November Reset: Finding Peace, Grace, Courage, and Gratitude in a Busy Season

Peace, Grace, Courage, and Gratitude all showed up in the OOV class!

Why Peace, Grace, Courage, and Gratitude Matter This November

As we move into the season of Thanksgiving, we’re surrounded by messages of abundance, gratitude, joy… and if we’re being honest? A healthy dose of chaos. This month at Anchor to Life Pilates, I chose four themes on purpose: peace, grace, courage, and gratitude. These are the anchors that help us move through a demanding season without burning out — or hiding in the pantry with pumpkin pie.

And if you’ve seen the photo at the top of this post, you’ll recognize one of my favorite tools for cultivating these themes: the OOV. This image is from a recent class at AUM Studio, where we used the OOV to explore balance, breath, and nervous system regulation — perfect companions to peace, grace, courage, and gratitude. The OOV has a sneaky way of asking you to soften, focus, breathe, and meet yourself exactly where you are… which feels especially fitting for November.

These themes have been woven through my studio all month in the form of quotes, breath cues, gentle reminders, and yes… occasional humor to keep everyone afloat. Because while Thanksgiving is a time to be full of gratitude, it can also invite stress, overwhelm, and emotional landmines.

Peace: Can You Have Peace of Mind and a Piece of Pie? Absolutely.

Peace is often talked about as this serene, zen-like experience where nothing bothers you. But peace during Thanksgiving?

That’s more like:

✨ Making peace with what you cannot control.

✨ Finding the pause between stimulus and response.

✨ Choosing your reaction with intention.

Sometimes peace is letting the crazy aunt talk about her conspiracy theories… without engaging.

Sometimes peace is smiling at your grown child while also thinking, “I taught you better than that.”

And yes — peace can include a piece of pie. Maybe not the fourth slice (we’re human, not superheroes), but Thanksgiving indulgence is not the enemy. What matters most is what you do with the other 95% of your life.

Peace at the holidays means choosing what’s within your control and softening around what isn’t. Simple, but not easy — which makes it perfect Pilates practice.

Grace: Extending It Outward Is Easy. Offering It to Ourselves Is the Real Work.

We often extend grace to others, but not to ourselves.

Grace is one of those beautiful words that feels soft and luminous… until we try to give it to ourselves.

We say grace before the Thanksgiving meal.

We offer grace to others constantly.

Yet when it comes to our own shortcomings, limitations, or exhaustion?

We tend to tighten, judge, and push harder.

Grace for yourself this season might look like:

🌿 Taking a breath before reacting

🚶‍♀️ Going for a walk when the house feels loud

🙋‍♀️ Acknowledging when you’ve had enough

😌 Letting something be “good enough”

And yes — because this is a Pilates-based movement blog — grace in the body looks like moving with intention, finding length, allowing breath to guide the effort.

We extend grace quietly. Generously. And we deserve to receive it, too.

Courage: The Subtle, Steady Kind That Shows Up When You Need It Most

Courage isn’t always about bold declarations or dramatic exits.

Sometimes courage is:

💛 Sticking up for yourself

💛 Taking a stand for someone else

💛 Speaking your truth

💛 Holding your tongue because silence is wiser

💛 Choosing rest in a season obsessed with doing

💛 Saying “No thank you, I’m all set on Grandma’s noodles”

💛 Or… saying yes to dessert with enthusiasm

The dichotomy between pushing and letting go is not lost on me — it’s the heart of movement, the heart of boundaries, and the heart of this season.

Gratitude: The Grounding Force We All Need Right Now

Finding gratitude for my clients this season.

For many of us, food is abundant at Thanksgiving. Connection is abundant. Noise is abundant. Opinions… definitely abundant.

But gratitude brings us back to what truly matters:

✨ The people at the table — even the ones who challenge us

✨ The present moment — because nothing is guaranteed

✨ The ability to choose how we show up

✨ The breath in our body that anchors us

I want to pause here and offer gratitude to YOU. My clients, my community, my extended Anchor to Life family. You trust me with your bodies — bodies healing from injuries, navigating chronic pain, rediscovering strength, or simply wanting to feel more at home in themselves. It’s an honor I never take lightly.

A November Intention to Carry With You

May you make peace with yourself or someone you love.

May you extend grace — especially to yourself.

May you find the courage to choose what aligns.

And may you feel gratitude for the simple act of showing up today.

Want Support Staying Grounded This Season?

If these themes of peace, grace, courage, and gratitude resonated with you, know that you don’t have to navigate the season alone. Whether you’re craving more strength, more clarity, or simply a little more steadiness in your week, there are several ways to stay connected and supported through movement, community, and intention.

I offer a variety of classes, workshops, and retreats designed to help you feel anchored—body and mind—through every season of your life.

You can explore everything coming up here:

👉 View Upcoming Events & Offerings

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Let’s pause, breathe, and thrive.

Yours in longevity and empowerment,

Amanda Curd

Anchor to Life Pilates