What Pilates has given me!

Over Thanksgiving weekend and I’ve had some time to take a deep breath or two and relax. I always find Thanksgiving to be a time of contemplation. It’s a time to take stake of what is good and appreciate the opportunities, people, and accomplishments in my life.

This Thanksgiving has me thinking about what Pilates has done for me. When I started my Pilates journey, I was teaching spinning, running races, and lifting weights. It was challenging for me to get onboard with the pace of Pilates at first. The breathing was foreign to me as well. In my other athletic pursuits, I never thought about breathing - I just did it. Both of these aspects of Pilates ended up having a profound affect on me. Slowing down was what I needed to combat a stressful day job. Proper breathing improved all my other athletic pursuits and helped me connect to my core.

Pilates also helped me rehab my own body. I had had major abdominal surgery twice years prior to finding Pilates. My abdominal muscles were cut and I was left with a 9 inch incision scar and diastases recti. Even 10 years later - Pilates changed my body and helped me heal in ways I didn’t think were possible.

Pilates also gave me a career I could feel really good about. I had a prior career in advertising and there were many days I just did not feel like I was contributing positively to the world with my job. Pilates allows me to help people feel better, get stronger and alleviate pain. That is truly rewarding!

Pilates also gave me many friendships. When I look around - so many of my close friends came from Pilates either as students, colleagues or mentors. There is just something about Pilates and the relationships that happen!

Discovering Pilates truly changed me life and for that I am grateful!