17/04/2026
💪🏽🦵🏽
I’ve always been a bit sniffy about Pilates.
I know it’s super helpful for those with dodgy backs, but it just felt like Yoga without all the interesting bits = boring. (Although I admit to using Pilates-inspired moves in my yoga muscle-activating warm-ups).
Recently I’ve become intrigued by some of the more creative flow-like Reformer drills* (*hate that word) that I’ve seen here on IG. There’s an embodied gliding elegance that appeals to my vinyasa addicted mindset. And, bizarrely, no less than 4️⃣ new Reformer Studios have popped up on my patch, literally in the past 6 months.
I’m well into my 60s, and appreciating the value of working more precisely and intentionally to maintain muscle strength whilst protecting my joints. Much as I adore yoga for all its multi-faceted charms, including the mind/soul refurb, and how it’s kept me lithe and mobile all these years, it’s time to diversify. And the gym, which I have studiously avoided for so long, started to seem like a necessary option. But hey! Turns out Reformer Pilates can offer all those tedious gym-style repetitions without the banging and crashing, and with a little extra flair and finesse. So I’ve been availing myself of intro offers at aforementioned new studios to check out their wares. (Sheesh! those classes are super spendy 🫣)
Turns out, like yoga classes, Reforner classes are not all created equal - you have to trial till you find the right teacher. But unlike yoga, they don’t have different names or lineages, so it’s very much a guessing game. I’ve now been to 7 classes with 5 different teachers, so I’m no expert. I’ve been mostly mildly disappointed (this yogi is fussy about instruction and content, and needs slick tunage) but also occasionally impressed.
When it’s good it feels a bit like synchronised swimming. But with the sudden glut of studios and questionably trained instructors proliferating at an alarming rate, I’m anticipating a proliferation of injuries to match. You have been warned.
❤️
