Newsletter 3: BIG NEWS, Dopamine Series and More Feet!

One small Pilates cue + one habit shift for your week.

BIG NEWS!

We have a few exciting announcements!

Our Fall Retreat, ALIGN in Autumn will be on October 4th, 2026 from 9:00-3:00 at Butterfly Mill in Lincoln. Save the date in your calendars and we will send a link when signups are open!

On Monday August 17th at our regular 6:00-7:00 time we are offering a FREE coaching session to introduce ALIGN to anyone who is curious.

Pilates tip of the week: Your Feet Are Part of Your Hundred

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored the tripod of the foot—first standing, then lying down with our feet on the wall.

Now let’s bring that connection into movement.

Lie on your back with your feet on the wall and knees bent. Find your three points: heel, base of the big toe, and base of the little toe.

Gently press into the wall and notice the connection through your legs and center.

Now keep that connection as you curl your head and shoulders up into your Hundred position. Reach your arms long and begin your breath.

Can you maintain those three points of contact as you breathe and move your arms?

Don’t push harder. Just stay connected.

Your feet may be quiet, but they are still working.

Small connections can change the whole body.

Next time you practice your Hundred, start with your feet.

Habit tip of the week: Amy is starting a series of informational tips about Dopamine, the most important neurotransmitter for habit formation.

Dopamine isn't about pleasure. It's about pursuit and meaning.

There's a common misconception that dopamine is the "happy chemical" — the thing that floods your brain when you are doing Pilates, eating something delicious, or checking something off your list. But that's not quite right.

Dopamine is actually the motivation chemical. It rises before the reward, not after. It spikes when you anticipate something good, when you imagine the outcome, when you decide this is worth moving toward (i.e. when you move toward your Anchor).

That distinction changes everything about how we build habits.

Think about the last time you really wanted to do something — not because you had to, but because some part of you was pulled toward it. Maybe it was signing up for a retreat, booking a massage, or finally registering for that Pilates class you'd been thinking about for weeks. The wanting felt alive. That was dopamine doing its job.

But here's the catch: dopamine doesn't rise for things that feel far away, vague, or uncertain. If the reward is too distant, or if we can't clearly picture it, dopamine stays flat. And flat dopamine feels like low motivation. Not because we're lazy. Because our brain genuinely isn't getting the signal that something rewarding is ahead.

This is why "just do it" advice so often fails. The action isn't the problem. The anticipation is.

So how do you make dopamine work for you?

Make the future reward feel closer and more concrete.

Instead of: "I'll start moving more this month." Try: "On Monday at 6 PM, I'm showing up for one hour with women who get it."

Instead of: "I want to feel less scattered." Try: "For the next seven days, I'll take one breath before I open my inbox."

The more specific and immediate the promise, the more dopamine rises. And once dopamine rises, action gets easier.

This is also why community is so powerful. When you know someone is expecting you — an instructor, a group, a friend — the social anticipation adds another dopamine boost. You're not just showing up for the habit. You're showing up for the connection.

This week, try this:

Pick one thing you've been "meaning to do." Now make it dopamine-friendly by giving it a clear time, place, and sensory detail. Try to connect it to your Anchor.

Not: "I'll exercise soon." But: "Wednesday morning I will sign up for a class I’ve wanted to try because it’s important to me to be strong.”

See you on the mat,
Amie & Amy

P.S. Our next ALIGN Weekly Session is Monday, August 10th from 6:00-7:00. Sign up, bring your breath. We'll handle the rest.

Sign up here: www.alignwithamieandamy.com/align