See our Pilates History Page.

Pilates can be practiced by everyone. You can reap its benefits whether you are a professional athlete or dancer trying to up the stakes, a homemaker juggling a heavy child on one hip while running a household, a professional that sits in front of a computer all day with less then desirable posture, someone finished with physical therapy but not quite feeling like your old self, or a senior with balance challenges. The Pilates system is excitingly diverse, and with hundreds of variations of exercises, there are many perfect for you!

Pilates increases strength, flexibility , balance, coordination and focus. It is a whole-body system that profoundly affects our every day activities. After several sessions you may pleasantly discover that you can sit longer without pain, lift heavy objects with less effort, and have more energy to get you through your busy day.

“Pre- Pilates” exercises lay a solid foundation of alignment, center/core strength and awareness. Building a solid foundation of good technique enables students to realize fast results while simultaneously preventing injury. Starting slow and steady enables your body to become strong, flexible and truly prepared to tackle traditional Pilates exercises. Once these basics are in place, the sky is the limit and a solid foundation for growth has been constructed.

If done properly, Pilates is an amazingly safe body/mind practice accessible to all body types and fitness levels. Unfortunately, due to the almost overnight mainstream awareness of Pilates, the market has become flooded with under-qualified teachers. Well intentioned, under-trained teachers often do not have the training or experience required to assess body alignment, body mechanics, or special body circumstances and therefore are not able to effectively modify exercises to make them safe for all body types and fitness levels. Additionally, group exercise classes are also often too large for a teacher to monitor and correct students’ alignment. If you are new to Pilates make sure to start with either small group classes or private sessions with a qualified teacher.

Breathing- Breathing helps with concentration, oxygenation of muscles, and energizes. Once you begin your Pilates journey you will quickly realize how often you go through your daily activities not breathing! Disciplined breathing sounds easy, but is usually the first hurdle for the new trainee to grasp. All movements are connected to the breath, versus holding the breath during movement.

Center- Using your center stabilizes the spine before movement or physical stress, and adds incredible power to your movement. Students often claim after a few classes that their day to day activities get easier and that objects feel lighter. Every movement comes from the center/core: the lower abdominals, small stabilizing muscles of the back, diaphragm and pelvic floor.

Concentration- . With Pilates every movement has intention and focus, which makes the exercises extremely effective, engaging and anything but boring. Cooperation and connection between the mind and body are key. It’s definitely not reading a magazine while on a stationary bike!

Control- Using safe form and smooth, flowing movement (no momentum or jerky movement that often causes injury), the body codifies itself to explore endless possibilities.

Precision- With Pilates the emphasis is on quality, not quantity. Success is dependent on “how" you perform each exercise, not how many repetitions you can complete! You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how rapidly your strength will increase with a handful of immaculately performed repetitions. This “kinder, gentler” workout packs a huge punch!