Healing and Joy Through Gentle Movement and Pilates - Beth Sandlin

What if the key to healing lies in the gentle embrace of movement rather than intense workouts? Join us for an inspiring conversation with Beth Sandlin, NCPT and founder of Frayfecta Pilates, as she shares her remarkable journey from overcoming cancer to discovering the profound joy and healing power of movement. We discuss how shifting away from a punitive fitness mindset allows for movement that aligns with one's physical and mental state, transforming exercise into a nourishing self-care practice. Beth's insights reveal how incorporating gentler practices can not only improve emotional regulation and mental health but also turn workouts into a source of joy.

In our discussion, we explore the holistic benefits of Pilates, spotlighting the significance of spinal articulation, mindful movement, and the mind-body connection. Discover how Pilates can counteract daily physical strains, enhance posture and energy flow, and support trauma recovery. With personalized adaptations, Pilates nurtures balance and mindfulness, offering a path towards personal transformation. Beth's expertise highlights the importance of simple breathing exercises and mindfulness practices that enrich the mind, body, and spirit. Whether you're seeking rejuvenation during challenging times or a deeper mind-body connection, this episode offers a journey towards well-being and joy through movement.

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Chapters

• 0:06 Exploring Joy Through Movement and Pilates
• 10:00 Unlocking the Benefits of Pilates
• 14:18 Nurturing Mind, Body, and Spirit

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hello and welcome to Pleasure Principles. I'm your host, avik, and here we explore the powerful connections between physical, mental and emotional well-being. Each week we dive into the transformative ideas with the experts who are shaping the way we think about health, happiness, growth, everything. So today, if I have to say, we are stepping into the mat well, metaphorically speaking and also uncovering how movement can be more than just the exercise, can be more than just the exercise so it can be self-care, joy and a path to profound alignment in body, mind and the spirit. Joining us today is the incredible Beth Sandlin. So welcome to the show, beth.

Speaker 2: 0:59

Thanks so much for having me. I'm so thrilled to be here today.

Speaker 1: 1:02

Lovely, lovely. So, beth, before we start our conversation, I'd quickly love to introduce you to all of our listeners. Dear listeners, beth is an NCPT and the founder of Frayfecta Pilates. So she is a Pilates powerhouse who not only teaches movement, but also helps people align with their nervous systems and heal through trauma informed practices. So, from overcoming her own challenges, including cancer, to inspiring millions worldwide through her online classes and the training programs, beth truly embodies what it means to live a vibrant and joyful life. So, beth, I'm so excited to have you here today on Pleasure Principles and let's dive in. Welcome to the show again.

Speaker 2: 1:54

Oh, thank you so much. I'm happy to be here because so often when people get into Pilates or different types of workouts, it's for the purely elements of you know. Maybe they want to get in shape, they want to feel better in their body, and then so many people find that transforms into something beyond that and that really, I have found is the key to just feeling better in your body overall and also finding more pleasure in what you're doing.

Speaker 1: 2:22

Yeah, exactly Lovely. And when we, when we talk about pleasure, um, so one thing just came into my mind, like it's a one word but it actually carries a lot, so it's joy, right. So I mean, you have spoken about how movement doesn't um have to feel like a core, so it can be an act of self-care, and the joy so if you can share, like how you first discovered this connection between movement and the pleasure, like was there any aha moment for you?

Speaker 2: 2:58

There was a few different, definitely throughout my just personal journey with movements and then sharing that with other people as well, and for me, why I began with just. I really wanted to make sure to get consistent workouts and, as you mentioned, I experienced cancer at a very young age and because of both the cancer I had and the treatment that I underwent, I had lost a lot of muscle mass, had no energy just to do simple activities like hold my nephew go on a short walk, and I knew then that movement was really important and so I started working out again. And yet I was really unmotivated sometimes to work out, even though I knew it was so beneficial and vital for my body. And once I started uncovering a little bit more about not only trauma but the overall just stress response cycle, I realized that sometimes doing very challenging workouts wasn't in alignment with't have to be just one way, and so often what we're presented with is you know, do the most challenging workout, longest workout, to follow the plan, stick to it, and that really didn't work for me.

Speaker 2: 4:14

It didn't work for a lot of people who I've worked with over the years and once they were able then to adapt and adjust sometimes yeah, it's about a challenging workout and other times you know they had a really stressful day. They don't have much time and yet they want to just unwind tension in their body and so moving with a very slow, maybe gentle, movement session is amazing to do that. And what we now know, I found, is there's not only the personal experience of just getting on your mat and trying moving with Pilates in different ways. There's research to validate that it can really help someone beyond physical benefit. That helps with emotional regulation, mental health. There's brain health benefits as well and I find that incredibly validating to move with exercise for more than just a good workout.

Speaker 1: 5:12

That's really, really lovely. And how do you guide someone who feels like movement is a punishment to start finding joy in it? So is there a mindset shift or a practical first step?

Speaker 2: 5:31

One of the biggest mindset shifts that have been helpful for people is one detaching away from that toxic mentality when it comes to fitness and realizing that we're going to continue to be bombarded with that. It's still very loud, I would say, influencer voices just focusing on the very challenging, and it's not to discount the challenging, though when someone goes to this is pain. It's a struggle to keep up with it. I'm not motivated to work out. We need to do a shift to something else, and sometimes what I'll do is start with the pure physical benefits of that, because if you push through pain, it's actually going to be worse for the body. The body is going to try to put more safeguards in and this can eventually lead to injury, which a lot of people who I've worked with have experienced that, unfortunately. And so when we can understand that, yes, there's a place for challenging workouts, there's also a time for physical body, for stretching and mobility work and just taking deep breath. I can't tell you how many people I've worked with who I've encouraged them to take deep breaths, and maybe it's challenging at first, but after a while they start to notice that they're feeling better in their body, that it translates to a mind as well. And I bring that up because sometimes starting with workouts can be really good for self-care and just to release tension and there's brain health and mental health benefits.

Speaker 2: 7:04

If someone is working out right now only for physical benefits, if we focus on the physical elements of why we want to do a different type of workout, sometimes that can be really beneficial and then eventually they'll find that there's more positive elements beyond just the physical body.

Speaker 2: 7:24

And this is such a personal journey. Some people like, oh my gosh, I'm so ready for this. Like, tell me the different ways, the different types of ways to move with Pilates and workouts, and so ready for this. Like, tell me the different ways, the different types of ways to move with Pilates and workouts and, overall, ready for this mindset shift I just over, you know, struggling with workouts and for other people, what they're doing for their workout they really enjoy, because maybe they just enjoy that vigorous exercise. And yet I've just worked with too many people who only have done the very intense physical activity and then they come to me because they're in pain and so exercise if it's causing pain, if it's causing injury, is not beneficial for us so I mean, I would love to mention here that that's so, so relatable.

Speaker 1: 8:20

I think many of us associate exercise with obligations rather than joy, right, so it's such a transformative idea to flip that perspective. That's really great. Thanks for sharing. And also, when we are talking about joy and we do not talk about Pilates, then it's a biasness, right? So Pilates often, I mean it emphasizes the flow, alignment and the body awareness. So why do you think that Pilates resonates so deeply with the people who are looking to reconnect with their bodies? And are there any elements of pilates that you uh feel?

Speaker 2: 9:00

um, I mean, you want to share like you can yeah, I think an element of pilates is people still feel like they can get in a good workout, but it's not high intensity, not high impact. That also doesn't mean that classes can't be challenging, because they can be incredibly challenging. One of the unique elements about Pilates and I'm not going to say core activation, because a lot of people know Pilates for a good core workout, but, yeah, it is so much more than that. It really is about total body and so it's not just strength, it's not just flexibility, it's not just mobility nor balance. It combines all of these elements and it's one of the reasons why I say it stays so interesting.

Speaker 2: 9:48

And at first sometimes people get a little roadblock and they're wondering why, like why can they hold plank for a full minute if maybe someone can do that, but then roll up. They have a challenging time with that. And because a lot of the Pilates exercises incorporate different elements where we're looking to strengthen in one area but we want to some breath and release and move through the body in another area. So stuff on the spine that we talk a lot and teach a lot about spinal articulation, and when people carry tension, when you're doing very repetitive tasks throughout the day, like, whether it's sitting at the computer or maybe you're a stay at home mom, so you're doing similar activities. It doesn't allow the body, and particularly the spine, to move in all the diverse it can and that's one of the many physical benefits of Pilates. And over time, as people move through their bodies, get to know what options are suitable for them and we teach with a lot of options so that someone's not pushing through because it's really easy to push through exercises in a way that just doesn't feel good or reinforces movement patterns. They're really stiff, so it could be simply bending the knees or sitting up on a blanket or a small box we use a lot in Pilates as well or a chair for someone's home practice. When people move more kindly in their body, the system, the exercises, become more beneficial. Their central body can be more aligned and this alignment frees up energy.

Speaker 2: 11:27

What's very interesting is just this past few months I was taking some continuing education on trauma, somatics and embodiment and we covered posture how some people have closed in tight posture as a response to trauma and stress or a different type of like really powerful, strong posture, like a guarding mechanism.

Speaker 2: 11:50

And then inevitably what we're trying to do is find where is that in between, where we're not hiding and constricting, holding extra tension, and where are we not pushing too far, too fast? And that takes a bit of time and exploration and just willingness to move with exercises that maybe we haven't moved with in a very long time, if ever. I know that a lot of Pilates exercises. The first time I was exposed to them, it's like what am I doing? This feels really strange, like I haven't gotten down on the floor to do this type of movement since I was young. Seated on the bench or you might stretch your abs down on the mat, but a lot of what we do is down on the mat and that, I think, is really beneficial for the body, since we can have more awareness, um, when you're whether you're laying on your back or side or front so I mean uh, are there any elements of pilates that you feel get overlooked in the mainstream fitness conversations?

Speaker 2: 13:12

so many in mainstream fitness and realize. I started my youtube channel many, many years ago because I felt like there wasn't a really good representation of what Pilates is like, what you get when you go to a studio experience which is really quality Pilates people who have taken time to understand the method, hone their teaching skills and it's not a workout to slim the weights or just a good four workouts, not just a fast-paced class, that there really are some elements, that there, I would say there's a learning curve. Just like with anything that we really want to pursue, there's a little bit of a learning curve to this, and so what I like to really emphasize is there's a connection between breath and movement, and sometimes this connection just takes a lot of time because we're bringing mindfulness, bringing awareness, to something that you do every single day breathing and now we're trying to link it with a very specific movement pattern, and this is helpful because it can help engage the muscles. We know that deep breathing just in and of itself, helps with pelvic floor function and core activation without having to do any extra work. Now, do extra exercises for these areas help? Of course, however, if we just do the exercises and don't focus on the breathing at all, the pelvic floor and core are never going to function the way that we ideally want them to to support you throughout the day, and so breathing is a huge element of this and I would say opposite of that is, as soon as having a challenging time syncing breathing with breath, know it as a practice, and it can take time to really get comfortable with focusing on deep breathing so it doesn't feel tight, so you don't feel like you're getting lightheaded, so it's not overwhelming.

Speaker 2: 15:02

You just give yourself time to adapt and learn. And beyond you know the core workout engaging through abs as well. And four is more holistic than just a good ab workout, really focusing more on stabilizing muscles as well, and even it connects into lower body somewhat that when we move from our center, we call that centering in pilates as a principle. Moving from the center, you can just move with more integrity, and this is something that someone can take when they're going for a walk, when they're getting down on the floor to play with their kids, when they're doing other types of physical activity. A lot of people who I've worked with have found that they have started noticing benefits far beyond just they're getting better with Pilates exercises, that it's trickling in to other things that they enjoy doing and it's the reason why they keep coming back to their Pilates practice.

Speaker 2: 16:03

And one final element I think would be helpful to acknowledge is that Pilates is really personal and where we all are in our journey is really unique. So when I first got started teaching Pilates, I took from teachers who were all about physical alignment and physical movement, and that was really helpful. And it took me only so far, once I understood more about the mind body connection through the vagus nerve, through stress response cycle, through trauma. It linked what joseph wrote about in his book return to life. Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit, aligning all of these. And this just takes time to move with different classes, explore different elements, and so sometimes in the beginning you may focus more on really a physical practice and then over time it gets more into evaluating well, how is this beneficial for my self-care? How is this time for myself self-care? How is this time for myself? Is it always about a workout? Are there other elements that can be really beneficial?

Speaker 1: 17:09

exactly lovely. I really love that. And, um, I'd love to mention like, uh, it's really amazing, like how something as simple as breathe or alignment can shift the entire mindset, and really I I'd love to hear about how those um actually make an impact. So lovely, lovely, lovely, uh, it's a great, great. And also, before we move, like Pilates, nurture not just the body but the mind and the spirit as well. So how do you see these connections playing out in your work with the clients, in your walk with the clients.

Speaker 2: 17:59

What I really notice is that people just feel better after class. Right, they feel better in their body, and yet there's also a different type of shift. I just opened it up to an energetic shift and it was during COVID, you know, which happened, by the time we're talking, a few years ago that for a lot of people, it was their awakening that Pilates is more than a good workout because their life completely shifted and those around them that they started moving with Pilates more frequently as a place to reset, realign, just feel better, have more energy. It can be very energy giving. So it shouldn't be about depleting your energy.

Speaker 2: 18:45

And after every class I'll usually ask people just to take a few breaths and notice how they're feeling in their body, how, you know, if the mind feels a little bit more calm, not as restless, not, you know, just tied to that to-do list how this energy hopefully it's positive is going to impact the rest of their day. And this simple awareness activity, which takes like 30 seconds, can be such a mirror, almost like a reflection, so people aren't just rushing on to the next activity, and that has really been helpful for people to round in yeah, like I'm feeling better, I can stretch further forward with my toes. I'm feeling like I got a good workout and it's positively influencing the rest of my day with how I'm feeling in body and how I'm interacting with others, and I think that's one of the reasons why people keep coming back to Pilates. It was just about a good workout. That works for some people, but for a lot of people I've worked with, it's just not enough to stay with it.

Speaker 1: 19:55

There is another reason why they keep moving and it's that internal self-reflection I found is really helpful wow, that's, that's really lovely and, um, so I mean like these moments of transformation are so, so powerful and they remind us why this work matters, lovely. So, uh, beth, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and your story and, uh, your passion for movement with us today, and it's really been an enlightening conversation. I'd love to mention, and I know that our listeners are walking away inspired to find more joy and alignment in our lives. So, to everyone who is tuning in, remember that movement isn't just about fitness or the strength. It's about connecting with yourself, caring for your body and embracing the pleasure of simply being alive.

Speaker 1: 20:55

So, if today's conversation has resonated with you, check out Beth's Pilates app app, trifecta pilates app, or her trauma-informed pilates approach. It could be the first step towards your own transformation. So, and as always, do not forget to subscribe, leave us a review and share this episode with someone who could use a little more joy in their life. So, until next time, this is your host, abig, reminding you to stay healthy, stay mindful, keep embracing life to the fullest. So thank you so much.