Barre & the Mind-Body Connection

For a long time, barre has lived in an awkward in‑between space.

It surged in popularity about a decade ago, studios everywhere, packed classes, lines out the door. And yet, even at the height of its hype, barre was rarely invited into the mind–body conversation. It was talked about as a workout. A burner. A shaker. Something physical, something athletic, but not something reflective.

It wasn’t yoga. And because of that, it was often excluded from the idea of “mind–body” movement altogether.

But I’ve come to believe that assumption misses the point entirely.

Barre may not ask you to sit in silence. It doesn’t dim the lights and ask you to stay still with your thoughts. It doesn’t whisper affirmations while you hold a pose so long it feels like the world has stopped. Barre does something different, and just as powerful.

It asks you to move through it.

Mind-Body Doesn’t Have to Be Quiet

Somewhere along the way, we decided that mind–body connection had a very specific look.

It was slow. It was quiet. It was calm.

And if your movement didn’t feel peaceful, reflective, or still—if it involved effort, repetition, or fatigue, it must not count.

But the nervous system doesn’t actually work that way.

Connection doesn’t require silence. Awareness doesn’t require stillness. In fact, for many people, stillness is where the mind gets loudest.

Barre doesn’t ask you to stop moving long enough to spiral.

Instead, it gives your brain something steady, familiar, and rhythmic to hold onto.

You are not sitting in the “worst time‑out you’ve ever experienced.” You are not frozen in a position waiting for your thoughts to settle. You are moving, sometimes shaking, sometimes lengthening, sometimes working right at the edge of discomfort.

And that movement becomes the anchor.

“We Can’t Go Around It, We Have to Go Through It”

There’s a children’s book I often think about in barre class: We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

In the story, the characters face obstacles; mud, grass, rivers and each time they say:

We can’t go over it.
We can’t go under it.
Oh no—we’ve got to go through it.

That is barre.

We don’t avoid the shake. We don’t rush past the hard part. We don’t skip the split stretch because it’s uncomfortable. We stay. We breathe. We lengthen anyway.

And we keep moving.

There’s something deeply regulating about that process.

You are learning, over and over again, that discomfort doesn’t require panic. That effort doesn’t mean danger. That sensation can be intense without being harmful.

That is a mind–body lesson, whether we label it that way or not.

Barre Is Not Yoga and That’s Not a Flaw

Let’s be clear: barre is not yoga.

It doesn’t need to be.

In barre, we don’t pause in silence for minutes at a time. We don’t wait for clarity to arrive before we move. We don’t hold positions long enough for the mind to wander into judgment or self‑criticism.

Instead, we layer repetition.

Small movements. Familiar shapes. Predictable sequences.

And within that structure, something interesting happens.

The brain stops trying to control every detail.

You don’t have to ask:

Is this the right position?
Am I doing this perfectly?
What comes next?

Because you already know.

The Power of Familiarity

When I guide a beginner barre class—one I could practically teach in my sleep, it still works.

Not just physically. Mentally.

The structure is known. The rhythm is familiar. The expectations are clear.

And because of that, my brain finally gets to exhale.

I’m not problem‑solving choreography. I’m not analyzing alignment in real time. I’m not overthinking what’s coming next.

Instead, I get to ask a different question:

What’s coming up for me today?

That is the moment barre becomes meditative.

Not because nothing is happening, but because enough is happening that the mind stops chasing.

Why Barre Quieted My Overthinking

We often hear that our best ideas come to us during mundane, repetitive tasks like showering, brushing our teeth, driving a familiar route.

That’s not an accident.

Those are moments when the body is occupied just enough for the mind to soften its grip.

Barre does the same thing for me.

The repetition, the pacing, the predictability, it creates a container. And inside that container, my thoughts reorganize themselves.

Some of my clearest insights.
Some of my best writing ideas.
Some of my most honest realizations.

They show up mid‑workout.

Not because I’m trying to think, but because I finally stop trying not to.

Shaking Is Not the Opposite of Presence

Barre often gets dismissed because it’s intense.

Because muscles shake. Because effort is visible. Because the work looks and feels hard.

But shaking doesn’t mean you’re disconnected.

Often, it means you’re paying attention.

It means you’re right at the edge of your current capacity, noticing sensation without needing to escape it.

That’s not mindless movement.

That’s awareness under load.

Movement as a Way In

For some people, stillness is the doorway to connection.

For others, movement is.

Barre gives permission to enter through effort.

You don’t have to calm your mind first. You don’t have to clear your thoughts. You don’t have to arrive already centered.

You arrive as you are and the movement meets you there.

Over time, that creates trust.

In your body.
In your resilience.
In your ability to stay present even when things get uncomfortable.

The Mind–Body Connection Isn’t One Size

Connection can look like stillness.

Or it can look like pulses at the barre while your legs shake and your breath steadies you.

It can look like silence.

Or it can look like movement that’s familiar enough to let your thoughts drift into something meaningful.

For me, barre has become that space.

A place where my body works hard and my mind finally gets to rest.

Not because nothing is happening.

But because everything is moving forward, together.

Barre doesn’t disconnect us from ourselves.

It brings us back, one small, steady movement at a time.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Behind the Cue: Hold Still

By Leslie Guerin • February 2, 2026

Stability Is Not Stillness — It’s Organized Effort “Hold still.” If you’ve ever taken one of my classes, you’ve heard me say it. And if you’ve ever felt it, you know it isn’t about freezing. Most of the time when a teacher says “hold still,” it’s because something else is happening. Maybe bouncing, gripping, bracing, or compensating of some kind. Something is moving that shouldn’t be. But “hold still” does not mean “be still.” Those two cues might sound similar, but in Pilates they mean very different things. Be Still vs Hold Still Be still is a pause. It’s a full stop. It’s often used so you can feel one specific thing: “Be still… feel your ribs.” “Be still… notice your pelvis.” “Be still… now breathe.” It’s about attention. Hold still is something else entirely. Hold still means: Stay organized Stay lifted Stay connected Stay breathing You are not passive. You are not collapsed. You are actively maintaining shape while something else moves. It is one of the most advanced skills in Pilates. Why Teachers Say “Hold Still” We say it when we see: The pelvis shifting The ribs popping The shoulders helping Momentum sneaking in The body is trying to get the job done by recruiting the wrong helpers. So “hold still” is really a request for clean movement : Let only the part that is supposed to move… move. Everything else must work just as hard, just not by changing position. Side-Lying Leg Lifts: The Perfect Example Let’s take one of the most deceptively simple exercises in mat Pilates: Side-lying leg lifts. On the surface, it looks like this: You lie on your side You lift the top leg You lower it But what is really happening is far more complex. This exercise is designed to balance one side of the body on the other . The top leg moves. The rest of the body holds still. Not rigid. Not collapsed. Not gripping. Holding. What “Hold Still” Actually Means Here While the top leg lifts and lowers: The bottom side of the body is working. The bottom rib cage is lifted off the mat, creating space The waist is long, not sagging The spine is stacked, not rolled back The top hand in front of the body is not there to lean on, it is there to quiet the rocking forward and backward. The pelvis stays level. No tipping. No hiking. No rolling. Everything that is not the leg is holding still... but nothing is relaxed. This Is Why Breathing Matters If you stop breathing, you are not holding still. You are bracing. Holding still means you can: Maintain the shape Keep the effort And still let the breath move That’s where the deep stabilizers do their job: The abdominals The muscles along the spine The lateral hip The inner thighs The breath becomes the test: Can you stay organized even while something else is moving? That’s real control. Why This Cue Changes Everything “Hold still” teaches the nervous system something incredibly important: You don’t create strength by moving more. You create strength by controlling what doesn’t move . That’s how: Hips become more stable Backs become more supported Movement becomes quieter and more powerful It’s also how injuries are prevented, especially in people who are flexible, mobile, or used to muscling through. So Next Time You Hear It… When I say “hold still,” I’m not asking you to freeze. I’m asking you to: Stay lifted Stay connected Stay breathing Stay honest Let the right thing move. Let everything else do its job. That’s Pilates.

Get in touch

Barre & the Mind-Body Connection

Why Moving Through the Work Can Be Just as Meditative as Holding Still

Mind-Body Doesn’t Have to Be Quiet

“We Can’t Go Around It, We Have to Go Through It”

Barre Is Not Yoga and That’s Not a Flaw

The Power of Familiarity

Why Barre Quieted My Overthinking

Shaking Is Not the Opposite of Presence

Movement as a Way In

The Mind–Body Connection Isn’t One Size

Behind the Cue: Hold Still

Consistency is Key

The Manual I wish I had when I started teaching

Holding Advanced Classes.

Quality over Quanity

Behind The Cue: Why I HATE Nice and Tall.

Not Just Certified

I knew them before they were cool.

The Reformer Headrest

Behind the Cue - Pulse

#staysocial

Follow me @barsculpt

Classes

On-Demand Classes