When I first started Pilates, it was just a workout – like any other workout I had done before. And I loved it. I loved how I felt when I was finished.
I had hurt my lower back when I was younger, and between having kids and being tall, my posture wasn’t what it is today. Back then, Pilates was simply about getting a good workout. I loved the sweat, the burn, the way my body felt afterward. It was exactly what my body craved.
What I loved most was that it didn’t leave me feeling depleted. It wasn’t the kind of “killing it” workout that had me sprawled on the couch for hours, recovering because I overdid it. I had done plenty of those over the years – push hard at the gym, come home exhausted, consume more calories than I needed, and sit on the sofa to “recover.” Pilates felt different. Energizing. Restorative. Challenging, but in a way that left me feeling better, not broken.
I still believe there’s value in pushing yourself when you’re able – high intensity training has its benefits physically and mentally. But Pilates offered me something new.
I remember a Pilates colleague when I was a newbie – she was a longtime practitioner – and we would talk Pilates for hours, both on the phone and in person. She spoke about Pilates in a way I couldn’t quite grasp at the time. I remember being at a training weekend together and realizing she understood Pilates in a way I didn’t… yet.
I loved the workout. She seemed to love something deeper.
For years, I heard seasoned Pilates teachers say, “Pilates is a lifestyle.” Back then, I wasn’t fully on board with that idea. I understood it intellectually, but I didn’t feel it in my body or my life. I believe now that this understanding takes time to develop. It takes experience. And it takes patience.
Today, I do believe Pilates is a lifestyle – but I also believe it’s okay if it isn’t that for you.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Pilates is for everybody.” And while that’s true, not every body is ready for Pilates in the same way – or at the same depth. What I’m saying is this: it’s perfectly okay if Pilates is “just a workout” for you. Enjoy it. Go to class. Learn the movements. Feel good in your body.
Over time, it may become more.
Don’t force it.
Maybe one day you’re standing in line at the grocery store and you notice your posture. You realize you’re slouching, so you gently adjust – standing a little taller, a little more aligned. That’s Pilates showing up in your life.
Or maybe you’re sitting in your car and you catch yourself drawing your abdominals in toward the seat, the same way we do at the wall. That’s not a workout – that’s a habit.
Or maybe you notice your shoulders creeping up toward your ears. You soften them. You take a few deep breaths. You reconnect to your center.
These are subtle moments. Quiet moments. But they’re powerful.
That’s how something that starts as a workout slowly becomes something deeper. Not because you forced it – but because your curiosity led you there, on your own timetable.
And that, to me, is where Pilates truly lives.
