Pilates has been around for a while – like, over 100 years now – but 20+ years ago it was not exactly mainstream in my neck of the woods. For the most part, ways people talked about Pilates then is a lot different from how they talk about it now, although there are some things that never change, and always make me laugh when I hear them.
The first time I heard about Pilates, I was reading the class description in the local YMCA schedule (the paper one; there wasn’t one online). It started 15 minutes after the belly dancing class I wanted to take, and it was the only one I could make it to relatively on time with the GO train schedule (if you commute to Toronto on the train, you know!).
It was September 1999.
The one & only Pilates Instructor in town held group classes on Monday night at the Y to get the word out about her home studio. I’d never heard of it before, but it fit into my work schedule, and I thought I’d give it a try. I felt out of shape and disconnected from my body with my desk job and time on the train, and I just needed to move more.
That first class was a S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E! I was humbled by the fact my legs shook when I tried to straighten them all the way and it felt like my abs didn’t exist (until afterward, when even though they’d done a TERRIBLE JOB during class, were very vocal in the days following!). But I was hooked!
Fast forward a year and a half, and I decided to become an instructor myself.
Little did I know that it wasn’t only me who hadn’t heard of Pilates before.
NOBODY HAD.
When I said I taught Pilates, people would look at me like I had two heads. They'd say, "you do WHAT?". I tried to explain it, but they had no idea. If they read it first, instead of saying “Pill-AH-tease”, they’d say “Pie-lates”.
It was referred to as something religious (and mentioning Pontius Pilates). This was more common than you'd expect!
It wasn’t until Mari Windsor’s TV infomercial for her VHS tapes came along that Pilates became more of a household name.
People started to look at me less like I was crazy and more like I had some kind of hidden dance background…because Pilates was the secret of dancers, so I must be one!
*Excuse me while I laugh uncontrollably*
I still get that sometimes, but far less so than when Pilates started gaining popularity in my area. My first teacher was an ex-dancer, but I had never taken a dance class in my life. As much as dancers love Pilates because of how much it can do for them, it has nothing to do with dance, and most people know that any regular Jane or Joe can use Pilates to change their life.
Some of the ways that people haven’t changed the way they talk about Pilates…
It’s still lumped in with yoga
Yoga and Pilates are very different. With yoga, there’s usually a spiritual aspect to the practice, but they are both called a practice (because it’s a practice, not a perfect).
There are many different styles of yoga, but only two distinct types of Pilates – contemporary and classical. Contemporary tends to be more physical therapy-based, while Classical Pilates tends to be truer to the original teachings of Joseph Pilates. This totally depends on where your teacher has been certified, though, as some Classical Pilates has been diluted and geared more towards the style of the individual course or teacher-trainer.
Yogis consider their practice a flow. People who practice Pilates just call it a workout.
Yoga has poses. Pilates has exercises.
There have also been many, many Pilates hybrids (the first of which was mixing it with yoga) – like Piloga, Piloxing, Wall Pilates, Hot Pilates…none of which are “real” Pilates.
People say “Pilates is Just Stretching”
Since it’s so hard to explain what Pilates is without doing it, people look at the exercises and it looks a lot like stretching. Like, ‘relax into it and breathe’ stretching. Which couldn’t be further from the truth!
Pilates IS stretching, but it’s strengthening at the same time. It’s like one-stop shopping. As you’re challenging your muscles, you’re stretching others, to create a wonderful balance between the two. If you’ve ever done the ab series, you know that it’s not a relaxing stretch session at all!
Pilates is only good for your abs
Another huge misconception is that Pilates is only good for your abs. It’s not. Every exercise is a full body exercise! Doing Pilates well – not just going through the motions or trying to simply choreograph your movements – means your butt, legs, upper back, arms, AND abs are all working together.
Your Pilates practice truly is about uncovering deeper & deeper connections in your body. It’s discovering layers of depth in your practice that you’d never known were possible the day you start. Not only because your body is constantly changing, but because you get stronger and are able to find nuance in your movements. It really is incredible!
It’s great that now, 20+ years later, most people have heard of Pilates, have access to classes, have some idea of what it is (and how to say it), and are choosing to help themselves change their bodies for the better – whether that’s getting out of pain or tension, improving their posture, or just moving differently for more flexibility and strength!
Pilates really is a fantastic way to help yourself feel better.
If you haven’t tried it, maybe now’s the time? If you have, let me know in the comments how you first started Pilates and what it’s done for you!
Xo, Kimberly
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