Lumi Loves Corrie McCallum

A warm welcome to Corrie, who is joining the Lumi teaching team from Monday 8 September. She teaches Pilates – or rather Lumilates! Classes – on Mondays at 6pm, Wednesdays at 12:00pm, and Fridays at 10am.

Her classes are suitable for all levels of fitness and ability. They focus on strengthening the core, increasing mobility and finding a powerful posture. If you are new to Yoga, Pilates will give you all the building blocks you need to feel confident in joining our Yoga classes. Many people first come to Pilates following an injury or post natal, as the class has a gentle pace and there is time to stop and ask questions to get the most out of each exercise. A regular Pilates practice builds strength in the deep stabilising muscles that benefit everyone, regardless of whether you are beginning your health and fitness journey or if you are super fit! It perfectly complements Yoga, helping to cultivate mindful movement of the body and strength from within.

So let’s hear a little more about Corrie…

What first brought you to the mat?

I was working as a dancer and found that instead of loving moving my body I was starting to feel frustrated with my physical limitations and the inevitable injuries that were starting to pile up.  I first came to Yoga as a way to improve my strength and flexibility, but as the years go by I find more and more comfort and benefit from the improvements in my mental and emotional well being.  I discovered Pilates a few years later and love the methodical way of thinking about how and why the body is moving and learning to accept, embrace and perhaps even out all the quirks we all have.

Most embarrassing/awkward/funniest moment in a class?

There have been too many to mention!  When you work closely with human bodies there are always going to be “awkward” or “funny” moments, but I think these are good opportunities to eat a bit of humble pie!  Falling over, realising your leggings are see-through during class, unexpected bodily noises… it’s all happened to the best of us 🙂

Who or what has been your greatest influence and why?

I draw influence from many different areas, I find it hard to focus on one thing at a time!  I get very inspired by being outside in nature, by sharing a Yoga class with the people on the mat next to me, by seeing my friends work hard, by reading an exciting piece of literature.  We get so few years on this Earth and I try to experience and be open minded to as many things as possible.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I love nothing better than curling up on the sofa with my better half, my lovely little dog, a delicious home made meal and a good film.

Crow Pose or Revolving Triangle?

It has to be Crow.  When I first tried it I thought I would never be able to do it!  But it’s so much more accessible than it first appeared, once I realised it was more about finding core and balance than arm strength.

What’s the one piece of advice you would want the world to know?

I’m a bit fan of cheesy affirmations and my favourite one is:  “Smile, Breathe and Go Slowly”.  If we all said that to ourselves more often I think the world would be a much happier place.