The dead shark floating in a tank was one of the artworks that first brought British artist Damien Hirst to public attention in the early 1990s. It's a well-known, perhaps infamous, work that helped launch his extraordinarily successful career. However, it's the title that has always fascinated me: "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living". I think about that title in the middle of summer, when I find it almost impossible to imagine ever feeling cold

Now that summer is over, it's time to pack away the t-shirts and shorts and turn our minds to the drawing-in of the evenings. Try not to mourn those long, lazy minutes of summer we enjoyed and instead embrace the chilly nip of autumn and the chance to unpack our jumpers and raincoats once again. Ah, it seems only days since we put them away! How funny, the tricks that the mind plays. I always try to avoid holidaying with the summer crowds (if hell is other people, I dread to

I'm biting my lip. I know you don't want me to say it. You'll blame me when it changes and there's rain for 40 days and nights (again). But I can't stop myself. It's too hot for me. There, I said it. Yes, I know that I complained about the long, drawn-out, chilly spring and kept saying "When, oh when will I finally be able to put my winter jumpers away?". I should know better than to wish for things. I simply don't like it this hot but, as the youth say, it is what it is. So

"Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." Terry Pratchett Or, as Joni Mitchell put it, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Tomorrow will be a good opportunity to test this theory, as I will be away on Thursday evening, playing tennis with friends. (Although I will be sta

Consistency is one of my favourite virtues. I’m not one for chopping and changing, so you will be unsurprised to hear that my online Pilates classes will continue as usual over the Easter weekend. I don't know about you, but I find something quietly reassuring about things carrying on as normal. Easter can feel rather like a festival of baked goods and confectionery. Hot cross buns make their annual appearance (though M&S seems determined to make it a year-round staple). Simn

Please forgive the directness of the question but do you feel “well balanced”? I think most people would agree that a balanced diet is healthy, a good work/life balance is desirable and a decent bank balance can be a joy to behold. There is, however, another form of balance I would like you to consider: the ability to remain upright. Physical balance is not a single skill but a quiet collaboration between several systems: Your eyes tell you where you are in space. Your inner

When we think about matters of the heart, we tend to look upwards. This Valentine’s Day, I invite you to look down. No - even further down... The calf muscles are sometimes called the body’s "second heart" - and unlike most romantic metaphors, this one is anatomically sound. Every time you walk, rise onto your toes or perform those surprisingly tiring heel lifts in Pilates class, your calf muscles contract and squeeze the deep veins of your lower leg. This helps push blood ba

As a Pilates teacher, I'm very familiar with New Year's Resolutions. Around the second week of January, people often decide to "give Pilates a try". It's probably a consequence of having eaten too much and moved too little over the Christmas period, mixed with a sense that a new year should be accompanied by something else that's new. Sometimes this effect is closer to home than anticipated, as evidenced by this letter I just received from my aunt... Dear Charles, You're alw

The concept of "wintering" (slowing down, resting and renewing) became popular a few years ago, due to a book of the same name. It's become hard to avoid at this time of year and anyone visiting a bookshop will find guides on how to winter, the joy of wintering, poems to winter with and, for all I know, a wintering colouring book and jigsaw set. By the way, on the subject of books: if you're wondering what I would like for Christmas, it's a review of my book! If you bought Pi

Yesterday we had snow - real, proper snow - in North London. It was a bit of a shock. Not just to me - there were people on the bus trying to take pictures of it. The snow didn't actually settle and was soon gone, but it was enough to make me think that winter has finally arrived. I remember winters when I was little. Sometimes the snowfall was so heavy that it would come up to my waist. Admittedly, my waist was a fair bit closer to the ground when I was seven, but even so, i

This Sunday at 2am, UK clocks go back to 1am. We get a chance to re-live the whole hour once more! It's like deja vu, all over again (to quote the American baseball manager Yogi Berra). How often does that happen? Well, yes, I know - every year, but even so... I still like the idea of getting a "free" hour. Think of it as a sort of promotional gift to take your mind off the fact that it's getting colder and darker and wetter. Far be it from me to tell you how to spend your ex

(By which I mean: everybody stay in) With strikes on the London Underground starting today, there will be no tube service until Friday. Travelling around London is going to be grim. Personally, I try to avoid the underground whenever possible, as I prefer travelling by bus, but I have a feeling that even the buses are going to be a lot less pleasant this week. At times like this, what I like best of all is staying at home and teaching online. Zoom classes work brilliantly: al

This is a bank holiday weekend in the UK (that's our version of a public holiday, overseas readers). These always present certain...

In many parts of the world, August is the time for summer holidays. It's also the time of traffic jams to the airport, queues at the...

People sometimes ask me why I became a Pilates teacher. (I try to see this as genuine curiosity, rather than baffled disbelief, but I...

I have to admit that I don't (like it hot, I mean) when it comes to Pilates. Maybe it's my all-too-obvious Northern European genes, but I...

When I was young, most sportspeople just practised their particular sport. Unless they were cricketers, in which case even that was...

The glorious spring weather in the UK is persuading many of us that it's summer already. It isn't. There are Bank Holidays (aka public...

If there is one thing that the current rollercoaster of global trade perfectly illustrates, it's that we all crave stability. When I...

Today is Shrove Tuesday in the UK, when Christians confess their sins, cleanse their souls and ask God for help in making changes to...