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I started my Pilates journey back in March 2024, and I can honestly say it has changed my life. The way I see and use my body has never been more mindful (and demure, of course!). I now see it as my best tool. During this journey, I have come to learn that who you train with has a significant impact on your overall experience. My classes never have more than four people, which is wonderful since the instructor can be extra attentive to your form. I take my Pilates classes at Centro La Paz in Rincón, Puerto Rico. I drive from Río Piedras to the west side just to take this class, and I have zero regrets. My amazing instructor, Vivienne Miranda, has been kind enough to let me ask her a few questions about Pilates so our readers can get a bit more acquainted with this form of movement.
Retrieved from La Paz
What inspired you to become a Pilates instructor?
“I was a dancer for many years, and one of my movement instructors required all the dancers to do Pilates as part of our conditioning. I started that way, and when I was older and had my kids, I ended up having an emergency hysterectomy, which affected my pelvic floor, my core strength, just everything. I returned to Pilates once more as part of my rehabilitation, and it has done wonders. I’ve been doing it since I was in college over 20 years ago, but now it’s just my preventative medicine.”
How has Pilates evolved over time?
“With classical Pilates, the exercises consist of about 20–30 basic movements, and within those movements, there are progressions, advancements, and modifications. Now, a lot of teachers have incorporated different elements; from calisthenics, dance, aerobics, and weight training. There is a big discussion in the Pilates community about what is considered classical. For me, I tend to be a creature of routine, habit, and old school. If it is not broken, why try to fix it? If the original method worked and still works, that is what I prefer. Plus, it keeps things disciplined and fine-tuned, and you know it works. When you play with it, you’re experimenting.”
How would you describe the core philosophy of Pilates to someone who has never tried it?
“The core philosophy of Pilates is to create a well-rounded, healthy person. It promotes oxygen flow, alignment, posture, integration, balance, spatial awareness, concentration, and coordination. We do that by using machines that give us resistance through springs and a moving carriage. If you are standing on a moving surface, you must work with that dynamic and control your body. This can teach you simple things like how to fall or how to get up and down from a chair. These are movements we take for granted, but after a surgery like a hysterectomy, where it takes six months to stand up and sit down, you appreciate them more. For someone who has not done Pilates before, if you are looking for better oxygen flow, tone, balance, and strength, it is perfect. It also makes you happier—the biggest antidepressant is exercise and movement, and people underutilize it.”
What are some common misconceptions about Pilates that you encounter?
“That it’s only for young, pretty, white girls. That big girls don’t do it, that men don’t do it, that older people don’t do it, that queer people don’t do it, that people with disabilities don’t do it, that pregnant people don’t do it. Everybody does Pilates, and everyone should do Pilates. A misconception is that it’s ‘pretty,’ that it’s only for thin, flexible people. I don’t look like an Instagram Pilates girl, and some of my favorite teachers are the opposite—even men.”
What advice would you give someone starting Pilates to ensure they stick with it and see results?
“Joseph Pilates used to say, ‘You start to see results when you start doing it three times a week.’ You feel it after the first session, and you really start integrating it after the second session. By the third session, it just becomes part of your lifestyle. For people who are able to do Pilates three times a week, I usually suggest a rest day in between or doing something else like running or yoga. For my students, I suggest starting with mat Pilates because it’s the foundation. It makes you stronger and more familiar with your breath and your body before moving on to the apparatus.”
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I hope that these words of wisdom from a Pilates expert (and yours truly) motivate you to book your first class. This is a lifestyle, and I would not change it for the world. Not only has this practice healed my relationship with my body, but it has also shifted the way I see food, especially after recovering from past eating disorders. Pilates has taught me the importance of how my body feels, rather than how it looks. Every movement I do on that reformer is with purpose. It has encouraged me to lead my wellness practice with purpose—and my life as well.