September 2026 Newsletter

Hi everyone, and welcome to your September newsletter!

A Few September Updates

We’ve updated our schedule for the fall — check out the app or website for all the details!

A few things to note:

• 8:45 classes are moving back to 8:30 • No classes on Labor Day • Weekend class schedules are coming soon — Christie and I are just waiting on our kids’ sports schedules • Educator Special: Annual membership for the price of 10 months — that’s 2 months FREE! • New Annual Membership Offer: Commit to a year of All Access membership for the price of 11 months! 

At the heart of what we do is movement as care — showing up in ways that feel sustainable, supportive, and balanced in your life.

 

September at LesMills Philomath: Love, Listening & Care

I’ve been thinking about love lately.

The kind of love that exists between families, friends, communities, and within ourselves. The kind that can be beautiful and grounding — and sometimes so big for me, that I don’t quite know what to do with it.

Earlier this month, my family had a reunion. We are a big family — eight kids, eight spouses, 18 grandkids, and my mom — and when we all get together, there is a lot of life in one place. A lot of talking, laughing, personalities, stories, and, more than anything, a lot of love.

About a year ago, we lost my dad. We are all doing the best we can as we figure out how to navigate living without him – but not having him here has left a huge hole.

He was like the moon to our family’s tides. His steadiness in who he was, in his values, and in the way he lived his life gave all of us the confidence to be ourselves and do our own thing.

We are lucky in our family for how much love there is between us. There is so much love for every single person, from every single person.

And sometimes, that amount of love swirling around wells up inside of me and starts to feel like an overwhelming tornado of feeling. There’s such a deep well of emotion that can build up for me that I start to respond with snippy anxiousness.

So I decided to pay attention when that anxiousness showed up and asked myself: What do I do with all of that?

The answer: move my body with music — it is almost always the answer for me!

There’s something about getting my body moving that helps the energy of those feelings move too. Once that energy gets on the move, my thinking starts to feel more open — less like ruminating anxiousness. I don’t necessarily need to figure anything out. It just gives those stuck sensations somewhere to go.

Eventually, I can breathe a little deeper and meet myself and the moment with more openness and surrender to what is: LOVE.

It has me thinking about how we care for ourselves — and how sometimes loving ourselves is simply paying attention to what we need in the midst of all that life brings us.

It can start with listening.

• What is my body telling me?

• What is my energy telling me?

• What do I need right now?

And then, perhaps most importantly, am I willing to listen?

For me, that has become a really important part of movement.

And that is one of the reasons I have come to value BodyBalance: Core Mobility so much.

Love For BodyBalance

I know BodyBalance isn’t always the class people naturally prioritize.

When you’re choosing between the class that makes you sweat and the class that asks you to slow down, it’s pretty easy to think, I’ll do the stretching one another time.

But I honestly think BodyBalance is one of the most important investments you can make in your movement practice.

Yes, it supports flexibility and mobility, but it also builds balance, strength, stability, core function, and all of those interconnected pieces that help our bodies move well and stay supported.

And then there is the part you can’t always see.

You have to slow down enough to listen.

When I take the full class, I’m paying attention. What is feeling tight? What is tired? What does my body need today?

And what I learn there often changes how I move in my other classes. It gives me information I can carry with me.

For me, that is part of loving my body — not asking it to constantly do more, but taking the time to understand it.

Love Looks Like Listening

We can love ourselves in really ordinary ways.

• Giving our bodies the nourishment they need.

• Getting enough rest.

• Moving when movement feels good.

• Easing up when we’re tired.

• Taking a breath when our thoughts are running away with us.

• Letting go of the expectation that we have to do everything perfectly. 

None of these things are particularly dramatic. But they are ways of saying, I’m paying attention to you. You matter to me.

And I think there is something else that happens when we begin to practice that kind of care for ourselves. We have a little more space to notice what we are moving toward — what we love, what brings us joy, what connects us to other people.

I was reminded of this recently when my family went to a few Cubs baseball games.

We were the away team, so I found myself surrounded by people I had never met. And yet, within minutes, we were laughing together, high-fiving, cheering, and celebrating every good thing that happened.

We were connected by something we were for. There was so much joy in that.

It made me think about how easy it is to organize our attention around:

• What we don’t like

• What we’re against

• What isn’t working

• What we wish were different 

We can get pretty practiced at seeing the world through that lens and it can begin to look pretty negative.

But there is a different kind of energy that comes from noticing what we love and moving toward it.

That is something I hope we continue to cultivate here at LesMills Philomath -- A place where we are for movement.

• For strength.

• For connection.

• For belonging.

• For feeling good in our bodies.

• For taking care of ourselves.

Kylie says it beautifully in the BodyBalance release:

“We celebrate love, and love always starts with you.”

A Practice For September:

So this month, I want to invite you to notice.

• What is your body telling you?

• What do you need?

• Where could you offer yourself a little more care?

And if BodyBalance: Core Mobility hasn’t become part of your regular routine, I’d especially encourage you to give it a try — ideally once a week for a while.

Give yourself the whole hour. Let yourself slow down. Listen.

You may be surprised by how much happens when you give yourself the space to pay attention.

Want To Learn More? 

This same idea of staying connected to yourself is at the heart of my work through Be Empowered Whole Wellness.

Our first Whole Wellness group has been such a meaningful experience, and I’m excited to open a new cohort this fall.

One member shared:

“These sessions have been very meaningful to me. They have given me the space and tools to think about who I am and how I show up in the world. I’ve gained so much understanding and confidence about the value of being my authentic self.”

I love hearing this because that’s really what these groups are about — creating space to slow down, listen inward, and become more connected to who you already are.

If you’re curious about the fall cohort, just ask — I’d love to share more.

Thank you!

For continuing to make this community what it is — for bringing your energy, your personalities, your stories, and your whole selves into the room. I am so grateful to be part of it.

And maybe this month, we can simply remember to listen.

• To ourselves.

• To our bodies.

• To what we need.

• To what we love.

I love you all so very much!

Shine Bright! Cindy Appanaitis LesMills Philomath