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.
