We decided to move back to Australia after my daughter was born. Since then, I have been looking forward to starting a new life in a foreign country.
As we settle down here, it eventually sits in me that this is not like Singapore where we can get almost anything and everything that we want easily and readily. Shops close at 5pm here. Eating out is expensive. Services are expensive. So I had to learn to do everything by myself/ourselves, from housework to cooking to lawn mowing. It can be quite daunting especially for someone who has lived in a country (Singapore) where help is readily available and highly affordable. I had to adapt.
It has been nice to be able to wake up to thin crisp fresh air every morning. I look forward to the season change. I look forward to the fresh produce. I am happy here though at the back of my head, I wish I could get a good manicure/pedicure and most importantly, a good acupressure massage! I missed those good massages that I used to indulge in to ease the body aches.
My back and neck aches from the housework and also the toll of carrying my 2-year-old daughter around. After checking around for a good masseuse for sometime, I decided that it was not going to be an easy task. I was disappointed in the nail treatments here, they are not as thorough as the manicurists in Singapore when it comes to cleaning the cuticles and they are certainly expensive. After a couple times at the nail shops, I decided that DIY at home for me works well than paying to get it done.
I was thinking about my massage and I decided to Google for workout places when I had that spare time. I chanced upon Pilates classes and there was this particular school, which had a Pilates Beginners class that was just about to start. The timing of the class suits my schedule and I immediately signed up for the class. Pilates has been something that I wanted to give it a go when I was in Singapore but hardly had the time to do it.
I was surprised to find that Pilates exercises are not as confronting as Yoga, which is good for someone like me, someone who hasn’t really exercise since I left school 2 decades ago. The five weeks of beginners breezed through and I was happy with myself for doing it.
Pilates taught me the importance of breathing and core stabilization. Something that can be easily overlooked. It also shed light on the importance of having a strong core so that one can execute our exercises or day-to-day life’s tasks effectively without inflicting injuries on us. It also taught me to be focus and discipline in what I do.
I started attending twice weekly classes and very soon, I found that I no longer suffered from neck and back aches. Even the pain at the tailbone (which I started having after childbirth) was gone! I am very impressed by what it does to my body. When I am too busy to squeeze in an exercise session for the day, I will do quick warm ups with the hundreds, roll up and down, spine articulation exercises for 10 minutes before I start my day. It works wonder.
It has been two and half years since I started my journey with Pilates. Now whenever my friends asked if I want to go for massage whenever I am in Singapore, I will tell them I have a good masseuse already and he is Mr. Pilates!
Michelle, Mar 2015 Pilates Matwork Instructor Course, Tirisula Yoga
