Why does Pilates make me cry?

Have you ever wondered why movement brings so many emotions to the surface? Maybe you have experienced this?

Anxiety after movement can happen for many reasons - if you're prone to anxiety your body's stress-like reactions get misinterpreted as panic ; it can also stem from increased body awareness bringing up subconscious worries creating a cycle where fear of the feeling makes you avoid movement compounding anxiety long-term. Pilates is mindful because it's a "moving meditation" requiring deep focus on controlled movements, breath, and precise form, fostering a strong mind-body connection, increasing body awareness and promoting mindfulness by anchoring your attention in the present moment, much like meditation. This intentionality calms the nervous system, improves concentration, and helps release physical and mental tension, making it a holistic practice for both physical and mental well-being. But. It takes time and consistency and sitting with those uncomfortable feelings.

The nervous system response to a mindfulness experience such as exercise, including Pilates, can be uncomfortable as we are so used to living with our survival state of the sympathetic nervous system on high alert (fight and flight), that when we bring an increased focus to our breathing, mindfulness and being in the moment which also brings attention the body's sensations, it can bring suppressed emotions and feelings to the surface. As we practice a mindful state, the parasympathetic nervous system has a chance to do what it's designed to do, rest and digest, and that relaxed perceived 'out of control' new sensation can feel uncomfortable and foreign to those of us that are prone to anxiety and panic.

I remember when I took my 1^st Pilates class over 16 years ago in a community hall in Orange. Pilates was a tool to manage chronic pain after a horse-riding accident first and foremost, little did I know that over the year's Pilates would become so much more than exercise, it's a mental health wellness tool for me. I also decided to join the local women’s gym and took up walking on a regular basis. Not remarkable, but for someone living with clinical anxiety and panic disorder – being housebound was a reality for a long time.

I practice Pilates everyday as part of mental health care because my mental health is always going to be there, it’s how I chose live with it that makes a difference. Many women, especially through perimenopause and menopause, experience panic, anxiety and depression, either for the first time in their lives or having it crop back up again to revisit like a long lost relative who's name you can't remember. Finding something that works for you is the key as well as persistence and support. That's one of the reason's I love doing what I do. I'm surrounded by women just like me.