Pilates Soulful Sunday Reflections on Travel and Teaching

Athens at dusk reflecting the mix of nostalgia, change, and purpose in teaching.

Back in Greece for the first weekend of the Apparatus course, and Athens pulled something out of me I wasn’t expecting. It felt familiar, but it also reminded me how much life has shifted. We had a good time here, but it was a contained life. Quiet. Focused. Different from Scotland, where things feel wider and more connected. You only notice the contrast when you return.

Travel itself is its own test. People talk about it as if it is glamorous. Friday’s flight was late, packed, full of chaos. No space, no comfort. A reminder that getting somewhere meaningful often comes through inconvenience, not luxury.

And then I walk into a room of new students, and it lands again. This is why I travel. This is why I teach. We go through the Reformer, Cadillac, Spanish Corrector, but the real work is showing how the system adapts to the person in front of you. It takes attention. It takes thought. Teaching Pilates is not coasting. You are always assessing, adjusting, choosing the next step for each body.

The message sitting underneath this weekend is simple.

Teaching is demanding, but it matters.It shapes people. It shapes you.

Sunday is the reset before the week begins. A new month starts tomorrow, and Christmas edges closer, but beneath all the noise, the core truth stays the same. We are fortunate to do this work. Not because it is easy. It isn’t. But because it gives purpose in a way few jobs do. You help people move, think, and live with more awareness. That is worth the long flights, the tired mornings, and the constant thinking.

If today gives you even a few minutes of quiet, take them.Teaching Pilates takes effort, but it gives back more than it takes.That is the strong message. Whether we are in Greece, Scotland, or packed into a plane with no spare seats, this work still matters.