02/23/2026
The past 3 years, I dove HARD into classical Pilates here in NYC, working with Joseph Pilates’s elders and elders…straight from the source. And it genuinely healed me. My pelvic floor issues, chronic low back pain…gone. I’ve never felt so open, mobile, strong, elongated.
But I started in contemporary training, and I loved it. It was the creativity, the range, thinking outside the box to support different populations. Recently got asked to teach sculpt and contemporary classes (not just 1:1s) again, and it brought me home.
Here’s the plot twist: I took a “modern Pilates” megaformer class and fu***ng loved it. I missed how that feels in my body. It was 100% NOT Pilates. And even as someone who’s part of the “protect Pilates” conversation, I realized I forgot how much my body enjoys these other modalities.
It’s so clear now, compared to 8yrs ago, these are separate things. Different camps, different modalities, and they FEEL like that.
When I started 8-9 years ago, the lines were blurred. No one had language for it. I worked wherever paid me, adapted, and blended what I could.
Now I have clarity. I teach contemporary. I practice classical. I enjoy reformer strength work. I can love all of it because I KNOW what each one is.
In my 1:1s, I focus on myofascial release after strength work because 90% of my clients are battling tightness or pain. They can’t push hard when their bodies are wound up and knotted. That just makes it chronic. So I release first, then we rebuild.
Your body deserves that clarity too.
What are your thoughts? Have you experienced different “types” of Pilates and felt the difference?
