Clients’ Stories
The Parents’ Place studio
Audrey’s Story
Note: This testimonial is excerpted from an article Audrey wrote for Out and About Mom blog. She was given a complimentary session of The Matriarchy for the purpose of writing the article. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.
Get ready to picture both relaxation and strength as new concepts you’ve never really experienced before. Because that is what The Parents’ Place is doing for me.
Strong as a Mother has been an entirely outside the box experience I never could have imagined until I did it. The first class was breezy. I got to know some of the language Rachel uses in her work (like “tubular core”), we talked about where I felt I needed help (core and—let’s be honest—pelvic floor) and, after some exploratory movement and savasana, I left feeling relaxed and invigorated.
Over the next few weeks, the classes grew progressively more challenging. I worked up a sweat. My heartrate climbed. My muscles felt activated and strong. Still, I left each class feeling relaxed and invigorated. Much to my surprise and delight, as the classes got more difficult, I did not begin to dread going. Nor did I anxiously anticipate the end of class. What strange magic is this?!
And then I realized the key difference between my experience with Strong as a Mother and every other experience with exercise I’ve had before (including some yoga classes)—with Rachel, I didn’t feel like I was punishing my body. I felt like I was exploring what it was capable of. And every week, I surprised myself. Every week I could feel the exercises working. Every week I could feel subtle improvements in my day-to-day movement. It sounds wacky and more than a little hippy-dippy, but my relationship with my body started to change. I started seeing it as a vessel I wanted to care for rather than a burden I needed to whip into shape.
The approach worked (and is still working) for me. As my perspective shifted, I could find joy in movement. Not that I’m out running 5k’s now or anything, but I feel stronger. I feel more grounded. I look forward to the times when I can challenge myself and find out what else my body can do. It’s a beautiful thing.