Some thoughts on Pilates

I finally made it back to my Wednesday pilates class last night! I have been hit or miss this past month with all my travelling and being sick. I LOVE it. Michelle is very engaging and friendly- one big reason I keep going back to class. What I really love about pilates is that its creator, Joseph Pilates, designed it for people that weren't able to do regular exercise because he himself was very debilitated (not exactly sure in what way). As someone with knee and hip problems, I highly appreciate the 'softness' of this exercise. Not that it is, by any means, easy, but rather I enjoy the focus on the internal- how to breathe, how to hold your chest, the simple rotations in your legs that creates an awareness of my body. And, although Michelle will talk about wanting our butts to look nice etc, there is a much stronger focus on overall health for oneself; back strength, pelvic strength, and rotation in the extremities. I find this holistic approach healing and effective. Pilates- if you've done it and have stopped- must go back, if you've done it and hate it - give it another shot, you might not have had a great teacher, and if you've done it and are still doing it -keep it up! :-D (Ann, when you come to visit it would be cool to take you back to Breakout!)