Pilates Wellness Wednesday: The Year of the Horse

Traditional red Chinese banner featuring a powerful horse symbolising focused movement and strength.

The Lunar New Year began yesterday, and we have moved into the Year of the Horse. I always enjoy this time of year. As many of you know, I have a deep respect for Chinese medicine. I find it logical. It observes patterns. It looks at systems. It does not isolate one part of the body and blame it for everything. That alone makes sense to me.

Chinese medicine views the body as connected. No joint acts alone. No organ works in isolation. If you have followed my thoughts on the relationship between the feet and the pelvic floor, you will know why this resonates. The same principle appears in Pilates. We do not fix a knee. We assess the pelvis. We look at the femur. We examine how the foot meets the ground. It is a system.

So when we talk about the zodiac and the Year of the Horse, I do not see it as superstition. I see it as another way of describing energy and patterns. The Horse symbolises movement, stamina, independence, drive. It is forward moving. It does not like to stand still for long. That already sounds like January in most Pilates studios.

In class this week I found myself saying, imagine the difference between a wild horse and a trained one. A wild horse has power but no direction. A trained horse still has power, but it has control. That, for me, is the essence of Pilates. Energy is not enough. Strength is not enough. You need structure.

At the start of a new year people feel motivated. They want to do more repetitions. They want to hold the teaser longer. They want to lift both legs because it is the intermediate version. But the Horse energy without discipline becomes impatience. In Pilates we earn progression. In Matwork Stage 1 you learn to stabilise with one leg lifted. In Stage 2 you raise the starting point. The difference is understanding. If on a given day two legs feel too much, you lower one. That is not weakness. That is intelligence.

Chinese medicine also places strong emphasis on balance and flow. When energy moves smoothly, the system functions well. When it is blocked or forced, problems arise. I see the same thing when someone grips their neck in the Hundred or braces their jaw during the Roll Up. The effort is there, but the flow is not. Breath becomes noisy. Shoulders creep upwards. Power leaks into the wrong places.

The Year of the Horse invites movement. Pilates refines it. This year, rather than chasing intensity, I suggest we focus on quality. Feel how your feet connect to the floor. Notice how the pelvis guides the femur. Observe whether your breath supports your centre or competes with it. These are not mystical ideas. They are practical ones.

What I admire about Chinese medicine is its long view. It considers seasons, cycles, change over time. It accepts that the body shifts through different phases. That perspective is helpful in teaching. Some days you train with speed and strength. Other days you train with patience and precision. Both belong.

So as we enter the Year of the Horse, let us move forward. Not recklessly. Not frantically. Move with clarity. Move with control. Use the energy of the season, but anchor it in sound technique.

The Horse runs because it is strong. It stays strong because it is trained. That is a good philosophy for the year ahead.