Pilates and Other Exercise

I have been aware of Pilates as an exercise phenomenon for some time.  Several years ago, I took a free class at the local Y, but I did not follow up.  Not because I did not enjoy the class, but because the local Y is in the city where there is only street parking and the class was at night.  I did not want to be walking city streets after dark by myself.

The class I took at the  Vermont Y was a mat class.  The method was developed by Joseph Pilates as a rehabilitation method for injured athletes and was made popular by dancers who embraced its core strengthening results.

At the nearby Y in Florida, there was a Pilates room filled with all kinds of equipment.  I took yoga classes at that Y but never ventured into the Pilates room.  It looked like a torture chamber out of the Middle Ages.

While in Florida this past winter, I discovered a small studio near my home that offered “standing Pilates.”  The touted benefit was improved balance so I signed right up. I have found similar routines on YouTube under “Barre Pilates.”

I enjoyed the class, but I went right back to my favorite yoga studio now that I am back in Vermont.  I will do the Pilates on my own still.  It really helped with an achy hip, and it does reinforce the body-mind connection.  But, in the end, I pick yoga for its mind-body-spirit connections.

I am walking for exercise as well.  This is always a rude shock upon return to Vermont.  Every single year, I forget how the body adjusts to walking at sea level.  Lungs get used to the easy flow of air and scream about the need for greater efficiency at higher elevations.