January 18th: Joseph Pilates

Three things about taking Pilates with Edie. #1: It's a good workout. #2 Even though it's exercise, you walk away feeling relaxed (the stretches were especially effective). #3 Edie really does know a lot about Pilates.

As we worked out, it was very interesting to hear some of the history about Joseph Pilates. Hearing Edie talk about the philosophy, terms, and reasoning behind some of the practices was quite interesting. Edie knows her stuff! I even felt inspired to do a little research of my own about Pilates. If you want the quick and dirty explanation, visit the Wikipedia website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilates. I found the subject fascinating. No wonder so many people are drawn to this discipline. Edie even took some time to talk about how we must at all times be aware of our own bodies. She used the example of washing dishes and maintaining awareness of the core muscles of the body as movement occurs. It makes you think about how each part of our body is interrelated.

Something else interesting was that I was the only non-regular who was in the class. The other two participants were both regulars and quite flexible. It was pretty cool to see one of the class participants able to perform one of the postures that until recently she had been unable to. Over time, she has trained her body to do things it hadn't before. The other class participant was a woman who clearly walked the walk. She was able to take each of the examples Edie presented to the max, bending in ways that could only be described as awe-inspiring. While this class was not quite as challenging as my previous Yoga class (Edie admitted to have spent most of her energy cleaning house all day) it still was not easy. I definitely left class feeling strangely rested and relaxed. Part may have been due to the way Edie structured the class, but I also feel a good portion of my "aftermood" may be a result of Edie's demeanor. I found out later that Edie also works as a counselor. It certainly made sense as Edie had a soothing voice and provided clear and detailed instructions. I think that Edie's class truly is for a wide range of participants. I would encourage anyone new to Pilates or those who want to push themselves to visit Edie's Pilates class on Mondays & Wednesdays at the South Neighborhood YMCA from 6pm-7pm.