“Pilates is a concept”

“Pilates is a concept… you can learn every exercise on every piece of equipment and you don’t know Pilates.”
Eve Gentry, Pilates elder and Master Teacher

This quote really encapsulates my approach to Pilates. My teacher studied with Eve and I learned the work that Eve contributed to the Method. She created a repertoire of “pre-Pilates” exercises that teach the fundamental movement building blocks that the “classical” exercises are made of.

I also learned all of the classical Pilates repertoire but when I started to teach people I realized that many of those exercises are just not always appropriate for beginners, or even experienced practitioners. Someone who’s been inactive for decades and just wants to get out of back pain and feel more limber doesn’t need to be doing complex and confusing choreography. Struggling through a certain exercise that is not well suited to your body isn’t necessary when there are so many exercises to choose from! I always want to find the best exercise for each person to be able to access challenging movements with as much ease as possible.

What I find most valuable is learning how to move and breath. The concepts of Pilates give you a deeper understanding of your body and movement. Breathing, flowing movements done with control and precision are at the core of the method, so how complex and advanced the exercises are isn’t really the important piece. Different people benefit from different exercises. What one person finds easy another finds next to impossible so even so-called “beginner” exercises aren’t really appropriate for every student! Learning a whole bunch of repertoire without really learning how to move really misses the real point of the method. It’s not about what you do but how you are doing it.

My approach to teaching is always far more prescriptive than dogmatic. I look at each individual and listen to their issues and goals and decide what exercises will be most appropriate and beneficial for them. As they progress that will often change but I don’t have an agenda to get each person to learn every exercise or push to get more advanced just for the sake of being fancy. Some people enjoy the complex choreography but if they find those aspects deeply frustrating then we’ll stick to the exercises that they are both challenged by and successful at.

Learning to move well, breath fully, increasing strength and flexibility and finding more ease in their body is always the foundation of the work. The exercises are just a vehicle for reaching the goal of functional movement and fitness. When you’ve gotten a good grasp of the Pilates concepts then those skills will carry over into everything you do in your body, both in mundane life activities and other fitness methods. In this way Pilates can transform not just your body but your whole life.