Pilates Soulful Sunday: A Birthday Reflection

My birthday cake from Bulgaria, perfectly capturing my love for Pilates and teaching Reformer.

Today is my birthday. Another year around the sun and as always birthdays bring with them a chance to pause, reflect, and give thanks.

As I step into celebrating another year on this planet I can’t help but think about how Pilates and all of us who teach it truly influence people’s lives. It’s not just about stronger cores or more flexible spines. It’s about helping people feel better in their own skin, move with greater ease, stand taller, and even breathe differently. We change bodies, yes, but more than that, we change how people feel about their bodies.

For many of us the path to teaching Pilates wasn’t something we planned. It certainly wasn’t for me. My journey began with a dance injury. I had imagined a life spent on stage performing but as is so often the case life had other plans. That injury led me to discover Pilates though at first I had no idea how much it would shape my life.

Back then my dance school in London sent Alan Herdman over to the US because as they told him “There’s this thing called Pilates. We don’t quite know what it is but we think it might be good for the dancers.” Alan brought it back to the UK and began adapting it for the dancers he worked with. When he set up his own studio I had the privilege of being one of his first managers. Through Alan I learned the power of modifications and how Pilates could be tailored to help anyone improve their movement.

But it wasn’t until I went to Houston years later that I truly saw the wider Pilates world. I was fortunate to train in some of the original studios Romana’s, Carola’s, and even Ron Fletcher’s studio. It was there I discovered there wasn’t just one way to teach Pilates. Each studio had its own style and approach but they all shared a common goal using the principles and movements of the method to help people reconnect with their bodies and live with greater vitality.

Today as I read the many wonderful birthday wishes I’ve received I’m deeply touched by the teachers and clients who’ve shared how Pilates has changed their lives. Some of those I taught are now teachers themselves running their own studios building their own communities and helping others in turn. That ripple effect is what makes this work so powerful.

As you know I’m passionate about teaching the Pilates method not just a sequence of exercises. It’s about connecting with your clients understanding their bodies and guiding them to move better and feel better. That connection and presence is what keeps clients returning year after year and builds truly successful careers as Pilates teachers.

So today I encourage you to take a moment too. Reflect on the lives you’ve touched through your teaching. Celebrate the changes you’ve helped create big and small. And of course enjoy your day as I will mine celebrating another trip around the sun.