happy – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Forest Bathing

Last week some of the Personal Euphoria instructors went forest bathing. I didn’t know what to expect. Really, it has a terrible name. For me it brings thoughts of nudity, a bit of hokeyness, or potential images of cleaning the forest with sudsy bathwater. I know it’s none of those things, but the name does the practice no real service. My basic understanding was that it was meditating in the forest. Knowing that trees make humans feel better, I thought this might be a good excursion. It was.

We met at Pleasant Valley Preserve in Lyme, CT (a location I can’t recommend enough if you haven’t been there). This is a quiet treasure near the southern border of our state. We walked slowly through these beautiful woods, took deep breaths, did gentle stretches, and sat or wandered in specific areas—all guided by Regan Stacey. She invited us to hone into all our senses and encouraged us to explore. It was always an invitation to do something, not an order.

Forest bathing is not hiking. I’m one of those hikers that likes to move. I like to get to the top, to the view. […]

Forest BathingMaggie Downie2022-07-30T22:21:29-04:00

Instructor Highlight Maureen

So Maureen isn’t one of our instructors, but she’s an integral part of Personal Euphoria. Maureen handles all the money and ensures our whole team gets paid. She works with the towns, invoices, and processes payment. And, if you’ve ever tried to watch Maggie count, you know it’s important that she has help in this department.

Get to Know Maureen:

When you aren’t teaching what are some of your favorite ways to move?

Walking the beach, and walking it again. It’s like a new landscape appears with each tide. Each tide brings you a new gift. A piece of sea glass, a shell, or just a view. I say it all the time “The beach is my happy place.”

What song motivates or picks you up the most?

Happy… Pharrell Williams (it’s a feel good song and reminds me of Maggie)

Favorite Food?

Hmmmm mostly anything edible. I am sitting here trying to decide what my favorite really is and I realize I don’t have a real favorite, how odd. I certainly have cravings, but if I had to choose, I couldn’t.

Time you normally crawl into bed?

Weeknights 8:30-9:00, Weekends when I wake up […]

Instructor Highlight MaureenMaggie Downie2018-03-21T15:43:40-04:00

Does Movement Feel Good?

When was the last time you went to a fitness class and it felt good? Hopefully, the answer is, “Yesterday, I love the way my (insert class name here) feels every week.” I hope you thought that. I’m with you. I love to move. Throw me in almost any type of class and I’m going to enjoy it. I’m happy in motion, probably to a fault. But even when it feels good to move, it’s not always fun.

There is a free, silliness to movement that we tend not to hold onto as we age. It’s been drilled out of us. I watch my friend’s kids giggling over summersaults. They will spin in circles until they collapse in a heap. I’m not advocating circle spinning. The thought of doing that now makes me nauseous. The last time a rolled down a hill (about a decade ago) I learned that it is more torture than fun in my body. Things change. But kids get so much joy out of motion, and half the moves are concocted, on a whim and beyond goofy looking. They don’t care.

I saw the video of this little girl, who was clearly enjoying herself dancing to a different beat […]

Does Movement Feel Good?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:42-04:00