Pilates Thoughtful Tuesday: The Power of How We React

Silence becomes power as she listens, holding steady in control and self-awareness.

Every day, things come at us fast. Conversations, opinions, traffic, emails, people talking over us, small frustrations, and sometimes bigger ones that hurt. We cannot stop what happens, but we can choose how we react. That is often the only real control we have.

Our reactions are habits we build. When we practise stillness, calm, or curiosity in place of anger or defence, we start to reclaim our energy. The smallest change in reaction can shift a whole situation.

Here are a few examples to think about:

• When someone insults you: Smile and say, “Interesting… go on.” You stop the cycle. You refuse to feed their need for reaction.

• When you think someone is lying: Say nothing. Stay still. Let silence do the work. People often reveal the truth when you give them space.

• When someone starts arguing: Lower your voice. Keep your calm. Their raised energy will only make your steadiness stand out more.

• When you are interrupted: Stop talking. Hold their gaze. Then continue when you are ready. You keep control without needing to fight for it.

These aren’t tricks. They are reminders that emotional self-discipline is strength. Life throws beauty and pain in equal measure, and you cannot stop that. But you can decide not to lose yourself in it.

In Pilates, we talk about control all the time. Control of the breath. Control of the movement. Control of the mind. The same principle applies in how we live. When we stop reacting on impulse, we begin to respond with purpose. That is where calm lives, not in the absence of chaos, but in our ability to move through it with balance.

So today, notice how you react. That moment between what happens and what you do next, that is your real power.