Why Momentum Fest means so much

Momentum Fest Pilates

Eight years ago I attended my first yoga and movement festival.

We were living in Hawaii at the time and I drove an hour to the North Shore with a group of girlfriends for two days of yoga classes, movement, dancing, eating and connection.

I spent my days falling in love with my mat again. Moving for the fun of moving.

I spent my nights dancing and then staying up late with my girlfriends, eating in our rooms and talking about the amazing classes we took that day.

I drove home sore and tired and full in every sense of the word.

I was explaining the weekend to my husband when I got home and the conversation steered towards Pilates. I had been a teacher and physical therapist for ten years at that point and I could honestly say there was nothing like this in our industry.

I explained to him that yes we have conventions and workshops. We have networking events. We have classes for CEC’s.

But we don’t have movement events simply for the sake of moving.

We don’t have a single opportunity for STUDENTS to move along side TEACHERS.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if someone created something like that for the Pilates industry?

We kind of laughed about it and let it go.

It became one of those ideas that we would return to periodically. I would continually wonder why we didn’t have anything like it yet and when it would finally come about.

In the summer of 2017 I was on a walk by myself. I was eight months pregnant with our second baby and we had recently moved back to our hometown of Denver after ten years away.

The idea of the event hit me and this time I couldn’t let it go (because isn’t that what everyone does at eight months pregnant?!)

I texted Brian that maybe it was time we finally did something about it.

And so we did.

I am not sure I could ever find the words to describe our first Momentum Fest. It brought together all of my favorite things – family, friends, movement, joy, hugs, laughter, music – into one amazing place and time.

We had professionals and students. We had complete beginners and people who had been teaching for thirty years.

Brian and I had literally poured our hearts and souls into this event and we wondered if people would feel what we were trying to give.

I can promise you they did.

Workshops and conferences and courses are amazing and needed in Pilates and all fitness industries. They hold teachers to high standards and allow us to share ideas and improve our skills.

What they usually don’t let us do is move.

We got into this profession because of our love of movement. Yet – because of busy schedules and owning studios and teaching – we lose the connection to our mat and our own bodies.

I want you to have the feeling I did all those years ago.

The feeling of leaving your notebook at home.

Forgetting your client list and proper breathing techniques and exercise protocol and cueing.

I want you to get on your mat, close your eyes, feel your body and move.

Then maybe laugh.

Connect with humans. Not because of where they were trained or how long they’ve been teaching or what studio they own.

Just because they are people.

Then come shop and dance and maybe have a glass of wine with us because that’s how we roll :).

I had someone recently tell me “I just don’t get it” when asking about Momentum Fest.

To that I say maybe it’s something you don’t necessarily need.

But for those who have a longing for something more in their movement lives. For those missing the heart in the technique. For those missing connection – both to themselves and to others. For those wanting to step into the possibility of something more. To explore other modalities. To learn something new about themselves. To meet new people. To embrace sweating and moving and laughing. To hold hands and chant and cry happy tears (because yeah, that happened).

Momentum Fest is for you.

I promise we will continue to put our hearts and souls into this event.

I hope you come and share yours as well.

Click here to join us.

All my love,

Jessica