Pilates is NOT about 'The Core'

Gasp! Pilates is not about ‘the core’????

What kind of craziness is this, you may be asking yourself – everything I’ve heard says Pilates teaches you to have a ‘strong core’!! To, you know, protect your back and stuff. Well…sure. Pilates helps you create supportive postural muscles which some may think of as the core. But ‘the core’ is part of a system and Pilates develops your whole system.

So if my focus is not just ‘the core’ then what else creates a fun and empowering movement experience in my classes? Well, dear reader, you are in for treat…

The Nine Teaching Notions of Nicole

(Yes, I wanted to alliterate so I chose the word ‘notions’. It’s the English teacher in me!)

But what are these concepts anyway? Well, it’s me distilling down what I’ve learned over the past 7 years of teaching Pilates, 3 years of teaching yoga before that and 10 years of teaching English before that. And, just being a Person with a Body that Moves.

Although I may not talk about the ideas below in class, they inform my teaching and my life, they are entwined into my thinking and my actions, and thus create an experience, for you, with me. Check them out and see if they jive with you.

Nicole’s Nine Teaching Notions:

1.       Teach the human in front of you right now.

2.       There are no barriers to physical movement – not size, physical fitness, mental fitness, age, gender, colour, etc

3.       Movement, for the client, is more than the exercises; its affected by their biology, psychology and sociology.

4.       Classes are process-oriented vs perfection-oriented.

5.       Alignment and exercises are tools to give you better movement choices. With Pilates you’re simply learning how to use those tools and when to use them.

6.       We’ll move the spine in all ways each class – side bends, rotations, forward bends and back extensions and everything in between (as long as it’s appropriate for your body!)

7.       There will be laughter (from both of us!).

8.       I encourage you to listen and respect what your body is telling you.

9.       Just move. Experiment, play, learn by doing.

Photo by Hence The Boom, from Unsplash

What will the actual movement experience be?

So what does this actually look like in class? Allow to me explain…

1.       Teach the human in front of you right now:

You will never be compared (by me!) to another body/person. I don’t expect that every exercise is appropriate for everybody or every body. For example, some bodies have knee injuries that make it painful to be on their knees. There are a ton of other non-kneeling positions that can accomplish the same movement goal as in a kneeling position. One of the great things about Pilates is the easy modifications! Also, maybe you’ve had a flare-up this morning from a disorder (i.e. hypermobility, arthritis) – we will adjust your movement session to accommodate that, maybe focusing on using breath to reduce tension, or softening movements so they don’t cause pain. Also as a human you have emotions and thoughts that affect your movement and body as well. They are very important for me to consider as well.

2.       There are no barriers to physical movement – not size, physical fitness, mental fitness, age, gender, colour, etc.:

I never assume a person can’t do something because of their age, gender, race, etc. I strive to be anti-racist, and value your input and feedback.

3.       Movement, for the mover, is more than the exercises; it’s affected by their biology, psychology and sociology:

• Biology: Building on the first two notions, biology does affect how a body can move but a teacher can never generalize from client to client. For example if one 80-yr old client can squat very low, I wouldn’t expect the next 80-yr old to be able to do exactly the same thing.

• Psychology and sociology: If movement has always been painful for a body then they may rightfully have an aversion to it! This is one example but the point is that I strive to be aware and communicate with my client about how they feel mentally, emotionally and physically as they move. We may not be able to do certain movements if they trigger strong emotions and that’s fine. We can always find a workaround or stop the session. Your body, your choice!

4.       Classes are process-oriented vs perfection-oriented

To stay motivated, you will be working towards goals. I like these goals to be something not necessarily “Pilates exercise” related. It is more motivating if the thing is functional in your daily life – for example, ‘be able to squat down to garden’. But you can of course also have ‘be able to bust out a handstand’ as your goal. It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that you have something to make and record progress to so that you can stay engaged and consistent. I am not looking for you to perform a movement perfectly or correctly. Movement is a continuum, there’s always somewhere else to go – we want to learn how to appreciate the journey.

5.       Alignment and exercises are tools to give you better movement choices. With Pilates you’re simply learning how to use those tools and when to use them.

To be honest I don’t only teach Pilates exercises. I show you that you have options for how you move and what instances might be better choices for your body in order to keep it functioning optimally.

6.       We’ll move the spine in all ways each class – side bends, rotations, forward bends and back extensions and everything in between, as long as it’s appropriate for your body that day.

7.       There will be laughter (from both of us!).

It may just be me cackling to myself if I flub some words but usually there’s some mutual giggling and good times going on. It may feel like play. It may even be play.

8.       I encourage you to listen and respect what your body is telling you.

• This is how change happens in the body and brain: focusing, being attentive, feeling, sensing, experiencing.

• I draw your attention to the experience of the movement so that when you are out of the studio you can choose to recall that feeling by doing that movement or make a different choice.

9.       Just move. Experiment, play, learn by doing. No pressure.

Did this quick trip into the teaching side of my brain is give you the flavour of my teaching style? Book a free trial, or a private lesson!

Keep movin’ yer bod, with joy!

Nicole