Social Workout

Workout

Monkey, Frog and Mongoose, oh my.

I think Pilates done well and correctly with a teacher who is passionate about the practice can be an amazing thing. 10 years ago, when no one had heard of Pilates, I studied with a mean little woman who learned from a Joseph Pilates protege, and while I didn't like her, she was amazingly precise and helped me over come some serious body issues. That year opened up the world of fitness to me by clearing away knee and back pain that conventual avenues had told me I would be plagued with forever. As Pilates got more mainstream however, the really good studios and teachers could charge a premium because they really ARE better then the mat class taught in your local gym and I got priced out. I knew too much to ever be content with a normal mat class and couldn't afford to go to a reformer class at the specialty places. I found other things to love but I still miss Pilates.
Yesterday, I got to go to Mongoose Bodyworks for a private reformer session thanks to Social Workout and finishing the last challenge! I never, ever win anything and because I LOVE Pilates Equipment classes it was a huge treat so I had to use it right away. First off, the studio itself is beautiful, intimate and immaculate. I got a little lost on the floor it was on which made me feel a little inept but that was quickly remedied by the warm and sweet welcome I received at the studio. Caitlyn who was my teacher was really, really good. She is talented at what she does, funny, encouraging while still being really precise. After a few roll-downs so she could see how my spine articulated and my body was aligned, we then talked about what I wanted to do and on the fly she came up with the perfect blend for me. Caitlyn was very focused on the tinyest variation of each movement and making sure I was doing it correctly. It was so amazing to be able to feel each thing exactly the way it was meant to be done and such a good reminder to me about the thing I loved about Pilates, was how the smallest movements made all the difference in the world. Mostly we worked on the Cadillac, which is easily the coolest of the machines ever designed. It is always surprising how much you can do on that thing. Oh and she let me do Monkey, which was my favorite move from ages ago. The hour went by quickly but was challenging and surprisingly tiring. And yes it was that kind of perfect class where you can't help but hug the teacher at the end for being so wonderful.
Mongoose was a wonderful place! It is warm, inspiring and they are REALLY talented at teaching the nuances of the Pilates method. I couldn't have asked for more... it was heavenly!