My First Love
Hi, I’m Grace — Pilates Instructor, Stretch Therapist, and Personal Trainer based here in the South Bay.
This week, I want to share a love story — my long-lasting relationship with my first love: Pilates. Not just what Pilates is, but what it has meant to me and what I believe it can offer you.
If you’re interested, I’d love for you to read along.
What Pilates means to me
Recently, I tried to sum up Pilates in a social media post:
(See the video HERE)
Pilates is:
Taking your time.
Taking care with your positioning.
Using props to help you engage your muscles.
Breathing with intention.
Focusing on specific muscles to engage your core.
It is slow and precise.
It is taking time to experience your body.
To me, Pilates is all of the above.
I’ve been both a student and a teacher, and I’ve seen firsthand what Pilates is not.
Pilates is not:
Rushing through movements
Chasing a specific body type
Mindless exercises done without intention or awareness
Pilates is a practice of intention, not just a set of exercises.
More than just moves
Over the years I’ve learned that Pilates isn’t really about which moves you perform. It is about how you perform them.
It’s about:
connecting thoughtfully with your body
moving with focus
embracing control
developing a deeper understanding of how your body works
Even when a movement looks simple, the experience of doing it well — with intention, awareness, and engagement — is where the value lies.
I often find in class that the simplest exercises, when performed correctly, bring the greatest challenge.
A Quick Fun Fact
In classical Pilates, the method created by Joseph Pilates, there are 34 original exercises.
These are often deconstructed, adapted, and woven together to create the classes you may know and love today.
I rarely teach these original 34 moves in their pure classical form. Instead, I adapt them in ways that best support the experience of the class. Making them accessible, effective, and appropriate for the group in front of me.
Why This Matters
Pilates changed how I move, how I feel and connect to my body.
It taught me:
to slow down (and be ok with being slow!)
to breathe with purpose
to notice what muscles are working
to respect the intelligence of movement
It isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence.
Pilates Outside The Studio
Practicing pilates, slowing down and moving with intention has changed more than just how I move in a class.
With Pilates in mind I regularly find myself doing the following:
Noticing my posture when I am stood still at the traffics lights or in a queue. Softening my knees, pulling my ribs down and letting my shoulders relax.
Breathing deep into my belly and ribs when I find myself in a moment of stress.
Pulling my head back into alignment with my spine when I am sat working on my computer to ease tension in my upper back.
Pilates is a journey,
A practice of stepping into your body. Honouring its health and longevity and working with yourself for yourself to build strength and stability.
If you haven’t tried Pilates yet — or are curious about experiencing it in a more intentional, supportive way — I’d love to work with you. Feel free to reach out.
