Well not to me specifically, but to PilatesPhysioPlanet – and I’ll happily use any excuse for a celebration.  I had a quick nose about on Google to see what else happened on this day.  In 1965, The Beatles went to number one with 8 days a week,  Apollo 9 returned to earth in 1969, in 1982 Torvill and Dean won a championship in Copenhagen, and in 2008, Gold prices hit $1000 per ounce for the first time in New York.  I think google might now need to update their list – March 13 2018, PilatesPhysioPlanet started.

So, to me, it seems like March 13th is a lucky day, and I certainly do feel lucky to be able to do something I love so much.  I never call teaching Pilates work or a job, because in all the years I’ve been teaching, it has never felt like work to me, it’s just my passion.

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, and each class certainly does fly in, as has this past year.  Don’t get me wrong, there have been times I’ve wondered what on earth I thought I was playing at by starting my own classes.  I previously taught  for a number of years for another company, where venues and class members were all taken care of by someone else.  I had other instructors to share ideas with, and got to go to a fancy awards dinner ceremony.  But…. (and you shouldn’t start a sentence with a but – I like live life on the edge so I’m doing it ) I wouldn’t change it even if those Gold prices skyrocketed!

I found my first venue almost by accident.  I’d been thinking about doing my own thing for a long  time, and an advert to hire a local studio came up on Facebook.  I went to see it, liked it – and voila, my own classes began.  Then the worry came – what if no one comes???  For the first few weeks, it was just me and one client.   I didn’t know whether to keep going, or just stop.

Lorna my first ever class member who has never missed a block of classes

Thankfully I kept going, really because I believe in Pilates and I know how much it can help people.  I’m glad I did because this has now turned out to be my busiest class.  It’s funny how I used to worry about class numbers in the beginning because now I don’t really care about that.  I love teaching because I know how much people get out of the classes, and I like to see the improvements in posture and techniques.  Knowing the positive effect of the classes on people’s lives is what keeps me motivated.  This cancels out all the testing times of moving venues due to issues getting into the hall (first venue), noise (second venue), disgruntled drama groups (third venue), trying to set up an online booking system and navigating mail-chimp (this one still fills me with dread).

Now, as my first year of flying solo comes to an end, I’ve designed a logo and posters, created my own network of instructors to brainstorm ideas, eased into social media and digital marketing and launched a website (thanks to Liam McEleney) .  My big new exciting project is online PhysioPilates classes for all those who have gotten in touch and would love to come to class, but just can’t make it along – as always, I aim to please.

First though, I’m off to Nashville and New York for a wee break……then back to working 8 days a week!