Why I Teach The Pilates Method
“Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.”
~ Joseph Pilates
I teach the Pilates Method because I want to help people improve their lives by helping them to make changes at the physical, mental, emotional, and ultimately spiritual level. If you embrace the methodology that we practice in this wonderful work, you’ll find the method to be transformational and inclusive. I love the fact that it is appropriate for every human being regardless of age, fitness level, or even disability. It can be practiced in a slow, careful, restorative way, or it can be choreographed to challenge the world’s top athletes and dancers. Everyone is welcomed into the Pilates community.
While it is true that any physical discipline can become a path to self discovery and transformation, the Pilates Method is well suited for this. We all have habitual ways of moving and thinking. What you practice you will become. We use this civilized system of exercise as a vehicle to transform our bodies and minds by practicing an emphasis on precise, controlled, fluid movement, while releasing all excess tension. We work hard, but relax. As the exercises within the routine become more complex and difficult, we practice staying calm and fluid in our movements. If our mind wanders, or we find ourselves caught up in self judgement, we gently bring our attention back to our breath and the technique. The end result is that on the physical level you acquire long, dense, supple muscles, and a graceful and efficient way of moving through life. On the mental level you improve your ability to be more present in all your interactions, and to increase your powers of focus, concentration, and memory. On the emotional level you make peace with your body, become more patient, and compassionate, and you become more calm and grounded in the face of stressful situations. Finally, on the spiritual level, after having exercised your powers of concentration, awareness, presence, and compassion, you’ll begin to notice so much more in the world around you, the meaningful coincidences, the metaphors, the poetry of life that makes our lives rich and meaningful.
Joseph Pilates’ method is not just an exercise system to burn calories and change your outer appearance, he created it to transform your inner being as well.