What If Your Weekly Class Became Your Appointment With Yourself?

23 Aug

As the summer holidays begin to draw to a close, there’s often a familiar shift in the air.

The holidays are ending, schools are preparing to reopen and diaries that may have felt a little more relaxed over the summer suddenly start filling up again.

For many of us, September brings a return to routine.

And while there can be something comforting about that, it can also mean that life becomes busy very quickly.

School runs, work, appointments, family commitments, household jobs and endless things to organise can soon take over. Before we know it, the weeks are flying by and the things we do purely for ourselves are often the first things to disappear from the diary.

But what if this year, you made one small change?

What if your weekly yoga or Pilates class became an appointment with yourself?

We’re Good at Keeping Appointments for Everyone Else

Most of us are very good at putting other people's needs into our calendars.

We remember the dentist appointments, school events, work meetings and birthdays. We make sure everyone gets where they need to be and somehow manage to keep all the different pieces of life moving.

But when it comes to making time for ourselves, it's often a different story.

We tell ourselves we'll go to yoga when things calm down.

We'll book that Pilates session when we've finished everything else.

We'll make more time for ourselves next week.

The problem, of course, is that life rarely becomes completely quiet.

There will always be washing to do, emails to answer and another item waiting to be added to the to-do list.

Which is why making time for yourself sometimes needs to be just as intentional as making time for everything else.

Your Class Is More Than Just Exercise

Of course, yoga and reformer Pilates can help you build strength, improve mobility and support your physical wellbeing.

But for many people, a regular class offers something more.

It's an hour where you don't have to organise anyone else's life.

You don't have to answer messages, make decisions or think about what's for dinner.

You simply arrive, move your body and take a little time to focus on yourself.

That can be incredibly valuable, particularly when life feels busy.

A weekly class can become a small pause in the middle of everything else — something that belongs entirely to you.

You Don't Need to Earn Time for Yourself

This is something I think many of us need reminding of.

Looking after yourself isn't a reward for getting everything else done.

You don't need to have completed your to-do list before you deserve an hour to move, breathe and feel good in your body.

In fact, taking time for yourself can often help you return to everything else with more energy and patience.

When we're constantly giving our time and attention to other people, it's easy to become depleted without even noticing.

A regular yoga or Pilates class can be one small way of filling your own cup again.

And no, you don't have to earn it.

A Weekly Anchor

There is something wonderfully reassuring about having one thing in the week that you can rely on.

Perhaps Tuesday evening becomes your time to stretch and unwind after a busy day.

Maybe Friday morning is when you take a breath and do something just for you before the weekend begins.

Or perhaps your reformer Pilates session becomes the hour when you focus on feeling strong and supported in your body.

Whatever it looks like, having a regular class in your diary can create a sense of rhythm and structure.

It becomes an anchor.

Not another obligation. Not another thing you should do.

But a little pocket of time that helps you feel more like yourself.

It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

Of course, there will be weeks when you can't make it.

Holidays happen. Children get poorly. Work runs late. Life has a habit of being unpredictable.

The aim isn't to attend every single class without fail.

It's simply to make space for yourself where you can.

If you miss a week, there's no need to feel guilty or think you've fallen off track. You can simply come back when you're ready.

Your practice will still be there.

And so will you.

Stronger, Calmer and More Connected

One of the things I love about offering both yoga and reformer Pilates is that they give us different ways to look after ourselves.

Perhaps some weeks you need the calm, space and gentle movement that yoga offers.

Other times, you may want to feel stronger, more energised and supported through reformer Pilates.

There doesn't have to be one perfect way to move.

The important thing is finding something that makes you feel good and that fits into your life.

Because when movement becomes something you genuinely look forward to, rather than another chore on the list, it's much easier to make it part of your week.