In this series of posts, our Southern US Editor Jennifer Mathieu Henshall shares her POV while on her journey to getting certified by theLONDONmethod in the original Lotte Berk Technique.
The core. The abs. The middle. Otherwise known as the elusive center of physical and emotional well-being, many of us strive to keep balanced, aligned and well-defined. We all have a core, try to engage it as much as possible and may even fall victim to its inconvenient irritabilities, such as back pain, poor posture or insufficient balance, from time to time.
Every move we make is rooted in this powerhouse – the foundation of each exercise from the ORIGINAL Lotte Berk Technique. And as someone recovering from a back injury, Lotte Berk knew that it was necessary to exercise her core in a way that worked both the front- and backsides of the waist. This approach would allow her to improve her strength while maintaining her feminine shape.
After my first weekend of training in the ORIGINAL Technique, I immediately immersed myself in the core of the material and the method. As part of the requirements for this round of virtual training, all trainees are given ten Zoom classes to attend and three recorded classes to observe.
Of course, I began booking my Zoom classes that initial Saturday night of training and scheduled my first live class with Pam for the following Sunday morning. I felt that taking a virtual class right before our Sunday afternoon training session would be a useful way to start putting what I was studying into practice, while also allowing myself to learn from my mistakes before bringing any questions into the next online training class.
Between the start of my daughters’ respective virtual school years, writing projects aplenty and taking ORIGINAL classes via Zoom, the week flew by. Before I knew it, the second weekend of training had arrived! This time around, my excitement was fueled by my growing confidence in my knowledge of the Technique and my own body’s ability to execute – or at least attempt to perform – the unique exercises.
Just as the previous weekend had begun, I, once again, headed down to my at-home barre studio with laptop, binder, pen and water in-hand ready to pulse even further into the heart of the ORIGINAL Lotte Berk Technique.
Day 3 — “We want to create a community for continuity, as well as constant support” – tlm
When Kelly traveled to Hungerford, England, to meet Esther Fairfax and experience her first ORIGINAL class, she discovered more than just the birthplace of what would become Americanized barre. As she entered Esther’s home and prepared to take the class that would come to change her life, Kelly was introduced to Esther’s students and amazed to find, “This Secret Society of Women in their 70s and 80s who were strong, limber and so connected with one another.”
From that moment on, Kelly knew that she wanted to replicate these same feelings and sense of community in her own classes back home in the States. If you’ve ever taken a TLM class in-person, via Zoom or through TLM TV, you will find that this vision has become a remarkable reality.
Although the ORIGINAL’s mindful micromovements will have you working hard and seeing results, each class feels like a girl’s night out, whether you are gathered in a circle warming up in the studio or gearing up for Genies while tuning into TLM TV. After a successful first weekend of virtual training, the TLM Girls can confidently add fostering a safe space for trainees to learn and grow in their mutual love of the Technique.
Not only did they fulfill their wish to create the same training experience that they had with Esther in England by giving trainees access to exclusive videos of Esther instructing, but Kelly and Pam also added to the intimacy of the virtual training by sharing stories and other personal details from the beginning of their own ORIGINAL journeys.
During the beginning of our third session together, we were allowed to ask questions about the previous weekend’s material before digging JCB-style into the next three sections of the class. Kelly and Pam disclosed that it took them five years of training with Esther in England before they felt they knew the ORIGINAL Technique intricately enough to bring their instructor training course online.
We were also assured that after training was over, we would continue to receive unlimited support from the TLM team. Their goal is to nurture an inclusive family of ORIGINAL instructors who feel confident in the Technique, as well as themselves, and who will ensure the integrity of the exercises as they share them with others.
Once the question and answer session ended, Pam demonstrated the new movements, as I feverishly took notes while mimicking fun moves like Burnt Thighs, Genies, ½ Banana and the famous Hello Sailor. By the end of that Saturday’s session, I felt happily exhausted, further in love with the Technique’s purposeful movements and playful names and more connected to my physical and mental core.
Day 4 — “Something is always anchored” – tlm
Unlike Americanized barre classes, the ORIGINAL is a “core-conditioning class that uses the barre for leverage and support.” Contrary to the “gently rest your fingers on the barre approach” that I had been taught, the ORIGINAL Technique encourages participants to anchor themselves underneath the barre for ab work and to use the barre as a stable base during various thigh-focused exercises.
Pushing up on the barre serves as the leverage and support needed to help you fully engage your core muscles while holding onto the barre during outside thigh work allows you to deeply stretch your body on one side as you work the other.
As we made our way through another four sections of the class, my wall-mounted barre was crucial in allowing me to properly perform exercises like Barre Press Ups (otherwise known as pushups) and the entire section devoted to working the abs with your feet beneath the barre. Not to worry, however, if you don’t have access to a wall-mounted barre, several modifications are offered that will enable you to achieve the same waist-whittled results.
After the fourth day of virtual training, we had learned and practiced about half of the ORIGINAL class. Up to this point, it was more than apparent how central the core and support – both from the barre and those who share the barre with you – is in this Technique. Some part of your body is always anchored – it might be your feet on the floor during thigh work, your arms on the barre during your stretches or your lower back pressing down during your abdominal sets.
My fellow trainee Renee put it best when she stated that the ORIGINAL class invites you to “Experience your body in such a different way. I feel so good and strong in my body.” Whether it was the barre or the encouragement that I received from the TLM Girls and my fellow trainees, I had never experienced a method where I, too, felt so grounded and secure in my body, its current abilities and its promise to progress.
Week 2 Impressions
By the end of that second weekend of virtual training, I had learned more than just how to cue, set up and do the ORIGINAL exercises. We were starting to move further into the core of the Technique, where more than solely the structure lies. We understood that although the moves may look simple and easy, their actual complexity and level of difficulty will shape more than just your form.
As a seasoned barre instructor and athlete, the shame that I had felt in prior training because my form wasn’t perfect didn’t matter in our virtual forum. Sure, I wasn’t able to get my leg to move as fluidly as I wanted in my Hello Sailor, and I definitely need to work on keeping all but my middle still during waist whittlers but Kelly and Pam’s encouraging words – “sometimes just getting into the position is enough” and that a lot of the “strengthening comes from barely moving” – helped to anchor my convictions in my own physical capabilities, while healing some internal struggles regarding my health and well-being that I have been dealing with since last year.
Thousands of miles may separate us – just as they separate the TLM Girls from Esther – but hundreds of minutes filled with laughter, learning, engagement and encouragement helped to bring forth the Essence of Esther during our second weekend of training. And as Kelly and Pam had hoped that Saturday and Sunday, I was transported from my basement barre studio in northern Virginia to Esther’s cottage in Hungerford, England – the core of it all.
See you at the barre!
Next up: My Journey to Getting Certified in the Original Lotte Berk Technique: Third Weekend Recap
About the Author
Jennifer is a barre instructor, personal trainer, clinical aromatherapist and author who discovered barre — her soul-mate workout — while training for the 2016 Boston Marathon. As a long-time runner, former bodybuilder, and melanoma skin cancer survivor, Jennifer’s recent battle with autoimmune disease has changed her fitness focus to one that incorporates more mindful, purposeful and low-impact movements.
A former communication professor and mother of two daughters, Jennifer is excited to share her thoughts and experiences on ways to create and maintain a strong connection between the mind and body through barre.
