intenSatisfied!!

Hi, good morning! I had the deep, sweaty, inspired pleasure of attending one of Patricia Moreno's signature "Work it Out" intenSati events last night and WOW was I reminded at the power of the collective, the joy of intenSati and the brilliance of Patricia Moreno.

Patricia is a fitness industry veteran (she's been teaching for 30 years and has achieved extraordinary, international success) who created the intenSati practice, a workout that combines moves from dance, aerobics, kickboxing and yoga with positive affirmations. I talk about it a lot on this blog because I teach at Equinox, Central Park and at various workshops/special events.

From where I stand (and last night I was standing in front of the class as one of the co-leaders, that was awesome) there is nothing quite like intenSati when it comes to breaking through negative thought patterns and teaching yourself NEW ones by way of fun, liberating, challenging movement that you're doing while affirming positive, encouraging thoughts at the top of your elasticized lungs.

When there are a few hundred people doing it at once, it feels like you're inside a stadium for a sports event or dancing on the floor of a J Lo video. This is not a light workout or you can bet that this soccer player would've walked away years ago. It's rigorous and whether you do a modified version or full expressions of each move (a level 10 would include high impact jumps), you WILL see a big change in your body, health and wellness.

For me, considering how much I work out, you would think I'd look like a fitness model of some sort but I don't. The reason is because I still eat certain foods in certain amounts on certain stressful occasions that set me back about 5 pounds from my goal. MORE THAN EVER I am committed to relinquishing ALL my habits that don't serve me, one day at a time . I want to be able to see the strong core that I DO have that is not exactly visible because of some extra body fat. Yes, I said it. BODY FAT. No judgments, I am not criticizing myself. I am learning to love myself AS IS while I make changes to slim down.

There are many, many ways to lose weight and you know I don't advise any of them, bc I am not a nutritionist or doctor. I only share what works for me and as I blogged yesterday, so much of what I perceive as a battle with the bulge is really a battle to stay present to discomfort as opposed to reaching out to a comforting food to take the edge off. It's also about pleasure, since when you've spent years getting pleasure from food it becomes necessary to retrain yourself to get pleasure from different foods and non food related activities that float your boat.

Patricia shared a lot about beauty last night and how powerful it feels to LOVE YOUR BODY exactly as it is, reach a stage where you can look in a mirror and see, feel, embrace and acknowledge your inner and outer radiance. I know I'm not alone in saying that can be a big challenge at times. Women, in particular, are up against some big mountains when it comes to beauty norms and ideals, so as one of my affirmations this month declares, "I am able to move mountains!!", I would say YES, moving a mountain of negativity or judgment is a great, great idea.

I'm off for a quickie run now. Nothing heavy because last night really packed a punch and I don't like to go too heavy within 24 hours. For today, I am bringing into the world some of the deep joy I felt last night when I pushed myself to the max and felt incredibly inspired by Patricia, my fellow intenSati leaders and the students I have grown to love. That's a good place to be and I am grateful.

Have a beautiful day! L