My Pilates Backstory
My Pilates backstory begins with my twenty-five year old self combing through the modest fitness section of my local book store looking for something, anything, that could fix the persistent back pain I’d had since giving birth (a connection I hadn’t yet made.)
Did I mention I was rifling for this back cure with a baby in a sling across my chest and a toddler on one hip? Genius.
Finding the Order…
This was when I discovered a life-changing read: The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler. It was 1999 and the only thing I knew about Pilates was that the cast of Friends had tried it. That fact alone was enough to make me roll my eyes and move on, but a quick thumb-through revealed intriguing illustrations that still come to my mind today when I get root my hips to the mat and twist upward like a tree during Spine Twist or when I see the ball my body is becoming as I articulate through Rolling Like a Ball. It was movement fueled by imagination and so different from the vapid women’s fitness magazines at that time. I had to try it and -Oh my gosh!- it was challenging.
Apparently, my routine of running, pushups, pull-ups, crunches, and cardio kickboxing was not the total sum of “fitness.” Even the beginner exercises in this book required a level of concentration I had never before applied to moving my body. After 15 minutes I realized I was not the athlete I had once believed myself to be. I also noted that I had zero back pain.
This is a very dramatic turn-around and may not be everyone’s experience but through the years I have heard and read that it is shared by many. As long as I did the mat exercises, I felt pretty good. I didn’t understand why, at that time, but I didn’t need to.
… Then Losing It.
A few years into my mat practice I became certified to teach beginner and intermediate mat through a classical teacher training program. However, there was no studio near me that would allow me to teach the exercises in their order to the people’s needs in front of me. The studio landscape was radically different than it is today. I didn’t want to memorize a video each week and perform the routine for a mixed group of 30 that I couldn’t even see from my spot on the floor. So I stepped back from my teaching ambitions. I was also encouraged by a well-meaning doctor to stop Pilates as my migraines had worsened. So, I stopped and went on to other things. My migraines did not improve and my back pain returned.
Almost 20 years later, I went through an intense period of family life where many nights I fell in bed exhausted both mentally and emotionally, yet having done nothing physical but drive or sit for hours. It was an exacting time of family care, aging, and grief. How I wish I’d had my Pilates practice then.
When that time ended I was not the same. I was 49 with back pain, and a knee that would “catch” at weird times, and severe perimenopause symptoms. I felt like life had blown though me and left me broken, and those headaches had only worsened.
Returning to Life
Quitting Pilates did not seem to help my body at all, so why not pull out my little spiral notebook of Pilates exercises- the one with the little stick figures scribbled in the margin to quickly jog my memory? It felt like looking at an old diary: a hefty dose of déjà vu mixed with a little embarrassment. Why did I think I could make this into a career?
When I began my Hundred pumps, my brain kicked on. After the Series of 5, I remembered what to do, but my body was wobbly and couldn’t catch up. By the time I reached Leg Pull Back it cried, “Uncle!” and I collapsed to the floor, laughing. I’m not exaggerating when I say I felt some elation. My body clearly needed this working over and the old curiosity was stoked. I also felt very excited. You don’t always get to do something like this for the first time, twice. I was at such a physical low, the only path forward for me was upward.
The next few months I built my mat practice, ordered a reformer, and continued a daily practice. I found my arm/ back connection and was feeling stronger than 25 year old me. I signed up for a live OPC even at Aign East in Austin and experienced the chair for the first time in a workshop, surrounded by Pilates teachers.
Becoming a Forever Student
I realized I wanted to do this- to teach other people what I was learning and provide the environment and tools for experimentation. I knew I would never be finished learning about the human body and how Pilates is movement that heals, but I didn’t have to know it all to help others take ownership in their own practice. I also really, really wanted a Wunda Chair.
I powered through a year of training, mentoring, and practice teaching in order to get my comprehensive certification through Balanced Body in 2025. It was proabably the hardest thing I have ever done, but at no point did I want to quit. I had passed the point of learning just for myself. I was now learning for your sake, too. Your potential needs and learning styles were on my mind. How could I make learning a smoother experience for you? How could I help you create a Pilates practice that adapts to doctor’s orders rather than evaporating, like mine did?
Learning With you
I see God’s hand in all of my life experiences, guiding me toward joy. But I no longer see these physical stages as just my own, they are also fuel for understanding where you may be in your body as a frustrated athlete, or a mid-lifer with nagging pain, or maybe you’ve never known how a “connected” body can feel and where to begin that process.
I want to help you find your strength, from the inside out- to help you learn “your exercises” and re-learn joy in movement. I also am here to support your practice at every stage of life. I am a lifelong learner, so let’s learn together!