New to Pilates? Here’s What to Expect
Never done Pilates before? Don’t worry. You don’t need to know what you’re doing before you walk through the door.
Starting something new can feel a little daunting… You don’t know the terminology, you don’t know whether you’ll be able to do the exercises, you don’t know if everyone else will be much more experienced than you.
And you may be wondering whether you’ll be the person at the back quietly hoping nobody notices that you have absolutely no idea what ‘neutral spine’ means!
I’ve been teaching Pilates for many years, and I can tell you this:
You don’t need to know Pilates before you start Pilates.
That’s my job.
What happens when you start?
We start where you are.
I’ll introduce you to the basic principles and movements, explain what I’m asking you to do and help you understand what the exercises should feel like.
You don’t need to memorise a whole new vocabulary before your first class. And you certainly don’t need to be able to perform every exercise perfectly.
Pilates is a practice. You learn as you go.
What if I’m not very fit?
That’s okay.
You don’t need to be particularly strong, flexible or coordinated to begin. Exercises can be modified to make them more accessible, and as you become more familiar with the movements, they can be progressed to provide more challenge.
One of the things I love about Pilates is that the same movement can look quite different depending on the person doing it.
Your starting point is your starting point. There’s no prize for pretending it’s somewhere else.
What if I feel self-conscious?
This is probably one of the biggest concerns I hear from people who are new to exercise…
- Everyone else seems to know what they’re doing.
- Everyone looks confident.
- Everyone is watching you.
Except they’re probably not. They’re busy concentrating on their own bodies!
And in my small group classes, I can keep an eye on everyone and offer individual guidance when it’s needed.
You don’t have to compete with anyone else in the room. Your job is simply to work with your own body.
What will I learn?
As you become familiar with Pilates, you’ll start developing an understanding of things such as:
- breathing
- alignment
- control
- core and whole-body strength
- mobility
- balance
- coordination
- body awareness
But don’t worry, we’re not going to throw all of that at you on day one. We build your understanding over time.
And something I really want my clients to develop is body awareness.
Being able to notice what you’re doing, understand what you’re feeling and make adjustments when you need to is a skill that can be useful well beyond a Pilates class.
Is a private session worth considering?
Absolutely, but you don’t have to start with one.
Private Pilates sessions can be particularly useful if you’d like individual attention, have specific movement goals, are returning after an injury or surgery, or simply want some extra confidence before joining a group.
In a private session, the entire hour is about you. We can take our time, answer all your questions and tailor the session specifically to your needs. For some people, that’s exactly what they want. For others, jumping straight into a small group class is perfect.
There isn’t one right way to start.
The most important thing?
Don’t wait until you feel confident to begin. Confidence usually comes from beginning.
You learn the movements; you discover what your body can do; you get a little stronger; you become more familiar with the terminology and one day you realise you’re no longer the person wondering what everyone else is doing.
You’re just doing it… And that’s the bit I love seeing!
You don’t need to be good at Pilates to start.
