Pilates and Me

I've been a teacher of the Alexander Technique for well over twenty years. The Technique is an educational process designed to show people how they can learn to improve their physical functioning - how they can perform whatever activities they engage in more efficiently, with a minimum of harmful tension. Alexander Technique teachers are not generally concerned with what their students do, but rather with how they do things. In line with this approach, most teachers of the Technique do not recommend specific exercises for their students - although they generally do not discourage their students from exercising.

I was a little surprised a few years ago when several of my students reported that what they were learning in their lessons matched closely what they had learned with Pilates training. I knew very little of Pilates other than it was the new fitness craze, that it emphasized "core strength" and that it involved a very specific program of exercises.

At first I paid little attention to this "intrusion" of Pilates into my life, but eventually it became impossible to ignore. I had a new student who was actually a Pilates instructor--and at around the same time, a Pilates studio opened up just a few blocks from my home! I decided it was time to do some investigating for myself.

So for about two years, I had weekly private Pilates sessions with a highly-qualified instructor. In addition, I spent about fifteen minutes a day doing "matwork" at home. There were definitely some immediate effects--and after only a few weeks, several people said they noticed a difference in my appearance. And I certainly felt a general strengthening of my abdominal muscles.

But despite regular classes and "homework", not a lot seemed to change after the first few months. And while I liked my instructor, I absolutely hated the hour of Pilates exercises. I used to joke with her that the worst fifteen minutes of my life each week was walking to class, anticipating what was about to come, and that the best fifteen minutes was walking home, knowing it would be a full week until I had to endure the process again! During the class I was constantly peeking at my watch so see how much more I had to endure.

After a couple of years of this, I was ready to quit. Fortunately, at that very moment a friend and colleague, John Macy, became interested in Pilates. John is an Alexander Technique teacher and a physical therapist and has recently become a certified Pilates matwork teacher. When I described my Pilates experience to him, he offered to work with me in a different, more "Alexander Technique oriented," way.

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