Some of my clients don’t like to practice on their own because they’re afraid they’re ‘not going to do it right’. Some people I talk to about Pilates are afraid they won’t do it very well, even with instruction. Others get frustrated if the exercise they’re doing doesn’t look ‘like it’s supposed to’.
Pilates seems to attract a lot of perfectionists (especially those of us that become teachers…). As a recovering perfectionist myself, I can completely understand why you want your practice to be “perfect”. Maybe because I’ve been doing Pilates for so long, and my body has changed so much, I’ve been forced to look at my practice from a different perspective; maybe it’s the fact that my practice has been a benefit whether I’ve done it well or not; maybe it’s because I’ve seen the difference in my clients, even if their practice isn’t pretty. Regardless, I know – I’m here to let YOU know – Pilates done ‘imperfectly’ is just what we’re looking for!
Do YOU know what ‘perfect Pilates’ is?
Good. Neither do I.
I know what the intention of the exercises are in your body. I know what the exercises shouldn’t look like. I know how to help you feel more of what you should when you’re practicing. But there’s no such thing as perfect Pilates because none of us are perfect.
There’s pretty Pilates, and that’s what you see on Instagram. Exercises that look beautiful, and graceful, and, well, practically perfect. But what they’re doing isn’t always feeling how it should be feeling, even if it looks wonderful. Most of it’s great for a photograph…but it doesn’t mean it’s great for a deep connection (although it is a great demonstration of strength, mobility, and flexibility, because holding that for a photo is NOT EASY).
Most Pilates exercises aren’t very photogenic. They’re very efficient. They weren’t designed for how pretty they could be; they were designed to be supportive and informative.
What Pilates is really intended to do, is provide you with a deeper connection to your mind and your body. That doesn’t happen by just learning choreography. It doesn’t happen the same way, every day, even if you do the same practice every day. Because our bodies are constantly changing.
Didn’t sleep well? You won’t have the same energy. Been under a lot of stress? You’ll have some tension you need to work with. Did a Crossfit workout this morning? There’s going to be some tightness you’ll struggle against. It all makes an impact, and what might have been easy yesterday, doesn’t necessarily happen easily on your mat today.
Any practice, done, is helpful. It’s the practice that doesn’t happen that isn’t helping anything.
Let’s be clear: I’m not suggesting that you do advanced exercises with abandon and no instruction. I’m talking about practicing the exercises you know (that you’ve been taught the basics of) and do what you can to do them justice. That means finding the connection of it, the essence of the movement. If you can’t remember the whole thing, do the parts you DO remember. Avoid things that hurt, embrace the parts that feel unattainable, and remind yourself that all of it is helping, even if it’s showing you what isn’t working. THAT’S the way you do Pilates well.
So, if you’re looking for perfect, there’s no such thing.
Doesn’t that take some pressure off? Isn’t that something to celebrate? Your practice isn’t supposed to be perfect. Your body doesn’t have to be perfect. The perfect Pilates practice is the one you do, especially when you thought you didn’t want to, or the one you thought you shouldn’t do because it wouldn’t be ‘perfect’.
We find the deepest connection, the most resiliency, the ‘aha moments’ in the practice (and the life!) that is full of challenge, messy moments, and dare I say it? Imperfection.
Just do your practice. It’s all perfect.
Xo, Kimberly
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