hey hey, barrebabes,

i hope this finds you feeling well, chill and able to take some time to go outside in this wild sun and make yourself some vitamin D. today i have for you a flexibility challenge, and a few words about posture.

let's get flexible, flexible

flexibility is, by and large, a use it or lose it situation. for most of us, i'd be willing to bet that there's been more lose than use in the past 12 (?!) pandemic months. and being flexible is more than having sweet poses for your instagram. neuromuscularly-speaking, a nimble body contributes to a flexible, adaptable mindset, helps us go with the flow, and maintains youthfulness both inside and out.

so begins the barrebabe splits challenge!
or bsc, for short.

here's what to do:

- snap a photo or film yourself doing a front split. no judgment! what's measured is managed, so this will be your "before"
- check out my how to video here for targeted stretches to improve your splits
- stretch. for at least 3 minutes. every. single. day for 30 days
- stick around after zoombarre for a bsc stretch, or find your favorite time & space each day that works for you
- share your progress! tag @pretendmermaid on IG and keep your eyes peeled for tips, tricks, mini-challenges, and other accountability-related fun.

if nothing else, someday, when there's parties again, you'll have a cool trick up your sleeve with which to wow your jealous friends :)

not your mama's posture

while i know i more or less constantly lecture on posture, it occurs to me that the word posture is actually pretty culturally loaded and that this is not always (or often) a particularly progressive or positive thing.

in general, the idea of "good posture" in mainstream american culture is more than a little patriarchal, with midcentury military-inspired ideals of conformity mixing with charm school ethos. sit up straight, follow the rules, puff up your chest, stiffen against showing strong emotions, strive for perfection. these are obviously not the ideals a body-positive feminist fitness instructor wants to espouse.

at the very least, "good posture" isn't rock and roll.

and yet, i think practicing good posture is actually culturally subversive. for my teenage self, at least, ballet was the only thing that kept my angsty, fishnets-and-cutoffs-wearing, black lipstick-obsessed self from slumping my way to rebellious oblivion under the table. and in an increasingly tech-heavy world, i'm ever more thankful for that. i see more and more 20-somethings with hunchbacks and headaches that won't go away. the struggle is real.

but posture isn't a place. it isn't a static, cookie-cutter image that can be surveilled and controlled. rather, posture is dynamic. it is embodied dynamism. its practice takes you out of your devices and frees you from the grip of the borg/high tech stress-laden society in which we dwell and returns you to health, to autonomy and freedom in your physical life.

it also recruits your abs and burns calories, which certainly doesn't hurt :)

posture is how you meet the world, and my aim is that we all feel confident and strong in our posture, and our lives.

with that, my loves, i bid you a good week, full of health and all good things... with love & planks,
annie