In the 20 years of teaching Pilates I have come across many titles that associate themselves with the name PILATES.
Pilates for Runners! Pilates for Golfers! Pilates for Cyclists! Pilates Fusion! Pilates Flow! Power Pilates! Pilates for osteoporosis. You get the idea...
When it comes to Pilates there really is something for EVERYONE but I also believe these titles are misleading for both teachers and prospective clients. PILATES IS PILATES! If you are a runner it can improve your gait, your glute strength, release tightness in the hips and improve breathing. If you play golf, it does increase thoracic rotation and upper body strength and so in turn improves your swing. It will also align the spine which helps massively in addressing the ball. If you have had breast cancer, it can help build confidence in your movement and encourage you to find the good in your body again.
The content of a Pilates class is honestly not going to be vastly different to reach these goals. I could have a golfer, cyclist, runner, someone suffering from a neurological condition like Ms and someone with scoliosis. The absolute beauty of the Pilates movements lye in the fact they can be adapted or modified to accommodate the individuals needs, subsequently all of their individual goals can be met with the same movement. That said, this is assuming you are taught by an experienced teacher that has the knowledge and understanding to deal with these various needs.
I pride myself on the fact anyone can walk into a class and I can assess their posture, their gait cycle and offer movement that can help them. Whist I am not medically trained, I find it extremely useful to have an awareness of health conditions that I might encounter in a class. For example, I know we avoid any kind of flexion and flexion with rotation of the spine for osteoporosis. Ultimately though....
A fancy title will not change my approach to the class and neither should it yours!
