This week, we heard from the incredible Founder behind Barre Body, Emma Seibold. Along with her pilates and yoga qualifications, Emma is also a busy mum, fitness teacher and business entrepreneur, working to spread the word of barre since 2012. Since launching, Barre Body is now one of Australia's leading barre and yoga platforms with eight studios across three states and an online platform encouraging a health-inspired lifestyle. We spoke about Emma's background, balance and sleep.
Tell us about your fitness background and what inspired you to start Barre?
I discovered barre not long after the birth of my son Xavier in 2011. I'd had a very strong and dedicated Ashtanga yoga practice for years, but I found incorporating ballet conditioning exercises totally transformed my practice. It was also much more practical with a newborn than trying to carve out 90 minutes of daily yoga - which was never going to happen! At the time there was no one teaching barre in Australia, and I decided I needed to share the magic.
What can you tell us about the link between movement and sleep?
Movement is good for almost everything. You tend to sleep better when you've moved, even if it's something simple like a walk of 20 minutes of pilates rather than a full workout.
Do you feel like you sleep well?
I'm a champion sleeper! It's my superpower. I can be asleep within 10 seconds of telling myself it's time to go to sleep.
What is your routine leading up to a good night's sleep?
I don't have much of a routine - really it's 'get in bed'. I just read! When I wake up in the middle of the night I'll meditate myself back to sleep instead of looking at my phone (which I used to do). Now I say a little mantra and I'm straight back to sleep, and it's win-win, because if I don't immediately go back to sleep then at least I've done 20 minutes of meditation.
What benefits do you feel after a good night's sleep?
Good sleep affects everything. When I'm well rested I really notice a difference in my whole sense of wellbeing.
How do you find balance between family, work and rest?
It's tough! Especially as a business owner, I really need to be available to a lot of people, most of the time. I try to be really clear about when I'm at work (even though I often work from home) and when I'm not. When I'm with my family I try to be really present with them - I'm at work when I'm in my office and I'm with the kids when I'm not. There's always going to be crossover but I do my best to set those boundaries and being present makes all the difference.
Learn more about Emma, or experience the magic of Barre Body here.
