MINDBODY
In Astrology, the positions and movements of the cosmos and planets hold so much sway in our characters and how we connect with the world. Our individual astrological signs even offer insight into our ideal exercises! Pilates Instructor Celeste offers a deeper look into each Astrological sign’s personality traits and exercise style in this monthly blog series – this month is all about Virgo.
VIRGO
August 22 – September 23
Symbol: The Maiden
Body Association: Solar plexus, Intestines, Stomach, Digestive/Filtration system
6th House: Work, diligence, scrutiny, details, discernment, adaptation, health. Ruled by Mercury – how we use our logical mind in a practical, yet adaptive way.
To strengthen the body parts associated with this sign, the following Pilates exercised are practiced:
Standing Roll-Up: This symbol move keeps your spine agile (for gardening and harvesting crops).
Roll Over: Your Power move! Strengthens abs, back, and arms (while aiding in digestive matters).
Corkscrew: The circular abdominal motion of this move centers you, focusing on moving from your deepest stomach muscles.
Virgo Motto
“I analyze in order to employ the best techniques and win the day!”
Food for Thought
Virgo is the sign of the Maiden, who separates wheat from chaff. Ruled by Mercury, this mutable earth sign is nonetheless practical and full of common sense. You imbue the world with the gifts of productivity and distinction. Virgo, you thrive on mental clarification and know how to be of service by reviewing, editing, and adjusting to circumstances. It would serve you, however, to learn to use your superb analytical ability without giving in to worry and perfectionism. Learning to be mindful of perfectionism is one of the most important lessons for a Virgo, in order to avoid a blockage brought on by negativity.
Physical You | Virgo Movement Personality
Virgo season arrives in the residual days of summer, as we begin to embrace the harvest season, pruning the ripest fruits and all the good things that come from them, while doing away with those that don’t serve. The energy of the season gifts Virgos with a discerning eye for the “best”. Your sign’s symbol, the young maiden, represents the value Virgos place on mind and body: learning all you can about health-related topics, as a young adult would. You spend much of your life learning how to develop and perfect healthy habits of eating, dressing, and personal care and grooming.
Inordinately concerned about the health of yourself and the earth, you’re a master of refinement and purification. Your sign rules over the “second brain” in our gut known as the enteric nervous system, so you naturally seek out the finest possible ingredients, served under the cleanest conditions. My Virgo friends are some of the most exquisite cooks and foodies I know. My mother, a Virgo moon and rising sign, has been an advocate for healthy eating and exercise for most of my life.
You’re the sign of the diligent worker, with the perseverance to bring things to completion, no matter how long it takes and how many obstacles appear. Generally not big on improvisation, you like to get to the bottom of things and be prepared. Like all earth signs, spending time in nature helps heal your soul – as do workouts that help you connect to your body. Camping, hiking, walking, running, soccer, sculpting, and weight-lifting are good ways to relieve anxiety. Slow, methodical mind-body exercises that incorporate breath work and discipline are ideal as well. Whatever your goal, you’ll continue to improve and refine it toward something as close to “perfection” as you can get.
The Best Advice for Virgo Friends:
Virgo’s character is that of the scrutineer, and you have a constantly inspecting mind that never takes anything for granted. “The devil is in the details” could easily be a phrase you utter often. You’re difficult to manipulate and sometimes very hard to please, wanting everything to be perfect. You can be just as self-critical, though usually not in public. Developing your skills and confidence in self is more important to you than accolades. You’re happiest when you’re of service to a tangible idea and believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well. Workable ideas are your forte, and with meticulous precision and attention to detail, you have the ability to get things done.
Watch a Demonstration of the Virgo Pilates Moves:
https://youtu.be/1aMLixe2WE8
Personal You | Going Deeper
Virgos display hardworking and humble personalities, driven to perform useful tasks. While Leo developed creativity, Virgos discovered how to use it. You thrive in any field where products need to be produced and marketed. Your superb attention to the smallest detail is matched by your ability to analyze people, things, and systems. When you find yourself around a messy person or situation, you might become irritable and unable to apply your gifts efficiently. Don’t let it trip you up, though. You are in this world, not to be the “best”, but to constantly learn and seek to improve, while accepting that you are skillful and useful in the best way you can be.
HOST WITH THE MOST
Choosy with whom you share your time, Virgo allows few people into the Temple. When you do, you have an intense loyalty displaying notions of duty and honor. Oaths are part of the Mercury “messenger’s” realm, since they’re what we say or speak, and you regard friendships like an oath of brotherhood. A natural host(ess), you do a wonderful job of entertaining but often stay so busy doing the party prep, serving, or cleaning up that you might not get to partake in the FUN! Be conscious of a possible hidden agenda: trying to prove to yourself and others that you’re capable and worthy. Remember that true service comes from the heart, and you need emotional connections with others to enjoy the fruits of your labors. You can contribute with your natural grace and charm, and by using your devilish sense of humor to relieve anxiety in yourself and others.
Virgo, you might not realize you can be a perfectionist to the highest order. Avoid letting your inclination to worry about how things will turn out influence them too strongly, and instead, learn to suspend your tendency to criticize and hold things up to an impossible standard. You can use your careful eye in a constructive way, being sure to absorb all the necessary information and look at all angles in a neutral and non-judgmental way before making a decision. Otherwise, your lovely gift of discrimination can deteriorate into an ego blockage of negativity very quickly. This can cause you to take on a “holier than thou” attitude.
HEADING
You know how to take care of things effectively, Virgo, but how to stop depleting yourself is another story. When your power of service goes into overdrive, you can create a prison of your own making. You don’t require much discipline because you’re much harder on yourself than even your parents might be. Make a habit of trying to stay out of your own way. Don’t allow minor imperfections keep you from living life to the fullest. It’s easy for you to become married to your work, which can become a technique of control and a way of avoiding intimacy. However, your personal happiness is an important factor for success – you may need to broaden your perspective and lighten up sometimes.
Your mutable nature can sometimes cause you to act as if you approve, when deep down you really don’t. When you broaden your personal motives to accomplish what’s best for all, your heart will soften: allowing your overarching desire to endow to come from a place of enjoyment rather than giving into a self-defeating attitude. Otherwise, you could fall into a pattern of letting self-doubt and self-criticism work against your ambitious nature, or let your desire to do things “correctly” result in ongoing procrastination.
Celeste discovered Pilates at an early age while studying dance in LA. She has a life-long passion for movement and has transferred that love to helping others move well. Celeste is comprehensively certified in Pilates, GYROTONIC, and TRX. She has helped clients of all ages and abilities to move better since 2011.
Learn more about Celeste, see her class schedule, or connect about private training here!
