Imagine waking up in a hospital bed blurry eyed, unable to move and confused. After a near fatal car accident in June 2014, I was left fighting for my life In Royal Perth Hospital with my future unknown and completely terrified of the journey ahead. It has been the longest, most arduous, painful but also liberating, expansive trek of my entire life.
The extensive list of orthopaedic injuries and nerve damage throughout my body sustained in the accident has left me we irreparable damage and ongoing chronic pain. For 5 years I’ve pushed myself into gym facilities, trying to rebuild and heal my body after every surgery. Constantly living in comparison of what my body ’used to be capable of’. After many defeated gym sessions, aggravation of my injuries and ongoing chronic pain, I realised that my body wasn’t the same, therefore how could I expect it to move the same?
*CUE PILATES* I had dabbled in Pilates during my physical rehabilitation with my physio, and had always loved the movement flow. Being on the reformer was something new and different, my body felt supported and the resistance and lengthening based training differed from the load bearing philosophy of lifting weights.
*CUE THE KLINIK* My partner and I had recently moved up the coast and I had been on the hunt for a pilates studio to join. I had visited many, but nothing really seemed to gel with me. I had driven past the Pilates Klinik and one morning I just decided to take action. I drove to the studio with my mum. We walked in and I instantly fell in love with the energy.
As the months went on, I can’t explain the difference I was noticeably seeing and feeling in my body. The strength I was gaining, the stability in my broken pelvis, the flexibility increase where nerve damaged had previously caused so much pain. I just generally felt amazing, and I wasn’t walking out in pain, having to spend days recovering from a workout. Pilates has enabled me to redefine what movement means to me. It has not only empowered my body, but my mind as well and I’ve discovered that my body is capable of SOOOOO much more.
When I discovered that the Pilates Klinik was offering a teacher training program, I JUMPED at the opportunity to study with and be mentored by Kristen. Her passion to help people through her knowledge of movement and mind body connection is something I deeply resonate with. Kristen’s experience and patience as a teacher is what sets her apart from the rest. Studying the Pilates method has blown my mind right open, and everyday I fall deeper in love with the philosophies and principals behind this phenomenal movement method. People don’t realise how good they’re capable of feeling in their body and i can’t wait to be apart of other peoples journeys towards experiencing what I’ve discovered!
