Class Review: Manifest

26th February

Unless you’re off-grid, you’ve probably heard of manifestation. Defined as 'the act or process of bringing something into existence or reality’, the spiritual practice of manifestation has become pretty popular over the last few years amongst the wellness community. The idea is that by practicing gratitude and law of attraction techniques, you can help make your goals a reality.

Psychologists have noted the very real benefits of manifestation. For instance, it can help those who struggle with spiralling, negative thoughts to form more positive habits. By improving self-belief, manifestation also encourages people to take the steps needed to achieve their goals.

With that in mind, I was excited to see Gymbox had introduced a Manifestation class. Mental health is just as important as physical health and with most of us impacted by the Winter blues, it’s great to see a class offering that will help us focus on cultivating a brighter version of ourselves.

I secured a spot at the 5pm Manifest class at Gymbox Stratford and headed over, ready to turn my dreams into a reality. Frederika Pinterova was leading the class and had set up yoga mats and bolsters for us to make ourselves comfortable. As this class involves no strenuous physical activity, no workout fit was required - so feel free to turn up as cosy as you want.

We started the class by introducing ourselves to a partner and talking about what we wanted to gain from the next 45 minutes, as well as what we thought made us special and unique. I, like many of us, am pretty harsh on myself, so it was nice to engage in a conversation where we acknowledged our strengths rather than our weaknesses.

Then, Frederika walked us through some deep breathing and vocal exercises. The latter involved a lot of humming and even some yelling, which was especially therapeutic after a stressful day at work. We also did some stretching and shaking movements to wake ourselves up and clear our heads for some meditative practice.

Moving into our meditation section, we lay down on a mat with our bolster and closed our eyes. We were instructed to imagine ourselves in a place where we felt safe - real or imagined. Once we were fully relaxed, we were told to visualise ourselves achieving our dreams as vividly as possible.

Frederika guided us through this meditation, instructing us to focus on certain elements of our ideal future; what did success mean to us? What about happiness? Who did we want around us in this future?

I often daydream about my goals, but dedicating a proper meditation session to them allowed me to focus on the details. I found myself getting genuinely emotional at the thought of getting all that I want out of life.

Frederika encouraged us to envision how we would feel upon achieving our goals and translate these feelings into specific words. This was a new concept for me and it was uplifting to imagine a future where I’m fulfilled and content with my accomplishments.

At our own pace, we came out of the meditation practice. For the final part of the class, we would be taking a pen and writing words on the studio mirrors to describe who we want to become and what we want to manifest for ourselves.

With a newly focused mindset, I made my way to the mirror and began writing around my reflection. Frederika told us to really look ourselves in the eye and acknowledge the words around us symbolising our ideal future.

I personally found this exercise really empowering. For many of us, when we look in a mirror we focus on what we don’t like about our appearance or compare ourselves to others. This exercise flipped the switch and taught us instead that we can be who we want to be, and all of the words written around our heads can become a reality.

As the class came to a close, Frederika encouraged us to hold our own gaze and thank ourselves for everything we have already accomplished.

I can’t recall a time when I've actually thanked myself, but clearly I need to make it a habit. It can be easy to forget how far we’ve come and what we’ve already achieved when we’re so busy focusing on the next thing. But showing gratitude to ourselves is important and reminds us of our own power. Cheesy, but true.

If you’re looking to get into a better headspace this year, I highly recommend this class - especially if you’re someone who finds introspection challenging or you struggle with negative thoughts. It’s easy to get caught up in the chaotic London lifestyle, but taking 45 minutes to sit and think about what you really want out of life can really help you shift your focus on what you need to do to get there.

Manifestation might not be magic, but it’s certainly helpful in getting you to feel that way.