Hello, Pilates?

We met purely by accident. I needed a job, and a Pilates studio needed an office assistant. They didn’t mind that I had never heard of the Pilates Method. They would teach me everything.

It was 1997, and this was my first job since recovering from Toxic Shock Syndrome, which had taken a solid year for my joints to stop hurting. Not only was my body ravaged, but my spirit as well. I’d been back to working out but was oblivious to some of the types of healing that my body needed, and to the healing benefits that Pilates had to offer.

With the patience of my instructors, I began learning and practicing the exercises of Joseph Pilates. Not only was I regaining mobility in my shoulders, which had long given me problems, but my legs had slimmed down and that little inner tube around my waist was shrinking. Mostly, though, I felt better emotionally after every single workout.

One thing led to another and I became a certified Pilates instructor, almost despite myself. Not only did the Method help my body, but teaching it to others helped their bodies. It turned out I had something to offer. I was helping people. It was fulfilling and helped me grow in numerous ways beyond the physical.

Flash forward 20 plus years and although some areas of my life have felt like I was riding an underwater roller coaster in the dark, I’m grateful I’ve been able to keep Pilates as my passion and profession, not to mention a major tool in my arsenal for physical and emotional therapy. Physical movement keeps me sane, and I’ve pursued some feats that would’ve been impossible without having Pilates to realign, restore, and regenerate my body.