The Power of Mindset | Rosy Movement
Discover how mindfulness transforms your experience both in our boutique Collingwood Pilates studio and everyday life. Learn practical mindset shifts from our intuitive and joyful approach to movement. Book your Pilates session today!
The Accidental Lockout
One of our clients left their regular small group Pilates class at our Collingwood studio out to their rockstar parking spot directly out front of Rosy Movement. I soon realised she had forgotten to take the passion fruits I was giving away that day. I ran out to her car, and while chatting and passing the passion fruits through her window, I heard the front door close behind me.
I locked myself out.
No phone, no shoes, and Bear was still inside.
The urgency to get back to Bear was there, though he wasn't distressed at all – just curiously panting at the sight of me on the other side of the glass. I borrowed my client's phone to log into the Rosy Movement Booking System where I found mum's number. I called her, asked her to call my partner, who could then bring the spare key. Crisis averted.
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this forced pause though—only 30 minutes or so. It was still drizzling from the down pour earlier and smelling rain is one of my all time favourite glimmers of joy. I wondered where people walking were going, felt awkward over their curious eyes as to why I was standing there barefoot with a dog inside. I noticed for the first time that Smith Street, where we offer our weight-inclusive Pilates sessions in Collingwood, has cobble stones. I watched the changing transparency of the rainbow overhead and pondered the progress of the construction site across the road. I thought a lot about how lucky I felt that it wasn't dark or cold yet.
Things that rarely occur to us to notice.
When Mindfulness Meets Movement: Our Approach to Pilates in Collingwood
As soon as I got my phone back, I was instantly pulled back into the vortex of notifications and to-do lists. Driving home, I was annoyed—Not about being locked out, but about how quickly I shifted from feeling calm and grateful, to feeling stressed and overwhelmed once again. I blamed my phone.
Fast forward to the next week, I'm calling my partner most days seeking solace from my overwhelming workload. Then, as if the universe was listening, a new podcast episode about mindset appeared in my "up next" queue.
Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychology professor who has pioneered research on mindfulness for over 40 years, immediately resonated with me. I listened to this two-hour interview twice, sought out another, took pages of notes, bought her book, and have immersed myself in her concepts ever since.
My accidental lockout perfectly demonstrated what Langer defines as mindfulness: "the simple act of actively noticing things." Without distractions, I had been fully present—experiencing my surroundings with all my senses and found unexpected joy and calmness amid inconvenience. It's the same quality of attention we encourage in our Pilates classes, where we can truly focus on each movement and sensation.
The Question That Changed Everything
Stopping to smell the roses isn't anything new, but as Ellen discusses the topics of stress and uncertainty, in her calm and blunt demeanour, she posed a question that has since changed everything for me. "Is it a tragedy or is it just an inconvenience?"
This hit me like a tonne of bricks.
If you were to ask me directly, I would never describe any of my problems as tragedies. Yet when I'm trapped in my own head, overwhelmed by relentless thoughts and the weight of responsibility, my stress response automatically sees these compounding inputs as catastrophes.
Ellen Langer's question has become a profound anchor for me during these overwhelming moments. This simple reframe doesn't dismiss our struggles but rather invites us to see them with fresh perspective—something we apply to our approach to Pilates and movement at Rosy Movement.
Bringing Mindfulness to Your Practice
I share this with sensitivity, aware that everyone's struggles exist within their own context and are absolutely valid. The last thing I want here is to minimise anyone's genuine difficulties or suggest that reframing alone can overcome systemic barriers or challenges I don't face.
What I've learned from both my accidental lockout and Ellen Langer's wisdom is that our experience of stress often comes down to where we place our attention.
In our mat, reformer and tower Pilates sessions, we practice this mindful attention to feeling. Whether you're joining us for a pregnancy Pilates class or a rehab pilates session, this mindful attention enhances every aspect of your practice and you’re training your mind to notice without judgement.
At Rosy Movement, our Collingwood Pilates studio offers mat, tower and reformer Pilates, clinical Pilates, and pregnancy Pilates in a weight-inclusive, trauma-informed environment. We believe movement should be a joyful, mindful and intuitive experience that nourishes both body, mind and spirit.
