Lifestyle Healthy Mind Meditation 101

Don’t Have Time to Meditate? Busy Ballerina Isabella Boylston Does It During Her Morning Workout

Tamim Alnuweiri

February 27, 2018

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Photo: Instagram/@isabellaboylston

Serving as a body double to an Oscar-winning actress is a tall order, but being Jennifer Lawrence's ballet-dancing double is, well, a totally next-level feat that requires some serious dedication. Isabella Boylston, a principal ballerina at the esteemed American Ballet Theatre (ABT) did just that for the new movie Red Sparrow, in which Lawrence's character is a ballerina who must prematurely quit dancing due to an injury and subsequently becomes a Russian spy. And, although the actress is a boss babe of many talents, she needed some help emulating the dance moves of someone who's spent the majority of her life practicing ballet—which is where Boylston came in.

Though the ballerina is at the top of her game now, her successes didn't come without dedication, diligence, and mindfulness. Boylston, who's been dancing since age 3, recently revealed to the The New Potato that her jam-packed mornings include a warm-up ballet class that doubles as a meditative ritual to get her in a strong frame of mind. "Warming up with ballet class is how we start every day at ABT and is probably my most important ritual because it gets my body and mind in tune and ready to go for the rest of the day—like a daily meditation and workout all in one," the dancer said.

"Warming up with ballet class is how we start every day at ABT and is probably my most important ritual because it gets my body and mind in tune and ready to go for the rest of the day—like a daily meditation and workout all in one." —Isabella Boylston, principal ballerina of ABT

Boylston's ritual just goes to show that even if you're someone who just can't meditate, there are always options—like reimagining your workout as opportunity to try a non-silent version of the practice.