There is no right or wrong answer about whether to play music in a Pilates class. If you take classes from different instructors, you may know that some use music and some do not. There are different theories behind whether to play music or not during classes.

Reasons for Not Playing Music:

• It can be a distraction from everything you need to focus on during Pilates
• The beat can make it difficult to follow the Pilates breath
• When people recognize a song, they are brought somewhere else in the same way a smell can take you back to a particular memory

Reasons to Play Music:

• The right music can help keep people’s energy up or relax them, depending on the desire
• It can be a good distraction
• Some clients don’t feel comfortable in a quiet room while working out

Different instructors work different ways. I like to play music because I think it’s energizing, but I try to get around the issue of distraction by playing music people might not be familiar with, usually using music in another language. I also try to keep the volume low.

It’s easy to put almost anything ahead of exercising, especially if you don’t like it, but exercising is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. It is good for your mind and body. You don’t need to feel guilty about making time for exercising. When you exercise you’ll feel better and that will rub off on everyone around you. When you make time for yourself, you are doing others a service as well.

As this summer rushes by, try to make an effort to make exercise a priority. When scheduling activities make sure you leave time for whatever type of activity makes your feel good–walking, running, the gym, a Pilates class. You’ll feel better afterward and the feeling will last all day.

Make a list of all the ways exercising will benefit you and stick it to the bathroom mirror or the refrigerator–wherever it will remind you to make exercise a priority.

Here’s a start:

• Better Night’s Sleep
• Better Self Esteem
• Better Health
• Stronger
• Time for Yourself
• Learn About Your Body
• Weight Loss

Let us know what else you would add to the list by commenting on this blog. You’re thoughts will help others.

Often in classes when I am showing an exercise, clients will comment about how easy I make it look. Everyone should know that Pilates exercises are not easy, even for instructors. If the exercises are easy something is probably wrong. Of course, different exercises are easier or harder depending on your body type.

As an instructor when we are teaching, we are showing you how to do an exercise. We’re usually talking, so chances are we aren’t doing the proper breathing, we may not be holding our belly button to our spine. Our job at that time is to be there for you, so we aren’t working at the level we would if we were taking a class. However, you aren’t trained to notice where we err. When I take a Pilates class, I can be pretty vocal–moaning and groaning with the best of them. But I can also sigh when an exercise or a stretch feels good.

Instructors don’t have perfect bodies–we have stronger and weaker muscles from the different types of wear and tear we put on our bodies. There are exercises that I don’t perform well […]

Very often in Pilates classes whether I have a beginner class learning all new exercises or an intermediate class trying something quite challenging for the first time, clients often see new exercises. Often there is laughter because some of the exercises like the Seal look ridiculous even though they challenging you in ways none of the other exercises do. But there are also comments and a laughter of disbelief. People often tell themselves they can’t do it before they even try.

Then they do the exercise and do it quite well. It may not be perfect and it may not be perfected for weeks. With some body types it may never get perfected. The exercise may always be a challenge, but (assuming there aren’t restrictive injuries) most people can do it to varying degrees.

It seems societal that we put ourselves down before we even begin something as if that makes it okay if we fail. Why do we think it’s bad to fail at something? Of course we are scared of the consequences or in the case of Pilates we’re nervous about looking stupid or feeling weak, but […]