Balance Mind, Body and Spirit

A chance meeting with Wendi Cunningham was a blessing in disguise. What started as a visit with a friend, ended as a road to health and healing! After 5 years of severe foot pain, months of physical therapy, several visits to specialists, hundreds of dollars in doctor bills, and very little relief…Wendi brought success! I am so very thankful for that chance encounter with Wendi Cunningham one sunny Arizona afternoon. Our minute meeting had lifetime value.

I was a complete novice when I started seeing Wendi Cunningham for individual Pilates classes in the spring of 2015. My goal was to strengthen the core and improve flexibility, since I had been struggling with recurring back problems for over a decade. I used to get a back spasm causing a complete shut down of my abdominal/lower back muscles at least twice a year. I would crawl on the floor for a few days before my chiropractor slowly got me upright again over the better part of a week. Getting back full mobility and strength would take at least 4 to 6 weeks, which drove my physically active self completely up the wall. Pilates has helped me immensely, and I only had one back episode in the last 3 years.

Just 3 months after having started with Wendi, I had a bicycle accident that fractured my left femur. The surgeon implanted a Titanium rod from my left hip all the way down to the knee. After a 5 day hospital stay I went to a rehab facility for another 5 weeks. What I had learned at Wendi’s studio before the accident definitely helped my rehabilitation. I knew about connecting and engaging the Powerhouse to take the stress of the smaller muscles, and I focussed all my effort on the physical therapy and doing exercises on my own when not in PT. I have recovered very well form the accident, I am back on my bicycle and riding stronger than before. I look forward every Tuesday to my class with Wendi and feel that Pilates plays a big part in my overall wellbeing and health.

After only one session, I felt like oxygen had started to flow throughout my body. It has helped me feel more connected, awake and mentally focused.

I have been a competitive cyclist for over 10 years. After surviving a serious accident four years ago my neurologist suggested I utilize all different training techniques to get back to where I was before the accident. That is when I decided to try something “out of the box” something totally different from the high intensity cycling I was used to on a daily basis. My first class with Wendi was filled with uncertainty and low confidence of my limitations as a result of my accident. Wendi’s ability to tune into my feelings were uncanny! What I was at first not willing or able to do – now I can do! Pilates under Wendi’s instruction has opened my mind and body to the limitless opportunities I have inside me – from increased flexibility to opening my chest and lungs for improved breathing.

I’m so happy I am working with Wendi at PurePilates! Wendi has been my Pilates instructor for more than a year, and no matter what the world throws at me, I can count on Wendi to get me back in touch with my powerhouse. Our workout sessions are always engaging, and she always starts our day by asking me, “what is your body feeling like today?”, and then designing a session around my needs. When I need a boost of energy, we work quickly with great joy. When I’m stiff and distracted, we focus on the small movements that bring me back to the center. When I’m feeling great, we dive into advanced moves that engage the dancer in me.

What has been the transformation over the past year? Yes, I am stronger, more agile and confident in my movements. More importantly, I’m free of chronic pain and have gained a renewed sense of expanding opportunities. My mantra has become “feel good, make magic”, and working with Wendi is fundamental to feeling good. The magic is up to me.