FITNESS TRIBUNE No 1 English

BodyMindSpirit

Lucia Schmidt’s Body & Mind column

Body & Mind - quo vadis? Aerobics became a modern trend several years ago and many unqualified trainers seized the day and jumped on to this trendy wave. And apparently the same happened in the case of Body & Mind. Nowadays, practically no one from the big fitness educational organisations wants to miss Body & Mind. They sniff big money in the air. So this means that we’ve learnt nothing from the experi ences in the past, doesn’t it? Pumped up with pride, it has been proclaimed that it’s extremely important to profes sionalize the fitness industry. However, an educational concept without any kind of active and well-founded background suddenly appeared out of nowhere. One wants to be fair to the “demands of the market” and still get a piece of the cake. The already existing educational team can then explain who would be able to represent this new concept optimally (how is it going to happen? How can we imagine it? Does one throw the dice or does one draw matches? And the luckiest wins - or perhaps loses, who knows?...). And it pays to reflect on the origin of the various qualifications... In the past years, the instructors’ feed back differed in matters concerning the acceptance of MindBody in the fitness clubs. Some of them could notch up outstanding successes, but others actu ally had difficulty in getting interested in MindBody in the first place. This

doesn’t surprise me at all. I needed nearly two decades just to analyse the various disciplines intensively and to test them during lessons; consequently, TriloChi and Chi Ball won’t only become trendy occurrences in the fit ness world, but will be able to establish themselves with a well-founded, reliable and serious background. In the mean time I know that one must answer per sonally for the choice of one’s individual conversion and for one’s true motives. And these motives mirror the success of every single Body & Mind programme in the fitness club. He who teaches MindBody or Chi Ball just because they’re trendy, entertaining or make a good impression in the collec tion of certificates, can count on the fact that success is bound to be short-lived and the lessons will be absolutely ridicu lous and boring. To say “yes” to Mind Body means the same as saying “yes” to a continuous discussion about Far Eastern and Western disciplines or the regular exercising of classic MindBody forms as well as their application while dealing with people in everyday life. According to Asian philosophy, “to give” means “to receive”. In Western culture, “one reaps what one sows”. Therefore one shouldn’t be surprised when MindBody flourishes in some fitness clubs and not in others, and, respectively, with some female instruc tors only... Before opting for a Chi Ball or a MindBody traineeship, one should ask oneself what one’s true motives are and why one wishes to become a MindBody or a wellness instructor. And it will be possible to convey MindBody authenti cally and respectfully only if one is personally motivated through self awareness and advanced training, if one really wants to learn something new and faces changes with a keen and inquisitive interest, and if one is ready to put one’s ego to the side in order to inspire and accompany one’s course participants. Only then will the programme bear its fruits, in a singular and varied way for each single trainer. If someone doesn’t have the time or the will for this continual process of learning and experiencing, if one isn’t put off by the intensive discus sions of the various advanced train ing courses, if one isn’t determined

Lucia Schmidt has made herself a name worldwide with her seminars on health, fitness and wellness and she belongs to the most innovative and well-known personalities in the European fitness industry. Through her work she conveys a holistic understanding as far as motion is concerned. Due to her outstanding experience and being a “motion educationalist”, a yoga teacher and author, Lucia Schmidt has developed a MindBody training form as well as a particular spine- and stability- con cept; she educates instructors accord ing to her own method.

36

Fitness Tribune International 1