Fit to Print Volume 22, Issue 4 : December 2013 | Page 27

Build a Strong Foundation
continued from page 6

us together” as human beings and are
prevalent in both the practices of Pilates
and Yoga. Here are a few:
- Vision
- Strong Foundation
- Belief system
- Surrounding yourself with positive
energy and positive people
- Connecting these all with focus on the
breath
Without vision, we cannot see our way. If
we cannot see our way, we get lost. We
don't only see with our eyes, we can also
see with our minds. Visualization and
imagination are great tools to help guide
us on a positive path. Like the movie
Field of Dreams…”if you build it they will
come”. …If you visualize it…you can do it.
Tip#1 Visualization:
Find a quiet place to sit comfortably.
Connect to your breath. Breathe deeply
and slowly. Visualize yourself being
somewhere and/or doing something that
calms you and brings you joy. Perhaps you
want to focus on a specific goal that you
desire to achieve. Whatever the thought,
make sure it is positive and good.
Visualize it! Focus on this thought and
feeling for a few moments while
deepening your breath. Take notice of
how this happy thought makes your
physical being feel…breathe the goodness
into your body and feel…be aware.
Tip#2 Grounding & Centering:
Sit in a cross legged seat with your hands
resting on your legs. Connect to your
The rooting section: “Little” Try to feel
breath, slow, deep breaths. Mary and friend
your center…typically in this seated
position, our trunk leans forward of our
hips. See if you can square your shoulders
over your hips and center yourself on your
sitting bones. Leaning your trunk forward
and back a few times can help you
identify your center. Line the back of
your skull over your sacrum and try to feel
your sitting bones grounding into the
earth and stabilizing you. Lift your hip
energy off your thighs and your ribs off
your hips. Set your shoulders down on
your back ribs and relax your eyes and
face. Keep lifting your spine, lengthening
your lower back out of your tailbone. Try
to connect to the awareness of grounding
and lengthening at the same time. Focus
on slow, deep breaths while feeling the
awareness of your center. Breathe here
for a few minutes and see if you can
“tap” into this grounding, centering
energy. Observe.

Tip #3 Belief
Every one needs to believe that good
things are possible and that they
deserve good. This ties in directly to
FAITH! Gotta have faith! (isn't that a
George Michael song?) Everyone needs
something to believe in (another
song?)…okay, back on track….We've
heard the saying “with Faith all things
are possible”. Faith is not necessarily
religion. Faith is simply believing in
something you cannot touch, see or
feel…something intangible…something
bigger! Whatever your Faith, believe in
it. Believe and you will receive!!!!!

The components that built and
keep Fitness Incentive together
as a business are the same
components that can “keep us
together” as human beings and
are prevalent in both the practices
of Pilates and Yoga.
Tip#4 Positivity
Belief and positivity are directly
intertwined! Can't have one without
the other!!!! You must think positive
thoughts!!! Positive mantras are a
great way to feed positivity into your
being!!!! Write some positive sayings
on post-it notes and place them
strategically around your home, for
example, on your bathroom mirror,
inside a kitchen cabinet, a drawer etc.
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