I have lately observed that there are certain times when my exercise rhythm is off or non-existent, and when I get so caught up in the ‘busyness’ of my day and the many things that I feel I’m responsible for or that need completing (ie. work, family etc.), that my exercise routine seems to be one of the first things that gets neglected.
I noticed that the busier I was, the more I was neglecting my exercise rhythm and routine… and the longer the gaps were between exercising. To add to this, I was also feeling more tired – which seemed to exacerbate the desire to even do any exercise in the first place, even if I did have time!
I was recently offered the opportunity to join a 4 week online exercise program offered by Danielle Pirera (Re-Connect Exercise), and even though I’ve enjoyed attending these classes in the past, my first response was “I haven’t got time!” There was no pressure to commit either way, however I was presented with the possibility that the exercise classes would actually be an opportunity to support me with everything else I was doing. I could feel that deep down this was absolutely true and that neglecting my exercise rhythm was neither feeling right nor supporting me in my day, so it became an easy choice to join the online program and make a specific commitment to completing one 45 min exercise group class each week.
What I have found most supportive is that the exercise program is presented in a way that encourages connection with my body – feeling how I want to exercise on each particular day – which I’ve found varies from week to week.
The exercise program has not been about doing the exercises a certain way, at a certain pace or level of intensity or how many reps or even doing the exercise the same way as Danielle, the presenter. In fact I’ve felt encouraged to simply feel my body moving, and to feel what’s right in every exercise. Led by example, the focus has not been on the technique of the exercise, but simply staying connected to my body and the quality of the movements.
In this, I’m learning more and more that exercise is not about what I do or how many or for how long, but ‘how’ I do it. And the other thing I’m learning is to not make my exercise routine so serious (!) …. to keep it light and playful.
With each exercise group I’ve felt how important it is to do what feels right for me in that particular session. By being encouraged to focus on this and committing to the exercise group every week, I’ve also found that my exercise rhythm outside of the classes is much more accessible and realistic. For example, if I had felt pressured or an expectation that I had to do ½ hour’s exercise every day, I would probably consider skipping exercise altogether! However for me, committing to 10-15 minutes, 2 times a week is something that is manageable and a great place for me to start.
This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent.
I have found these exercise groups provide a true inspiration of a connected way of exercising, supported by the fact that they are taught by example. For example, it’s not uncommon for Danielle to express that her body feels a bit stiff and sore on that particular day and that she is going to move a little slower or not stretch so high, while at the same time providing support and suggestions for others to move faster or make their movements larger if that’s what they feel in their body.
In moments like these, I am being offered the opportunity and inspiration to honour my own body in exactly the same way, whether it’s to take the exercise more gently or increase to an intensity I feel is right for me. Exercising this way is a totally different way of exercising than I have ever experienced before. To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.
I am still establishing the depth of the connection with my body, but am now starting to feel more of a quality and presence in my exercise routine and exercise rhythm.
With each exercise class I am learning how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result.
As I commit to my exercise rhythm I am experiencing more and more how this supports me in all of the other things I need to do in a day. I have more energy and am feeling less tired, supported by my exercise routine that is teaching me to connect to my body and be more present with Me.
By Angela Perin, aged 48, Brisbane
568 Comments
Danielle Pirera’s Re-Connect Exercise classes and sessions are an essential part of redeveloping our connection with ourselves and our bodies. If we take the time to establish a rhythm of exercise in this way when younger, as we grow older our bodies will be extremely grateful, it makes such a difference.
I have started going to the gym again and I just love it. I used to go with so such a drive and need to get a result. Now I am going with joy and looking forward to it, also because I am realizing I am not just doing it for me, but in service of the work that needs to be done.
Thanks Angela, great to be at a place where my body really wants to exercise and how important it is not only about health but about vitality, wellbeing, clear thinking, joy, and all the attributes that make a great life. Exercise is truly one of the staples and easily achieved if we honour our bodies during exercise.
Awesome blog, thank you Angela for sharing your insights and experience with building an exercise routine. I feel I have so many old ingrained habits, patterns and beliefs about the way exercise, it’s like I go on auto pilot and exercise every day the same, ignoring when my body needs more gentle exercise when it’s tied, or more aerobic when I’m full of energy to express.
Thanks Angela for reminding me to observe the quality of how I go about my exercise routines. I find my day gets off to a solid start if I do some form of exercise in the mornings. I love my walks in nature or a swim in the pool etc. I feel so much more connected and solid afterwards.
Thank you, Angela. I have never been able to commit to exercise regularly, it’s always been sporadic and it always felt like a bit of a chore. I can feel how honouring the way the body feels, and not getting caught in the self-imposed target would be a great support in making exercise (or anything for that matter) to really become a part of my life that I can build an on-going relationship with, and commit to.
Hi Angela, I especially liked reading about how open and flexible exercising can be. To start with what is realistic sounds wonderful. I tend to set a bigger expectation than what myself or my life can honestly handle, so I like what you said about starting with maybe twice a week for 10-15 minutes, this feels achievable and a great place to start and grow from.
I can feel how a loving commitment to exercise feels so different to putting pressure on myself or having an expectation beforehand of how my exercise for the week ahead will look. When I exercise with my body in connection it feels amazing. By contrast, when I begin to push a bit to get more done it feels awful and I want to stop. Exercising in connection and having a loving commitment is definitely the way to go.
Hello Angela, a truly ground breaking article when it comes to exercise. We are no longer talking about anything other than quality and the consistency of that quality, I love it and this is my experience too. Anyone can train hard or push themselves but it takes much more to stay in a quality that supports you in a moment that you are ‘doing’ anything. Danielle Pirera would have to be considered a pioneer in this field and where do you see a woman like this or man speaking about exercise this way or leading exercise this way. This is a true gem for me and blows the lid on every myth about exercise. Thank you Angela and thank you Danielle Pirera.
I totally agree Angela. The way Danielle Pirera presents her exercise classes is completely unheard of and simply an awesome experience. I love her classes because they are so fun, enjoyable and tailored to me and my body, even though there is a group of us.
It is great to share this way of exercising with others. Often people ask me in the pool ‘how many lengths are you swimming today?’ or in the gym ‘how long did you spend training?’ To chat with people about connection first and not worrying about numbers gives them an opportunity to consider a different way to approach their own exercise.
This was great to read again today Angela. As it is raining outside, my usual routine of going for a walk has gone out the window! I too have done the simply awesome online exercise programs offered by Danielle so I know I have all the tools I need to exercise indoors and in a way that feels true for my body. It’s amazing though that I still have some resistance to doing this – which I can feel is partially resistant to taking that time to really reconnect with myself and my body. I can also definitely relate to the ‘time pressure’ thing as a reason for not having space to exercise. I look forward to making the space this morning, and seeing what unfolds. Thank you Angela.
Honouring the body throughout exercising is essential, yet often a missed point in exercise classes. I remember when I did stretching classes many years ago, I was preoccupied with how long the exercise took. More busy with the time and my watch than my body. What a difference with now. Just feeling what is needed both the kind of exercise as the length or intensity. A total turn around and great for my body.
Me too, I was going To The gym as a burden of something I have to do to stay attractive. When I go to the gym now, I am enjoying my exercises because the gentle exercises I choose for me are feeling great in my body.
So true Angela what you share about exercise, and was the same nut that got cracked open for me having exercised a lot in the past, but never in a way that actually honoured my body, and how it might be feeling at that time of exercise pending on how my day had gone – and then adjusting movements accordingly. I just used to push through with the exercise even when I felt ill or tired, and didn’t really want to do it. I exercised more in fear of losing discipline if i missed my slot. Your words: “staying connected to my body and the quality of the movements” – is what makes exercise today so different, and such a nurturing activity that is looked forward to with complete joy, no longer regarded a chore or something to put off from being too busy. When we make time for connected-exercise, we make space to honour ourselves and our body.
Exercise can often be the first thing to drop off when we are busy but what I find is how much more efficient at tasks I am when I commit and make room for exercise in my daily life. There can be a kind of force that stops us from exercising but it is rare once we start for us not to get so much out of it. The times I have resisted exercise and then started doing it I have wondered why there was so much resistance there in the first place as it has always been so supportive.
Angela, as a yoga teacher I spent the first 10 years teaching in a way that encouraged people to try and do as I did, which was to take my body to it’s maximum in every pose. How harmful for me but in particular for the people in the class who were less flexible and less strong ! I now get people to re-connect to their bodies first and then to exercise from that held connection. I bring a pillow and blanket to my classes and encourage people to simply lie still if that feels more honouring than moving.
I love excercise, but for some reason I find myself often making excuses that I don’t have time….even though I always have time.
I recently started a new job after being semi unemployed for a loooooong period of time. In that period of time, I had more time than I knew what to do with and yet my commitment to exercise was the worst it has ever been.
Since starting this new job, I have far less time in the day, but am impressed at my commitment to squeezing it in.
I have let go of the need for exercise to be an hour long. After years and years of going to the gym or playing netball, I held this very strong belief that exercise needs to be at least an hour, or its not exercise. Rubbish!
It just so happens that I find myself more often than not, setting aside an hour, but the difference is that if I am running late or don’t have a full hour to spare, then half an hour is also good, as is 10-20 minutes. As you say Angela, it’s more about the commitmment to exercise than the actual time spent. Letting go of a timeframe has been the most helpful thing.
Great to read your blog Angela and to be reminded how supporting our body with regular gentle exercise supports us in so many different ways.
I can relate to what you write. I have my daily morning exercises, a set of them. Lately I have spontaneously changed the exercises during certain days. I started to do some other exercises. Why? Because my body gave me hints that other parts of my body needed attention. I honoured that. In the past I would just do my set of exercises, but I know realize that in itself can become a routine, an automatic pilot, without truly honouring the body: what it needs that specific day, exactly what you have experienced. Honouring the body and how you are in the exercises is the key.
I enjoy my exercise habit, based on the feeling in my body of when it needs to exercise and how it wants to exercise at that time. Sometimes a walk, sometimes a cross trainer and cardio, sometimes weights. Not only does my body tell me when it needs exercise and the quality, but also what type of exercise it needs -strength, endurance, or gentle movement for connective tissue release. It is such a great component of my everyday livingness and I totally agree with Angela, this way of exercising is true, as well as never gets boring or a hard slog. There is a growing awareness also, about when the mind wants take over and create a stimulation from exercise in the body that brings a good feeling short term, but actually is not energy giving and rejuvenating. Even with a very established exercise rhythm, this needs to be kept on one’s radar as it can easily take over.
I have picked up cardio and am doing exercising again as well. For me, it helps me to connect more with my body, which I can feel more and more is my connection to the divine.
Exercise for me in the past has been in the doing and the competitiveness with others. Once when competing with other women in a exercise class I actually caused multiple small pneumothoraxes (collapsed lung) – how crazy is that!!. Today I am more gentle and loving, with the way I do exercise and find by feeling what my body requires supports me in having a deeper connection with myself. This feels a more beautiful way to exercise than the old way with total disregard for the body. This has been very inspirational Angela and has encouraged me to have a more regular routine of exercise and love those 10-15mins.
Hi Angela. I also have found it to be true at times, exercise is the first thing to be neglected when I am busy. Yet is so important for me to connect to my body thought movement. Not just because it supports the well-being and fitness of my body for living but because I LOVE it and enjoy how I feel when I am exercising. I love feeling this connection of me and my body in movement. This is a beautiful statement –”This has also helped me realise that it’s the commitment and connection to myself that’s important as the foundation for exercise, not necessarily the amount of time spent”. Thank you for your sharing as it is a beautiful reminder highlighting and honouring the importance of exercise as part of our self-care routine.
Thank you Angela,
I have started a new exercise program which asks me to listen to my body first, and it is unbelievable how much it is trying to tell me, and how many of the old exercises I was doing are not right.
I am really enjoying starting again and building exercise through how my body feels rather than what’s on a video or manual.
This is a great article Angela. I often tell myself that I am too busy to slow down and take time to exercise. When I do stop and exercise gently while feeling what will support my body I find I have more energy and enjoyment of everything else in my day.
Exercise has made a huge difference for me in how I live and how it supports me in everything that I do during the day. I have a very physically and emotionally challenging job and exercise makes such a difference. What I have been learning is that, like you said Angela, I don’t have to exhaust myself when I exercise, work for a prescribed period, do a set amount of repetitions of an exercise. It’s about me listening to my body and allowing my body to be my guide. I even went back to the gym a while ago now and love the feeling in my body when I walk out feeling about 6 foot longer. Exercise is huge for everyone for a whole range of reasons and beliefs that we have about ourselves and exercise. What I know for me is that exercise is a must as it supports me in many ways, including simply enjoying the movement of my body.
I’ve got so much out of reading this article. That it’s okay to be gentle with my body and exercise in a way that truly supports it, rather than trying to achieve something with my body. It’s inspired me to re-commit to myself and start an exercise routine that supports me.
Angela, we should get this quote on the front of the nationals: “To have a fitness trainer teach and present this way – in a way that honours her own body – is not only unheard of, but is deeply inspiring as a true way to exercise.”! So true and so game changing.
Doug, I have been doing the same! I have stripped my body of exercise for 3 years as it has taken that long for the echo of the excessive forms of exercise I was using before to leave me. I’m at the brink, now of building it back up from a place of truth. Love the words ‘take the push out of it and replace that with a flow’ – thank you.
“With each exercise class I am learning how important it is to honour what I feel in my body, and not to exercise according to a set structure, technique or time frame or with an outcome of achieving a set result.”
This would be great if we were told this at our very first gym induction or they had a poster on the wall to remind us that pushing beyond our boundaries and striving for perfection is so unnecessary and harmful.
Yes I agree Samantha, we so need this education in schools. That exercise can be done in a self-caring and self-honouring way that truly takes care of the body, and supports it to not only become truthfully strong, but to evolve!
This was such a perfect blog for me to read Angela! I especially love the way you point out that it’s the commitment and connection with yourself that provides the foundation for your exercise, not necessarily the time you spend exercising. It feels like this foundation you have built through commitment is largely responsible for the changes you have noticed in your life also. Having this information presented in this way allowed me to see the power of commitment in a whole new light. Thank you so much. I feel absolutely inspired to make commitment and exercise a part of my life.
I recently did the on-line exercise program with Danielle Pirera (Re-Connect Exercise) and I loved it.
Thank you Angela for sharing your story. I can relate to the fact that when I do attend Danielle’s classes I can relate to how it feels in my body and how the body responds. I’m still a work in progress for the full commitment to bring it to a consistancy in my life.
Anything that helps build our foundation of commitment, especially to our self –care, is invaluable, and in this case something that has almost immediate rewards. To build a rhythm of rhythm of using and moving our bodies is a beautiful experience, and Danielle Pirera is fantastic at presenting this.
Great blog Angela. Only yesterday did I feel that I was forgetting to include exercise/stretches into my daily rhythm.
I remembered the importance of connection to my body and to do what exercise my body felt to do, and stop when I felt tired or sore. It felt great. I was more energised following it.
Unlike many years ago when I would do aerobics- 1hr class, 5 times a week , to “get fit”. If I missed a class I would go into self judgement and self bashing. My body would feel exhausted at the end of the week- but my mind would say- “no pain, no gain”. Thankfully, since attending some exercise classes with Danielle Pirera, my approach to exercise is a more gentler one, whereby my body determines what exercise I do, for how long and how often.
Angela I have also found that if I am busy I am able to do shorter exercise sessions and still have the connection to my body. It feels great to not have pressure to “fit in” a whole hours session as I would have in the past. I am finding that my body is becoming quite toned and this is without the intensity of past exercise programs which I realise now were about making the body look good from the outside rather than feeling from the inside out!! Amazing!
It is interesting isn’t it that when things get intense in life or we are under more pressure mentally or physically, that the first things we drop off and say we don’t have time for are the very things that support us the most!
A great blog Angela. A good reminder of the need to exercise in a way that is supportive of the bodies needs at the time.
Great blog about a great subject- Exercise, connection and Danielle! Thanks for writing about such a profound topic – I too have experienced a class with Danielle and found it quite revolutionary. After exercising like a maniac (in between activating my sloth status ) I have done many types of exercise – boot camps, gyms, outdoor, walking, running, cycling etc…and all of it was done with a drive to lose weight, get fit, get strong, look good etc…and never done in true connection with my body. I remember one bootcamp session having to run with a bag of sand for AGES and my body was SCREAMING at me to stop but with the ‘help’ of the instructor I pushed through and did it – and this was congratulated by me and my instructor. Crazy stuff as I see it now. But for a long time I was hoodwinked by it.
Now I am learning to connect with my body and move to support it as I know my body loves it. Danielle’s classes have been a great inspiration for this and I now feel the benefits of doing 4-5 sit ups with as much presence and connection as I can muster as opposed to 100 sit-ups on a hot sweaty and sandy beach pushing myself to my limits. And it’s been a lovely reminder that exercise can be playful and adapted to where-ever my body is at. I find it challenging to listen to my body and honour it at times, especially when the old programming comes in, but it is an awesome process to be part of and my body is loving my commitment to it.
Thanks for writing so eloquently about it Angela – much appreciated.
For me what has been great learning how to exercise with presence is how educational it has been. When you say “I now feel the benefits of doing 4-5 sit ups with as much presence and connection as I can muster as opposed to 100 sit-ups on a hot sweaty and sandy beach pushing myself to my limits.” I can totally relate and that has been astounding to realise and amazing to feel in my body.
I love this blog Angela especially this. “I am still establishing the depth of the connection with my body, but am now starting to feel more of a quality and presence in my exercise routine.” I too am currently building a stronger relationship with my body and exercise. Loving it.