"Keep it simple!" was a mantra the Master Pilates Trainer used during the Core Mat I training I took in the summer of 2006. I soon realized how well it applied to other areas of life—how to stay organized as well as maintain peace of mind. To this day, I think of this phrase often.
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, our world was anything but simple. With smartphones we have the world at our finger tips, but we've lost connection with our minds. I remember turning my cell phone off in college so I could focus on my school work—and that was before smartphones! Forget being interrupted by a phone call or text—now it's emails, WhatsApp messages, and the array of social media. At times it is our phone that dings and beckons us to engage with it. Other times, it is our heart that moves us—craving attention or reassurance—and we ourselves initiate and pick up our phone to go on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or the like.
A fractured world, a fractured mind. A restless mind. A mindless world.
I've often prided myself on going to bed early and getting a good night's rest—a key to a peaceful mind. But restful sleep's been thrown out the window with the changes, losses, and transitions which this pandemic has brought with it.
This morning, I woke up after finally getting a good night's sleep and I proceeded to do 45 minutes of mat work—exercises prescribed by my physical therapist, followed by my tried and true Core Mat I Power Pilates workout. Afterwards, I felt refreshed and energized. Feelings I no longer take for granted. This world is anything but simple. But we can work to create the pause in our lives to uncover the simplicity beneath it.
