Feeling tearful after pilates

[Botoxbotox]

Is this normal? I imagine not.
I've recently started doing regular pilates, I really enjoy it but by the end of the class I'm always feeling tearful. It's not that I can't do the exercises or anything, it's just this weird feeling. I have to scuttle off afterwards before I burst into tears.
Has anyone else had this, how long does it last? I don't want to stop going but it's all a bit much.

Aww, you poor thing. Is there stuff that is worrying you that is maybe spilling out because you have unwound a bit, or focussed on yourself?

I used to feel like this with reformer Pilates... A strange welling up of emotion...

Somewhere between melancholy and euphoria.

It sounds like it is letting off a pressure. It must be good that you are relaxing to that point. Can you work out what's bothering you? Or is it "everything "?

Yes I've had this with both yoga and pilates. The breathwork and headspace can often bring certain thoughts to my mind that I've been suppressing, or even just the realisation once I'm relaxed of the anxiety/tension I live with on a day to day basis can feel quite emotional.

I used to sob quietly at the bit at the end of yoga class where you lie still on the mat.. its clearly a thing... I wasnt unhappy or stressed. I'd love to know why this happens.

I get this with yoga sometimes. Your emotional state and your body are connected in all sorts of ways. Releasing tension, say, can feel like releasing trauma.

I had this about 5 years ago but with crossfit. I enjoyed the sessions. Did okay. Had small chats with people during. But I would always end up crying on the drive home. I had to give up int he end. It was too much crying for my liking.

Crikey I'm glad it's not just me....I thought I was heading for an early menopause or something with these overwhelming emotions.

I guess it's my only real quite time between dc, work, family etc, so it may be a release of the stress I don't realise I'm carrying.

All the other women seem to leave looking quite zen or chatty, and I've a bottom lip wobbling dashing to my car.

I do Body Balance and always remember one of the instructors talking about how we store a lot of emotions in our hips during Hip Openers. I thought it was a load of balls at the time, but actually there have been a few times I've done some really deep stretches and have 'unlocked' something

I did Pilates recently and found the same. For me it was definitely the fact that I had one precious hour to only think about myself. It was sad and relaxing all at once.

do Body Balance and always remember one of the instructors talking about how we store a lot of emotions in our hips during Hip Openers

ooh interesting. I was in a yoga class and did a move where we lay on our backs and bent our legs and dropped our knees to the floor either side. I’ve no idea why but these tears came flooding out of me. The teacher also said we hold a lot of emotions in the hips.

Yep sounds like stress release.

We store so much in our bodies, it's not unheard of people to start sobbing in my yoga group and it's caught me by surprise too before.

As you release tension, move and realign your body it will have an emotional effect - especially if its the only time in your week in which you centre yourself.

The fact it happens everytime though suggests you're feeling overwhelmed and I'd pay attention to this response. Can you make changes to reduce the daily pressure on you? Is there anything big going on in your life that you need (more) support for?

Have a look at the connection between the psoas muscles (the hip flexors) and emotion/trauma release. It might sound a bit woo but it's really interesting. I'm a Pilates teacher and have had clients feel like you for a number of reasons including having time to themselves and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it/releasing tension through the exercises and tuning into the body/mind connection. Keep going to your classes, hopefully bathe emotional response will subside.

I read something recently about stretching your hips can release emotional energy and make people tearful. Could that be worth looking into as the reason? I can't remember if it said why this was.