A cracked laptop screen pierced by an arrow shows how harsh online comments strike. Social media hits hard. It lifts you, teaches you, and then someone you have never met fires off insults without signing their name. That is the part that gets to you. An opinion is fine. Hiding behind “anonymous” while throwing that opinion at people is weak. We have been planning this classical Pilates debate for a long time. Gill Cummings Bell and I wanted a real conversation. A space where

Pilates Movement Monday: Bicycle on the Shoulders The traditional Bicycle on the shoulders looks elegant until you try to keep everything lifted, steady, and calm. It challenges your strength through the centre and your control through the hips, and it becomes a lot more manageable when the breath leads the movement. You begin on your back and lift into a supported shoulder stand. Your hands support the pelvis so you stay high through the centre without dumping weight into th

Soft morning light falls on a quiet woman reflecting alone in her living room. Here is the thing most of us avoid admitting. We rush around as if being busy is some kind of badge. More classes, more projects, more travel, more everything.Then we wonder why we’re worn out and secretly craving five minutes of silence. So for today, let’s keep it simple and talk like real people, not teachers, not business owners, not planners of fourteen things at once. You know those people wh

Dark brown mystery jar with a question mark label and a spoon inside. Every few days, a new post appears claiming that one spoonful of something will lower cholesterol, clean arteries, regulate blood sugar, and suppress hunger. The ingredient is never clear. That is the warning sign. Vague claims sell clicks, not health. Real food works. Magic shortcuts do not. Here is the truth behind the usual “spoonful” suggestions: A spoon of chia or flax gives fibre. It supports digestio

Long walking stride by the lake showing greater hip extension that lengthens the psoas. How extending your walk and running will change your psoas use When you walk a bit longer or start adding short runs into your week, your psoas wakes up fast. It is one of those muscles that pretends to be quiet in class, then makes a scene the moment you take it outside. The change in demand is simple. Longer strides ask it to lengthen. Running asks it to lift. If your posture drifts, you

Pilates Reformer used outside its intended purpose, highlighting safety and insurance concerns. The equipment you teach on has a purpose. The Reformer was built for Pilates. Every spring, strap, bar, carriage and pad serves a clear mechanical role. When you respect that design, you honour the method and you protect your clients. When you step outside it, you step outside your insurance. Many teachers do not realise this. They see movement ideas online, they want to add variet

Close up dragon eye symbolising sharp teaching focus and precise Pilates alignment awareness. Eye contact is one of the most effective tools a Pilates teacher has, yet it is rarely taught, practised, or even acknowledged. You can say ten cues in a row and still lose half the room, but one look at the right moment pulls a client back into their alignment, their breath, and their focus. It works because eye contact communicates presence. It tells the client that you see them, y

Man performing Pilates rowing on a Reformer, focusing on controlled flexion and arm reach. Rowing on the Reformer builds strength, control, and organised movement. It teaches you to lift through the spine, use the shoulders with precision, and match the arms, trunk, and breath in a steady rhythm. The sequence challenges timing, control, and awareness. Why it matters • It improves shoulder function. • It strengthens the upper back and arms. • It trains controlled spinal flexio

Teacher explains movement choices while the client listens with steady attention. People question you all the time. In Pilates classes, in meetings, even in casual chats. The real test is not the question. It is how you handle the moment. When you react fast and defend yourself, the atmosphere changes. You feel it. They feel it. The room feels tighter. Confidence drops. You look like you are fighting to hold your ground. A calm approach does the opposite. It shows you are ste

A person pauses with a warm mug, checking in with their thoughts in quiet stillness. Life feels full when you work alone. The list grows, the messages pile up, and the pressure to keep up with social media adds another layer of noise. This is why today needs a pause. Sit with a hot drink. Put everything down. Give yourself a few minutes without tasks or screens. Notice how you are feeling. You do not need to fix anything. You only observe what is going on in your body and you

Older adult walking up concrete steps holding the rail to build steady leg strength. There is something simple about looking back at how people moved before gyms, trackers, and equipment. Strength came from daily life. People carried, climbed, squatted, reached, and walked because they had to. For older adults who want to feel stronger without complicated programmes, using ideas from ancestral living offers a clear and practical way to build strength that feels natural for th

A thoughtful teacher reflecting on how experience shapes learning and the humility of mastery. After years of teaching, it’s easy to slip into certainty. You’ve seen hundreds of clients, corrected thousands of spines, and heard the same questions a hundred times. Yet somewhere in the comfort of experience hides a trap. It’s called the Dunning–Kruger effect. The Dunning–Kruger effect describes how people with little knowledge often overestimate their ability, while those with

Controlled lateral flexion strengthens obliques and promotes spinal mobility and balance. The Side Bend on the Ladder Barrel is one of those movements that looks graceful and effortless but demands deep strength and precision from every muscle along the side of the body. It’s an ideal exercise for improving lateral stability, strengthening the obliques, and enhancing spinal mobility. You begin with the hip positioned over the apex of the barrel, feet securely anchored against

A humanoid robot assists a focused Pilates client guiding movement on a Reformer machine. As headlines shout about robots taking jobs and AI replacing humans, it is worth taking a breath and looking at where Pilates teachers stand in all of this. The good news is that we are safe. Our work depends on what AI still cannot understand, human connection. When I was in China last week, I saw incredible advances in AI. Robots were taking orders in restaurants, scanning faces for pa

Building everyday strength starts with simple actions like lifting shopping safely and efficiently. Functional strength is not about lifting the heaviest weight in the gym. It is about moving with control and confidence in daily life. The goal is to train your body for the tasks you do every day, such as bending, reaching, carrying, pushing and pulling. Most people think of strength as muscle size or gym performance, but functional strength goes deeper. It combines mobility,

Focused eccentric control as the springs support balanced, continuous movement through the Pilates method. Springs are the heart of the Pilates apparatus. They create a resistance that feels alive, unlike fixed weights. On the Reformer, the Cadillac, or any spring-based equipment, the goal is not to overpower the spring but to move with it. Romana once told me, “Fifty per cent of the work should be you and fifty per cent should be the springs.” That balance defines the method

A mischievous monkey explores an open suitcase in a Sanya hotel room, paradise outside. There is always a moment at the end of a convention when you stop and realise how much you have absorbed. This past week has been a reminder of how far the Pilates method has reached. A tropical island filled with passionate teachers and dedicated movers, a mix of languages, laughter, and learning, and even a few monkeys who decided to join the adventure.   Teaching Reformer, Cadillac, Mat

Strengthen your obliques and deepen rotation with precision using the Pilates circle. Today we tackle the Criss Cross (yes, that twisty stomach move) and add a prop: the Pilates Circle (aka magic ring) to sharpen its effects. Because if you’re going to work, you might as well make it count. Why this matters 1. The Criss Cross introduces rotation of the upper body around the spine, the transverse plane movement that many core routines ignore.   2. Using the circle places addit

A client arrives early to a Pilates class, greeted warmly, reflecting true community spirit. As we step into a new month and the approach to the holiday season, it’s a natural time to pause and reflect. This is the last stretch before the pace quickens, before diaries fill, before life speeds up. It’s the perfect time to ask what kind of energy we want to carry into the rest of the year. Earlier this week, I read a post from a teacher asking for advice because her clients wer

A woman lies peacefully on a Pilates mat, eyes closed, focusing on calm, steady breathing After a week of sugar and late nights, your body is tired. The goal today isn’t to punish it but to reset. 1. Breathe quietly If you can hear your breathing, it’s too loud. Sit or lie comfortably. Inhale through the nose, ribs expanding. Exhale through soft lips, ribs closing. This lowers tension and connects your breath to your core. 2. Fix the sugar posture Sugar and tiredness pull you