An idea that has slowly emerged as a rule for me in my years of practice as Pilates instructor is that the each body has one and only expert, him / her self. Clearly there are many body experts in the world, folks who have dedicated years of study to the human body. But the real buck-stopper is the person doing the work. In Pilates (as in everything, really), the doer is the worker, is the learner. As the instructor, I can say what I want, yell, jump up and down, whatever. None of it means anything if the person moving isn’t engaged with the work. Pilates is the definition of DIY exercise.
Most of us have no idea how to be the expert of our body. We have given up something that nobody else can do for us. The only way to regain that control is to learn about our body; how it works ideally, what is less than ideal, how to bridge the gap. Pilates is designed to help us do this. Pilates is designed to put us in our proper place, in control of our body. So that we are empowered to live our lives to the fullest. It’s a marvelous opportunity.
Pilates has taught me so much and I look forward to all that it will teach me in the future. For now I’m grateful for this two pearl of wisdom (I will always think of Trish Garland when I use that sweet phrase):
The only expert about your body is you. Train yourself to be the best expert you can be. Your body will thank you!
I’m thinking here is a good place to plug a fab studio for Pilates instruction!
Well sure…there are listings online. But best way is to ask around in your locale. Look for somebody with training as close to Joseph Pilates as possible. Romana Kryzanowska is the most common link between instructors of our time and Joe. Once you know what the instructor’s original training is, follow up with an inquiry about how much continuing education they’ve done. This way you get a good sense of their scope of knowledge and how much they have invested in their work. Nothing speaks commitment like the best possible training, and lots of it. We usually fall in love with our Pilates instructors because they help us in so many amazing ways. Best to fall in love with someone who has solid training and then you’ll get the best of both worlds. Here’s an idea: if you have a favorite Pilates instructor, post their name and studio in a comment below. (I’ve listed mine in a post:http://bodysleuth.com/2012/10/lets-start-at-the-very-beginning-contrology-the-art-of-control/).
Hi There!
How’s it going? I stumbled upon this via the pilates-contrology group on FB. Great blog! My own home studio is up and running and I’m happy to be doing Pilates on a regular basis again. I find that sometimes, I’m my own best teacher. Hope to run into you soon.
Troy
Yes Troy! I completely agree. These days, my notebooks and my own discipline are the only teacher that I’ve got. So far so good. See you soon in the real world, I hope…