Safe, not easy

My studio is intended to be a safe space. 

Of course, I mean it is a physically safe space.  I will make every effort not to drop heavy objects on anyone who comes in.  A large part of my job is choosing exercises that are appropriate for the bodies in front of me and watching those same bodies to ensure that they’re moving with correct form to prevent injury.  This is common sense.

It also should be common sense that studios and gyms should be safe spaces for our whole selves.  I do not hold with the insult-laden yelling sort of training associated with evil drill sergeants and orc captains.  Among other things, that kind of shaming can lead to exercise anxiety and total avoidance of anything physical.

My studio has some mirrors and we sometimes use them.  Other times we don’t.  Some people are more comfortable working without thinking about what they look like every five seconds.  When we need mirror feedback to build our sense of where our bodies are in space, we look, but I tend to focus on what good form feels like.

Language matters.  Sometimes I blow it, but I try not to describe anything my clients are doing as wrong—I speak instead about how we can make what they are doing better, safer, more effective.  When we learn new exercises, there is no rush to nail the movement.  We can take our time to figure it out in our bodies, deciding whether we need a better description, another demonstration, a tactile cue, or just more practice.

This is not to say that I will go easy on anyone.  When I approach my work and my clients with love, I have no choice but to encourage my clients to be their best and to do their best.  And I will be right there, next to them, working it through with them.