The other day, while teaching a group class, I found myself thinking about something that happens often in Pilates.
We were working on Side to Side on the Short Box. As usual, I was curing a rhythm for the movement. The rhythm gives clients an idea of the pace and flow of the exercise. As I watched, I noticed something interesting. Some people moved with the rhythm while others rushed ahead.
It got me thinking about how often we do that in life.
We know where we’re going. We know what the finished exercise looks like. We know the destination. But sometimes we’re so focused on getting there that we miss the work that’s available along the way.
Take Elephant on the Reformer.
You assume the position. The carriage moves out and then returns in. On the surface, it seems simple enough. But there’s a moment – a very small moment – when the carriage is held out before it begins its return.
That moment is where the work lives.
A client can simply bring the carriage back in, or they can choose to dig a little deeper. They can connect more fully to their center, organize the body more precisely, and control every inch of the movement. It’s subtle. Almost invisible from the outside. Yet internally, it can be profound.
Those tiny moments are where Pilates becomes more than exercise.
We practice the same movements over and over again. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year.
Yet the goal isn’t simply to repeat them.
The goal is to discover something new each time.
Maybe you find a deeper connection to your powerhouse. Maybe you notice how your feet are working. Maybe you discover a muscle that has been quietly sitting out on the job. Maybe your balance feels different, your breath becomes more intentional, or your awareness sharpens.
These discoveries are valuable. They are new information for your body and your brain. They help create new neural pathways and new possibilities for movement.
The exercises may stay the same, but you do not.
Every session offers an opportunity to learn something new.
So the next time you’re in class, don’t be in such a hurry to arrive at the end of the exercise. Take a moment to explore what happens along the way.
Become a little like Jacques Cousteau, the famous ocean explorer. Approach your Pilates practice with curiosity and wonder. There is always something new to discover beneath the surface.
Enjoy the journey.
Because sometimes the most important part isn’t where you’re going – it’s what you find along the way.
