Movements Afoot’s Blog

By Lesley Powell

“I feel frustrated at the aerobics-type mat class experience where everyone is doing the same work, and no one is really ‘doing’ the Pilates Method. Eve Gentry said you can know every Pilates exercise and still not know Pilates. I agree completely.

In my mat classes I educate. My students are not in my class for a ‘work out’ they are there to learn how to do and deepen the Pilates Method on their own. My goal is always helping my students be able to understand the Method well enough in their own unique bodies that they can go to any class and have a good experience, or do it on their own.

I sometimes have students grouch at me that they want to go faster in the work, but I politely point out this is a practice, something to cultivate over a life time, and not to rush into, as they are best off creating good movement patterns from the beginning, and not have to reset poor patterns later.” Pilates Teacher

It is hard to get people to slow down, get conscious and think about their bodies. Many people think hard work in exercise is about speed and a burn. We have an expression about those people as “A+++” personalities.

Sometimes to teach humility, one needs to teach an exercise beyond their capacity. Safely of course! Then you reteach the importance of the slow building blocks to get to this point. We also have to teach concentration and patience.

On the other hand, I can understand the fusion classes as a business incentive. With so many pilates mat classes out there, how do you built a class and make it different and appealing to clients. I do not have the answer. I have talked with many Pilates owners throughout the world about their businesses. Many are dropping the mat classes, because they are not making money. The competition from the gyms and their ability to have cheap classes as part as their membership has changed our business. The ironic thing is the mat work is much harder than the machines. The machines can give the client information how to initiate into the more difficult exercises for example the “rollover” vs the “short spine”.

As a woman going into menopause and weight gain, I have to find a way to get aerobics in. I tried running, but the injuries from dancing, my knees and my SI can’t handle it. At the studio, we have come up with a fusion class Pilates: Heart & Core. We start out with a mat with legs springs and props. It starts out slow with the building the core. Then we end with a very simple aerobic bouncing on the balls still using the Pilates concepts. I can’t tell you how great I feel. Many aerobics classes whack my body out. The workout with the reconnecting to core support and strengthening the legs gives me a safe aerobic workout.

How many people are not exercising because they get hurt. I think that there is a place to teach how to connect to Pilates principles in our movement loves. It still needs the foundation of the practice and its detailed connections. I find many people do a great Pilates workout and not know how to connect it to their lives.