Pilates for beginners

pilates for beginners

I remember my first Pilates class clearly: West Point Grey Community Centre, equally a two minute jaunt from my ace beachside home of three years, and from the fabulous Jericho Sailing Centre — where’d I’d virtually lived for a few long and lovely summers. 

It was deep autumn, and I was deeply anxious: awaiting the outcome of my visa application to live and work in Vancouver for a good while longer. 

A friend, and frequent accomplice in all sorts of carefree sailing shenanigans, told me how Pilates classes helped her escape the pressures of a wild job. While intensely challenging for mind and body, she said Pilates was somehow, against all the odds, super relaxing too.

Her posture and back pain had improved and she regaled me with tales of flailing limbs (hers) and astonishing strength (all the older people in her class). Oh how we chuckled. 

So when a rare space became free in a beginners course run by Vancouver City Council, I stumped up some of my dwindling dollars and cracked on down the hill to class.

My mind and body both were equally out of sorts, because of all the future uncertainty. And when I turned up to that first session, I was very far from being in mid-season form.

I arrived awkwardly early, and my classmates were awkwardly silent. But the space was beautiful…large and airy, old wood, huge windows, creaking floors, low light. Peaceful and then some.

That first session the actual movements were minimal. But the instruction so precise that my whole mind was occupied. Small specific muscular engagements, new rhythms for breath, and taking the time to appreciate and experience my body and mind moving in new ways. 

I learnt exactly what my core muscles were, and how to use them. Then how to mobilise my spine, hips, shoulders, neck, head, ankles…toes even. I was concentrating so hard that my mind was completely lifted away from my troubles. And the relief was profound.

After an hour, I stood up from the mat and realised I felt better than I had in many months. When asked, I said it felt like things were in the right place again. And from that very first class I took all I had learnt up and off the mat, and out into my everyday life. I felt so much better for it. 

But what is Pilates? I helpfully wrote a blog about this a while back. It’s far less nostalgic and waffly than this one. So if you want some facts, not my life history, go there. The link is a sentence or two back.

so how do beginners start pilates?

You’ll be pleased to hear that a crisis is not essential.

That said, we all are some way through experiencing crisis right now. And as I can testify, and much research proves, regular exercise is invaluable for improving health for body and mind, especially when we’re up against it. So if you’ve been thinking about giving Pilates a whirl — just do it!

The great thing about Pilates is that it’s a foundational form of exercise. Or that’s how I think of it.

In other words, it can help you build strong muscles and flexibility, through a low impact series of movements, enabling you to do more of the things you love off the mat — whether that be walking, cycling, sailing, running…running around after your children / grandchildren, or spending hours in the garden. 

is Pilates a good workout for beginners? 

Absolutely. It is a low impact mind body form of exercise. We connect movement with breath, relaxing the mind while strengthening the body.

So if you are not used to exercising regularly, it is a safe and gentle place to begin.

At Lark we are very much aligned with Joe Pilates’ ethos — the more fresh air and and outdoor adventuring the better: Pilates can create the springboard for getting out and about and enjoying the great outdoors whether in team sports or simply walking with friends.

Pilates should not be your only form of exercise, but it’s a very good place to begin.

why is pilates good for you?

In short:

In long:

how often should a beginner do Pilates?

I get asked this a lot. I generally recommend starting with one hour-long / 40 minute Pilates session each week. Be consistent.

And try to take all you learn out of class and into your everyday life…so practice engaging and relaxing your core abs, lengthen up through your spine as you wait for the kettle to boil, perfect your squats while tying your shoelaces. Or simply mobilise your spine with a lovely roll down stretch first thing in the morning. 

If getting to a weekly class in person is tricky, consider a hybrid option — attending a live class regularly on Zoom, and joining a monthly session in person. At Lark we happen to have launched just such an option. With four Zoom Pilates classes to choose from each week, plus a monthly Saturday morning session in person. Here’s the full timetable.

I’d always advise joining Pilates classes run by a qualified instructor, obviously. And ensure that whatever you sign up for, you are offered good contact with your instructor in one form or another. That way, an expert can check that classes are suitable for you before you join, and can be on hand to answer any questions you may have. All this is preferable to simply diving into youtube.

Once you have a good level of strength and familiarity with Pilates movements, perhaps add in another session each week too.

Many Lark clients find that attending two sessions each week is optimal for body and mind, but some come more often! The beauty of teaching Pilates across several platforms now, is that your favourite classes are more or less accessible anytime that suits you. 

At Lark we offer several classes in person each week, one in person class each month, four live Pilates classes online via Zoom each week, and an online video library of Pilates classes available anytime, anywhere for members of Lark Pilates Online Studio.

And private lessons are an excellent option in person or online if you are keen for some bespoke teaching too.

I teach the APPI (Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute) version of Pilates, which takes Joe Pilates’ original 34 exercises and updates them with the latest research in physiotherapy — one of the reasons why APPI Pilates is used in the NHS for rehab, and in elite sport too.

APPI Pilates practitioners have a rigorous commitment to continuing professional development, and have access to a significant range of specialised training courses to cheer them along this road. So far I have added ante and post-natal Pilates, shoulder rehabilitation and Pilates for osteoporosis to my portfolio. Great stuff!

how hard is Pilates for beginners

I guess like starting anything new, there are challenges — and that’s half the fun. New ways of thinking, and using muscles that have perhaps been dormant for a while can for sure be hard.

But in this case, the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’ certainly does not apply. As you build your Pilates practice you should always be working within a range of movement that feels comfortable for you. It should never feel painful. 

Hard work, however, is something else. Hard work is often uncomfortable in one way or another, but the benefits that result can come in no other way.

And that is where so many of us come unstuck with exercise. The key is routine. And discipline. Doing your workout regardless of whether the sofa looks more appealing. The Pilates movements themselves? Challenging, yes. But not hard.

Another thing that can make Pilates hard, is the vibe of the class. Boring Pilates, yup, hard to stick with. Super competitive Pilates classes awash with posh athleisure-wear, also not appealing to most beginners. And the most off-putting thing about a new class for me? The silent room upon arrival. Yikes. The awkward horror! 

At Lark we reckon the best exercise happens when we are relaxed and able to focus. So the vibe is upbeat, the room warm, welcoming, and surrounded by green space (so we can get outside when fine too). For me, all these things are super important.

I think many more people would get into regular exercise if they felt the ‘fitness space’ was for them. Many of us simply feel we don’t belong in these environments. And while competition is obviously central to sport, it’s often irrelevant in a committed fitness routine.

Excellent campaigns such as This Girl Can are super important, and can be powerful for shifting culture.

Moving your body, moving your body better — this should be for everyone that can.

I wish I could remember the name of my first Pilates instructor. I would write and thank her now.

There were only six classes in that beginners course, but they really changed my life. Not just because I’m now delighted to also be a Pilates instructor. But because it was such a life-saver at that tricky old time in my life.

Although I felt beset on all sides, through Pilates I somehow found new strength for body and mind in the midst of it all. And although it was hard work — often a challenge even to get myself there — I left each week feeling like I had just enjoyed a reviving little holiday for body and mind. Strange. And brilliant. And I have never looked back.

hey!

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Johanna DollersonComment