Today's email was inspired by a little conversation we had in the Monday 7:30am class. Somehow, we got talking about Apple Watches, Oura rings and all the ways we track ourselves throughout the day. I mentioned that I've never had an Apple Watch and no longer wear an Oura ring—and it got me thinking: Maybe we could all use a little less technology and a little more time simply being human. Read on.
Our bodies were not designed for the world we live in today.
Think about how much information your brain processes before you even get out of bed. You wake up and check your phone. Texts. Emails. Social media. News. Then you spend the day answering messages while carrying a tiny computer around in your pocket or purse.
And now we're tracking ourselves, too. Oura rings monitor our sleep, readiness, heart rate and recovery. Apple Watches track our steps, calories, heart rate and workouts. Our phones track where we go, what we look at and what we buy.
Then there are the electromagnetic fields and radio frequency signals produced by our phones and other wireless devices. Research into the long-term health effects is ongoing. The FDA says current scientific evidence has not linked cell-phone RF exposure with health problems, while The WHO continues to monitor potential effects.
Regardless, maybe we don't need to be connected to technology every second of the day. Were our bodies meant to live like this? Maybe that's why we're in a constant state of anxiety, exhaustion and illness. Our nervous systems could probably use a break. We were made for slowness, care, nature, laughter and deep presence.
That's one of the reasons your 50-minute Pilates class matters. When you walk into our studio, we want those 50 minutes to feel like a pause button on the rest of the world.
Maybe take off your Apple Watch, put your phone away and leave the Oura ring at home if you can. You don't need to know your heart rate, calories burned or whether you've hit your step goal in Pilates.
For 50 minutes, just be present. Breathe. Move. Concentrate on your body. Listen to the instructor. Focus on what you're doing right now. And give yourself that same opportunity outside the studio. Go outside every day. Walk without your phone. Sit on the porch. Garden. Feel the sun. Eat real food. Move your body. And every once in a while, do absolutely nothing.
So when you come to class, take off the watch. Put away the phone. Leave the outside world at the door. Give your nervous system a chance to exhale.
50 minutes to simply be present.
