At the beginning of 2019, I moved back to the US after 18 months of living and working in India. While I loved India, working two time zones had taken its toll, both mentally and physically. When I returned, I decided to spend some time focusing on my passions and recovering my health. The problem with this plan was that I HATE to exercise! I have never been able to stick long term to any gym routine. I do, however, love to dance. But after 25 years in the tech industry, sitting in front of a computer 95% of the day, two kids, and surgery on both knees, my college dance team days were a very, very distant memory. I had even started to lose the flexibility I’ve always just taken for granted.
Serendipitously, I attended barre and ballet classes. While I’d only just begun as a student of barre, I instantly knew this was a method I could use to get stronger.
Much like ballet, the class was full of deceptively simple, small, isometric movements. And also like ballet, I was sweating and sore after having barely moved inches! From my earlier years as a dancer, I knew just how body transformational this type of work can be.
For the first time in a while, I felt excited. So I decided to open a barre studio and called my parents to tell them the news. Unbelievably, that same day, without any discussion with me at all, my sister, Cristy, who lives across the country, also decided to open a barre studio. When she too called our parents to tell them the news, my mom just laughed and said, “Call your sister!” We took this as confirmation that we were both on the right path!
My hope for Stiletto Barre is that it can help you realize that your age, your weight, your job, or whatever else you feel is holding you back, doesn’t matter. You are never too late to change your life and love yourself along the way.