Pilates, the uglier little brother of yoga
“But why Pilates?” I was asked by a friend. Why indeed? When I first thought about becoming a Pilates instructor I had maybe practiced Pilates for two years tops with a DVD given to my mom from a friend who ran her own studio down-under. I vividly remember the distinctive music, aquatic ambience, and colourful mats that accompanied these five recordings; little did I know that this was all it took to get me hooked on an exercise method developed 100 years ago. Even though I could recite the classes on my treasured Pilates DVD in my sleep, I kept coming back to them - there was something that just pulled me in. Over a few weeks of consistently practicing 2-3 times per week, I noticed the benefits it provided me in terms of mental resilience and physical strength. I felt stronger when running and dancing, knowing that arriving on my mat for my own Pilates practice was always time well spent.
After a few years of practicing Pilates I began to wonder how I could take my own practice, or Pilates itself further - for myself I found the answer in signing up to Pilates teacher training. I remember sitting in a Psychology lecture and chatting to some friends at break time, casually mentioning that I was looking into qualifying as a Pilates instructor. All I got was mild bewilderment of why I wanted to teach ‘granny sports’ when Yoga was the real deal. I had never really thought about it up to this point; I simply enjoyed my own little practice comprised of five classes that I rotated on a weekly basis. I suppose in a way Pilates was truly the uglier, little brother of Yoga. Yoga had been around forever while Pilates was only ‘developed’ 100 years ago; yoga is rooted in tradition and culture, while Pilates only ever appeared for the elite (think professional dancers), or physiotherapy. When considering elements such as mindfulness or relaxation, yoga tends to come to mind before Pilates does; however, even though Pilates exercises may not be as aesthetically pleasing, there is a case to be made for the series of exercises developed by Joseph Pilates during his imprisonment throughout World War I (yes, you read that right - ‘Pilates’ was essentially a dude who helped other dudes recover from war injuries off the coast of England!).
While yoga emphasises mind-body connection and offers physical benefits like increased flexibility and balance, Pilates focuses on core strength through structured exercises. Pilates is about precise movement, controlled breathing, and muscle engagement, creating alignment and improving strength. I suppose these were the benefits I experienced first hand and which truly inspired me to share my love for this type of movement. Even though I was the only ‘youngling’ at the teacher training - I believe the trainee next in age had about another 20 years of life experience on me - I very much enjoyed my experience, cementing my own practice and foundation for movement.
Since then, a lot has happened; from teaching at various studios in Toronto, engaging in additional training to expand my teaching to include yoga, barre, and reformer Pilates, to now running my own little mobile islands ‘studio’, I could never have predicted the wonderful opportunities my love of Pilates has made possible for me. I still love rolling out my mat, be that at home or when taking a class myself. Whenever I do, it just feels like coming home.
Pilates may not be as established and pretty as yoga, but that really makes so much more accessible and the right form of movement for many. On reflection, this is probably what I love most about it - that you simply have to show up with a mat, meeting your body where it is at.