If you think Pilates is easy, you probably aren’t doing it right.

If you think Pilates is easy, you probably aren’t doing it right. Likewise, if you find it brutal and leaving you sore for days after a practice, you also aren’t doing it right.

I am a relatively newer adoptee of Pilates, having been a dedicated student of the practice for a little over 5 years and teaching it for 2. And yet I so often find myself thinking, “I really wish more people really got to experience the true magic of Pilates, instead of this warped version sweeping through studios and gyms.” I love how popular Pilates has become, especially as that popularity is probably what allowed me to find it in the first place, But the downside is there are so many Pilates or Pilates-inspired classes that inevitably the true core of the method gets diluted or disregarded all together. Pilates ends up being used to describe a yoga teacher or group fitness instructor tossing ab exercises into their class. without teaching the essence of what the practice is about. And to be clear, I am not someone who thinks Pilates should only be used to describe the original classical series. I love, love, love a creative class full of modern twists and fun transitions, weaving in today’s knowledge of movement and anatomy.

But no matter what specific exercises are being taught, if a class is called Pilates it should contain the core principles of awareness, control, and precision.

There are other principles of Pilates - the total number varying based on your source - but these three are ones I feel are notably absent from other fitness modalities.

Something I didn’t realize during my Pilates mat teacher training is how challenging it would be to teach people to trust this method of gently building strength. I have a lot of people who come to my classes looking for a just a hard workout - which yes, Pilates can definitely be a challenging workout. But when practiced in the way it is meant, the nuance in all of the principles working together provides so much more than this. It does provide an opportunity to build strength, but without killing yourself, which is definitely a hard sell for some. We have this attachment to the idea that workouts need to be intense and punishing in order to be effective and worth our time. Oooh this one is hard. When I teach movement classes, it is important to me to use positive language. I try my best to refrain from saying “be careful of this” or “don’t do this” and instead focus on cues stating what they should be doing or focusing on. But damn if I don’t find myself wanting to just say “stop straining yourself so hard! That’s not Pilates!” Of course I don’t, and honestly I don’t want to stop anyone from doing movement that feels good to them.

But the benefits of Pilates do not come from killing yourself at every class.

They come from working in a place where you can maintain that precision and control of movement, and slowly but steadily progressing from there. This makes injuries much less common and soreness unnecessary. You should never be gritting your teeth to get through a Pilates sequence. The most advanced person in the room isn’t the one who can complete the most reps of the most difficult variation offered. It is the student who knows how to engage the correct muscles and has the body-mind communication to know where they need to modify or rest on any given sequence. This is precision, awareness, control. But unfortunately the no pain, no gain mentality runs deep and I often see students pushing themselves past the point they should. I’ve discovered that a big part of teaching Pilates is just about helping people discover they don’t need to hurt themselves in order to progress.

The other side of the coin is people who think Pilates is too easy.

A belief that typically comes from a lack of awareness in how to properly engage certain muscles. Side kick is a good example of where this shows up. It takes quite a lot of engagement and control to sweep your leg forward and back while balancing on one hand and knee without allowing the spine to arch and round. And that is exactly what I often see, students just sweeping their leg forward and back allowing their spine to go along for the ride, which greatly reduces the effectiveness and benefits of the exercise. But, those students are just copying what they see a teacher or someone else in the room doing, at least that’s what they think. They see someone sweeping a leg back and forth and do the same - box checked. And I suppose that’s the thing about Pilates, often so much of the power of it is quiet. It isn’t big splashy moves, or at least it certainly doesn’t have to be. It’s a question of whether or not you are moving in a way that is intentional and honest. It’s asking whether or not you are being true to yourself. That’s what I feel the principles of Pilates give us - a commitment to being true to ourselves.

Pilates is not a type of exercise where you celebrate huge increases in weight or impressive new shapes you can make with your body.

Pilates, practiced in the way it was designed to be, is not the loudest person at the party.

Pilates is the calm one in the corner, holding deep conversations with one or two other people at a time. Quietly and unobtrusively keeping the snacks and drinks refilled, helping everything run smoothly. The person who emits a quiet strength, sure of themself and who they are. They are not looking to impress anyone, only to connect with others in an authentic way. Pilates is the friend who always has your back, offering encouragement and support no matter your season of life. They give amazing advice, but only when you ask for it. Pilates as a person wears an open, friendly expression, walks with a light step, and of course, has beautiful posture.

My wish is for everyone to experience the power of Pilates practiced in it’s true form. Because that method is more than just a workout, it is a returning to yourself. The awareness you develop through precise, controlled, intentional movement stays with you long after you have left the mat and affects the way you treat yourself and others through the rest of your day.

It affects how you move through the world - not only with more physical ease, but with more awareness of how your choices and actions affect you and everyone else.

I am so thankful for the teachers who introduced me to the truth of Pilates, and for the opportunity to teach it to others. It is amazing, to watch people progress as they do find the nuance in the exercises. When they really discover that center engagement and realize how it can impact every move they make. When they finish a class that was decidedly not one where they were miserable or killing themselves, and yet they feel empowered and strong.

If you are a student of Pilates, I encourage you to take everything down a notch. Not going your hardest in a class, but instead focusing on how true to yourself you can be. Engaging the muscles, moving with precision and control, and being intentional on your mat. And if you are also a teacher, I encourage you to remember that Pilates is its own thing and is meant to be different than other types of workouts.

In a time where pushing harder and doing crazier modifications has become the norm, it can make us all feel the need to match that energy ourselves.

So I hope you can gift yourself the reminder that Pilates, as it is meant to be practiced, is so much more powerful than just what you see on the outside. You are not only building strength and increasing mobility, but developing and deepening other skills that will stay with you long after your time on the mat has wrapped up. That gift is worth staying true to Pilates, and in turn, true to yourself.