exercise each time. I do sign up for classes once in a while, to try out new programmes, but none has got me as excited as this Body Balance class which I eagerly look forward to every week. Most of my gym classes get boring after a while and some are just not enjoyable.

Say yoga for instance, the meditation is great, but I hate the oils. And the current teacher is too ambitious with the pace for me, not giving my muscles enough time to stretch and for me to find my core, hence usually leaving me feeling flustered instead of fulfilled and relaxed after the lessons.

The Pilate class is better, lots and lots of stretching, really helped with my posture and strengthening all those unused muscles that I never knew existed, but the teacher doesn't teach much beyond the basic level so there was no incentive to return to class.

The body balance class is just a new thing I have tried out of curiosity, admittedly being sceptical about fusion stuffs in general, but the teacher never fails to amaze me with her creativity with the moves. She reinvents the movements every months, so there is always something new to pick up and perfect every eight lessons. Her moves are simple and elegant, choreographed with the grace and understanding of balance you would expect from a ballerina, and the beauty of them lies in the ease of adjusting the difficulty level.

And the music... oh, her marvellous choice of music is a mixture of soft rock, jazz, Celtic, nature... all blending in nicely with the exercises and setting a suitable rhythm. I am sure I'll miss her music if I ever go back to attending one of the Yoga or Pilate classes. I have never been disappointed in her classes so far and they always make me feel fulfilled with all the stretching and surprisingly alert and relaxed.

Well, in this case I think the teacher has to be given the greatest credit for making the class enjoyable and for sustaining my interests. There are just so many activities supposedly good for us out there but very often I find myself lacking the discipline to following them through. And of course some pursuits are just not worth our commitment these days so I'm really glad that I've finally found one that is both beneficial for me and also immensely enjoyable. I don't think commitment or discipline becomes much of an issue when I find something I like because I look forward to doing it so much. Maybe people feel stressed about the activities they plan for themselves because they don't genuinely enjoy doing them.