Meaning WITHIN THE Movement

The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine help you go deeper into your practice, promising plenty of play along the way.

- Brooke Tyler

I FEEL LIKE A PLAYFUL ARTIST: CURIOUS AND COMMIT TED, SILLY YET INTENTIONAL. Pilates, as I originally learned it from Dorothee Vandewalle and continue to be dedicated to, is a rich system, offering clarity, structure and ample room for creativity and growth. Our Pilates practice gives us something to lean into throughout seasons of change, leaving ourselves and then returning home to ourselves.

Chinese Medicine is like this, too. It’s an art—a healing art that connects our bodies to our emotions and our spirit. A philosophy that serves as a guide for the ongoing journey of self-becoming. As a practicing acupuncturist at my studio, Clasique, I love weaving these two modalities together. I also bring this integration to CoreSelf, my online membership site.

The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine act as a lens to our growth and invite us to build a deeper connection to the Pilates system, both as a practitioner and an instructor. You know where to begin and how to grow roots, how to progress a workout and appropriately challenge, when to go big and where to find the rungs on the ladder to do really hard things. You practice how to meet a client where they are and adapt. You have flexibility yourself. And with your client you have resonance. In the moment of teaching, you have presence. At your core you have skill, integration, knowing. In your practice you feel nourished and lit up.