Bride-to-be’s daily meditation
HER love of yoga is well-documented, and it seems Meghan Markle also has another way of dealing with the stresses of life – two sessions of meditation every day.
Instructor Light Watkins, who claims he helped Miss Markle perfect her technique, says meditation is key to her down-to-earth demeanour.
He believes the actress is using it to cope with the demands of fame and her upcoming wedding.
Los Angeles-based Mr Watkins, 44, said: ‘She came by my home studio and we did four sessions over four days … she had wonderful experiences.’ He told US website In Style: ‘I didn’t get the sense she was overly stressed, she just saw meditation as another tool. I think it ended up being a lot more profound than she originally thought.’
Mr Watkins said Miss Markle later got back in touch to tell him: ‘I’m meditating every day, twice a day – it’s wonderful. Once in the morning for 20 minutes, once in the afternoon.’
between your mind and the muscle. And, of course, you need a strong core.’
Lagree’s background is in bodybuilding and he’s studied a range of fitness disciplines. He adds — and his accent reminds me a little of Arnold Schwarzenegger — ‘This is why, today, when you took the workout, you felt very humbled, because you stimulated your body on so many levels that you’re probably not accustomed to.’
Alas, Lagree is right. My pleasant regime of running, swimming and lifting a few weights in the gym allows me to avoid suffering. The Megaformer has highlighted every physical weakness. For instance, that my abdominals are about as strong as chewing gum. The next day, it hurts to breathe and my husband suggests I’ve used my intercostal muscles, which lie between my ribs, for the first time.
The good news is that Lagree reckons it doesn’t take long before your body adjusts to the pain and you begin to enjoy it. SHArLene,
my instructor, agrees. Her first Megaformer class left her reeling, and, she adds: ‘It wasn’t easier the second or the third time. There’s a ten to 12-class learning curve. I started taking two classes a week. That was all I could do.
‘But I felt I had more energy. Then I noticed my clothes were starting to fit differently. You start to feel really good. You also change mentally. You get that strength, that spirit, that fire.’
even as my muscles scream, and (oh, the shame!), Sharlene hurries over to manually prevent me collapsing as I try to perform a moving side-plank — a manoeuvre that requires abs of steel — I see the attraction. This class is exquisitely, thrillingly tough.
Presently, the Megaformer and I aren’t friends. It’s exposed me as having ideas above my station. But I suspect I could learn to love it in time.
‘It’s very customisable,’ says Sharlene, ‘ appropriate for all ages and all fitness levels. And we offer beginners’ classes to give people who know nothing about the method or the machine a thorough introduction.’ These classes focus on key, simple exercises, performed at a slower pace, to build confidence and understanding.
‘We’d do lunges, for example, and focus on good form. For the upper body, we might do a chestopener and build from there.’
even if you’re not particularly fit in midlife, if you start by learning the basic moves, the Lagree method is an effective, way of gaining strength, vital for maintaining bone density, preserving muscle mass, and increasing resistance to disease as we hit our 50s and beyond.
As Sharlene says: ‘As we age, we don’t want to put undue stress on our joints and ligaments. This is an exercise that’s low impact, but still delivers a high intensity level of training, so it’s really effective.’
She says it’s popular with women in their 40s and 50s. Several clients are in their 60s.
And, I say, it doesn’t hurt that one Megaformer fan is about to marry Prince Harry. ‘It’s kind of fun,’ agrees Sharlene. ‘I hope that when she’s settled into her royal lifestyle, she will come by.’
Well, if my muscles have stopped shaking by then, I’ll see you there, Meghan.
Visit studiolagree.com/uk. An introductory class is £15, and there are special offers (e.g. 20 classes for £420.) A single class costs £30.