Arc Pilates in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Sport & recreation

Arc Pilates

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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17.01.2022 My name is Alicia and I live in Reservoir with my partner David and our 2 kids who are 7 and 10. I’ve been a Pilates teacher for nearly 20 years and set up Arc ...Pilates Studio in Preston in 2016. I love teaching Pilates, but it can be hard work looking after people all day long. That’s because its more than teaching an exercise method. I am engaging with the whole person, finding out about their life, trying to figure out their relationship with their body and why they may be in pain or feeling like they need to change. Pilates is an intelligent form of exercise that can offer years of insight into how the body is and moves. I love having my own business, but I need to be careful I don’t put all my energy into my work. I guess COVID enforced a break on that aspect of my life and I feel like I’ve reframed how I can continue to do what I love to do without burning out. Burnout is a big issue in our industry. Like so many small businesses I had to close the studio on 23rd March. To be honest it was a bit of a relief because the weeks leading up to the closure were very upsetting. People started cancelling and getting anxious and no one knew what to do. The closure was hugely challenging in the first weeks. We had to figure out how to change our sessions to online classes, how to price this, how to engage clients and then of course the kids were at home and home-schooling became a thing. It was very stressful. I remember lots of worry and conversations with various people. David’s job is in IT and he was able to help me set up our online booking system, coax me into using zoom and tell me I needed to get my head around technology. I was definitely a head in the sand type when it came to technology before COVID. Now I’m much better, although you’d have to ask David! The studio reopened on 26th June and then had to close again round 8th July. We have been closed for nearly 7 months altogether. Second time round we switched the business quickly back to online classes but it was really hard and I experienced weeks of depression. I felt like I had lost my identity and it reminded me of earlier challenges in my life. Some good things to come out of COVID are that I have some really great teachers who work for me and clients who have supported me in many ways. From offers of advice on how to negotiate and to communicate to showing their enthusiasm to try online classes. Also having me clients just turning up each week over zoom has helped keep me going. Some days it’s been like pushing through mud, though but the routine has held me together most of the time. Personally, COVID has bought my family unit closer. We are a good team and learnt to navigate the daily challenges and reward ourselves with cakes, cookies, sourdough bread cooking shows and Legomasters! I have a found a new love of Edwards Lake Park and followed the natural cycles of life around the beautiful area and along Edgar’s Creek. My family and I watched the black swans build a nest and sit on it for 5 weeks and then see 5 eggs hatch. Devastatingly though it seems the babies did not survive after a few weeks due to the heavy rain and even the mother swan died. That was very upsetting and felt like another loss to add to all the others of this year. Each day though the remaining black swan is out on the water or nearby and I make sure I see him and hope he is ok. I walk around the lake nearly everyday day and that time of the day is almost sacred now. I have everything crossed for this next reopening and easing of restrictions. I am very nervous though and do not want to get out and about too much yet. I’m also worried about returning to teaching and being up to the challenge of holding the emotional space for my clients in the studio. I know people have been suffering and that will come out in all sorts of ways, whether in body aches or pains or a return to chronic conditions. I hope we can all empathise with each other and I want to be able to show that I have struggled too. That is part of the human condition. One of my favourite meditation teachers Sharon Salzburg says, ‘sometimes, things just hurt’. I think it’s important not to run away from that.

14.01.2022 If you’ve recently had a baby and been cleared to start exercising again this is the class for you. Take some time for yourself. Link in bio https://linktr.ee/arcpilates

13.01.2022 Hi everyone. We are excited to be opening to studio clients soon. We can’t wait to see you all in person! Mat classes will continue online for now due to the space restrictions imposed. We will be sending emails out to current clients soon, lots to do so bear with us. X Alicia

12.01.2022 All being well we are looking forward to opening the studio doors again and seeing you in person. We’ve missed you! Xx

06.01.2022 Excited to have @b.ecsmith working her magic at the studio this week. I love how she’s captured in form and colour what we do in the studio... more to come