What is Pilates if it’s NOT “correcting posture”?
“Stand up straight”
"Fix your posture"
"Correct your position"
We’ve all heard it eleventy billion times.
I've said it countless times in my life as a Pilates Teacher.
Always with good intentions of helping.
Because that's what we do right? We "fix" peoples posture.
But did you know that the history of tall, upright posture as the “ideal” posture actually has roots involving things like….
Military culture
Theory of evolution
Racism
Classism
Eugenics
Patriarchy
Biomedicalism
It's actually NOT all about “health”.
A lot of it is about aesthetics, elevating status and control.
But what if these commonplace comments that we use all the time have the potential to be not so helpful?
What if these deeply embedded cultural narratives have the potential to harm?
What does that mean for me the Pilates Teacher that has a 20 year long love affair with the practice and no plans to stop now?
For me it means many years of work reflecting, learning and integrating my values into my practice.
Of unlearning some previously strongly held beliefs, and making space for more complexity, more nuance and more uncertainty.
To choose what we carry forward we need to reflect on what we are bringing with us.
How did you feel reading this?
Did it bring up any challenge or resistance in you? It would be totally normal and natural if yes.
I experience it often when reading philosophies and theories that are in direct challenge of something I've previously been taught.
The lesson I'm learning is to hold everything loosely.
To question it all.
Helping movers and teachers start to unpack our common learnings and update the language we use about our bodies is one of my favourite things to do.
So what are we doing in Pilates if it's NOT correcting posture?!
Million. Dollar. Question.
I've been on a looooooooong journey figuring this out.
The journey is never-ending and has included a few massive internal crises along the way as I try to reconcile new knowledge and theories with my long history of teaching and practicing Pilates.
This is where I'm at with it today*...
* full disclosure, I give myself permission to change with time as I grow and learn more
For me, Pilates is NOT about....
"correcting posture"
"fixing bodies"
"getting it right"
For me right now Pilates is about.....
Building more options
Exploring capabilities
Play and curiosity
Discovering what's possible
Building resilience and tools to manage the ups and downs of life
Awareness of self
Recognising current strategies - for movement and for life - and choosing if they are helpful or not
What would you add to this list?
Focussing on the PROCESS of practicing Pilates rather than the OUTCOME of correct posture or better positioning is where the magic happens.
x
AOK