5 things I learned doing a 1:1 Pilates session with Larissa
Rest & Relaxation Coaching, Reiki Practitioner
In April I did my first 1:1 Pilates session with Larissa Vados, PhD, LAc, and certified STOTT PILATES® instructor, here at Minnesota Integrative Health Studio. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just knew I was supposed to wear comfortable clothes, that we might work on that big machine (which, spoiler alert: I now know is called a “reformer”), and that Larissa is pretty amazing. I learned that I love Pilates! It was fun, fascinating, and felt great. Here’s what else I learned.
1. Pilates is all about breath
It really is. Before we started with anything else, Larissa told me about the importance of breath in Pilates. Pilates focuses on the center of the body, the core. And to become anchored in the center, we must breathe accordingly. In Pilates, each movement we make is linked to breath. Larissa said this can be a bit intimidating to people at first–being so attuned to deeper belly breathing when many of us have been conditioned, whether through trauma or just daily life in this stress-riddled culture, to breathe into our chest. This doesn’t allow the full oxygenation that comes with breathing deep down into our abdomen and pelvic floor.
Practicing the Pilates breath with Larissa
The session started with Larissa demonstrating for me the Pilates breath: in through the nose, deep down into the belly and deeper into the pelvic floor…and out through the mouth like I was exhaling through a straw. Larissa asked if I could feel the engagement in my abdominal and pelvic muscles with this specific style of breathing, and wow. I definitely could. I’ll tell you, I’m a holistic nurse, and a health coach, and my whole thing right now professionally is Rest & Relaxation work. Over the years I have done more trainings and practices around breath as a healing tool than I’ll bore you with here–but let’s just say conscious attention to the breath is not new to me. Yet, like all things, it’s one thing to know something…and it’s entirely another thing to return to the power of the experience. This simple Pilates breathing was truly powerful for connecting my awareness with my body. I was hooked.
And we were just getting started!
2. Pilates is unique, different from yoga or other practices.
At the risk of sounding like that annoying person that is a little too chipper about working out…I've done a lot of physical activity over the years. I was a soccer player and track runner when I was young, and I still run regularly. I play tennis, I dance, and generally love to move my body. (For what it’s worth, I also love to nap and lay around and read and do nothing, for good measure.) My partner is a yoga instructor, and I’ve been practicing some version of yoga for…damn…over 20 years?
I say this all to explain to you that honestly, I’m not sure I would have been compelled to do a private Pilates session were it not for this opportunity to work with Larissa at the Studio. It’s not because Pilates didn’t seem interesting, but just because…well, I’m already moving my body often, and it seems to be going okay for me. What I didn’t anticipate was just how different Pilates would feel from any other practice I’ve done before.
Pilates shares a lot of similarities with many movement-based practices, including what many of us in the United States tend to associate with yoga. Like yoga classes, Pilates is breath focused, mindful exercise, and incorporates strength and flexibility.
However, yoga and Pilates have entirely different roots. Yoga originates from the yogic tradition; it is a deep, complex, and historic tradition oriented toward readying the body for meditation. Pilates, in contrast, is a much newer practice. Joseph Pilates, a prisoner of war during World War I, developed this methodology while supporting himself and others to maintain strength and wellbeing under the harrowing conditions of imprisonment.
Importantly, Larissa notes that the differences between Pilates and other forms of movement are not to be seen as an “either/or.” Pilates is a great complement to other movement practices. For example, the emphasis on core strength can lend stability and prevent some of the risks of hyper-flexibility often seen in some yoga practitioners or ballet dancers. Additionally, Larissa has done specialized training in Pilates for golfers, for runners, and other groups whose performance can be enhanced through the mind-body strengthening that comes with practicing Pilates.
Finally, Pilates is friendly on the body and joints. In fact, it is this low-impact quality that led Larissa to Pilates in the first place. A bit of background: in her late teens, Larissa was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. At that time, her joints were so swollen that she had trouble gripping anything–even the simplest objects necessary to daily life. She bought a special toothbrush because gripping made even brushing her teeth a challenge. Having been an athlete and dancer her entire life, she longed to move–but every movement was painful and extraordinarily difficult.
When Larissa went to a yoga class looking for relief, her instructor told Larissa that Pilates may be even more helpful than yoga. The instructor was not only a yoga teacher, but also trained in Pilates, and told Larissa that the low-impact, incredibly modifiable nature of Pilates could be supportive for her condition. Larissa says that this advice to try Pilates (in addition to dietary and lifestyle changes, acupuncture, and Traditional Chinese Medicine) laid the foundation for her eventual remission and recovery–not only physically, but mentally and emotionally. She says Pilates “allowed me to use my body and feel good when I had a lot of pain and restrictions...it was life changing.”
3. 1:1 Pilates is an entirely different experience than group classes
While there are so many benefits, from social to affordability and beyond, to group classes, there is immense healing potential in 1:1 Pilates sessions. Larissa notes that in larger groups, by nature it is more difficult to track and honor individualized needs. Larissa feels the highly individualized and modified support she received practicing 1:1 Pilates was a key piece in helping her manage her rheumatoid arthritis symptoms along her journey to recovery. and she is passionate about paying this support forward.
Keeping the body moving is an important component of health, but as Larissa notes, movement can be very difficult and intimidating if we are dealing with an injury, illness or chronic pain. Oftentimes we can be scared of movement when we are in pain, worried we will injure ourselves, over-do it, or that we will feel worse afterwards. This is the true gift of an individualized session: it can be dedicated to your specific situation and needs.
1:1 Pilates sessions are fantastic for anyone interested in individualized support with their goals, whether related to fitness, peak performance, or a range of circumstances. The highly modifiable, low impact nature of Pilates can be particularly supportive for rehabilitation and medical conditions. For example, Larissa has received ongoing training in Pilates for neurological conditions, including stroke recovery, as well as pre- and post-partum Pilates.
Pilates offers literally thousands of possible exercises and approaches, resulting in infinite combinations. This vastness offers the opportunity for individuals to engage in practice that ranges from very low to very high intensity, while remaining low impact.
“Working with Larissa has had a significant impact on my health. The personal attention she has given to me as a client is incredible. She listens to my physical goals and tailors my workouts accordingly all while still providing a variety of exercises. She observes my technique to ensure it is correct and to prevent any injuries. It is such a pleasure doing pilates with Larissa; it is extremely enjoyable and good for my well-being.”
4. “Pilates is as much a workout for the brain as for the body.”
When Larissa said this early in our session, I felt it. There was something particularly challenging and satisfying about the ways I was being asked to link my conscious awareness to how I moved my body through space. It required me to stay extraordinarily present and attentive to each body movement, and it was almost like I could feel new neural pathways developing in real time. Is this why my brain felt it had worked as my body?
Pilates is a brain workout, supporting new neural connections and pathways.
In short, yes. Larissa points out that using the brain to connect our attention to our movement even on the most subtle levels can create a deeper mind-body connection. This can be helpful for everybody, as so many of us in this culture often feel disconnected from our bodies. However, this brain-body connection holds unique advantages for a range of situations, including spasticity, ataxia, tremors, neuromuscular connection, and stroke recovery. Larissa has specialized neurological training in Pilates through The Neuro Studio, which has deepened her capacity to support people with the “brain workout” aspect of Pilates.
“Studying Pilates with Larissa has been absolutely life-changing. I’m someone who tends to be very much in their head, and can feel a bit disconnected from my physical body at times. My lifelong lack of coordination, as well as my experiences as a domestic violence survivor and their influence on physical movement for me, left me too intimidated to try Pilates for a long time.
But Larissa is so deeply intuitive, observant, encouraging, and compassionate, that she seems to immediately understand where you are as soon as you walk into the room. She is an incredibly skilled teacher, who knows just how much to say to safely and supportively guide you through each movement, while always providing your mind enough space to process her instructions. Before you know it, you find yourself confidently navigating complex movements that would have seemed like a complete riddle before!”
5. That big machine is called a reformer and it’s super fun!
Some days I see clients for Reiki and Rest & Relaxation Coaching in the Pilates room (it’s a beautiful room!) and I’ll be honest, I’ve been a bit intimidated by the big “pilates machine” that looms large in the space. (Did you see the SNL skit about Pilates?)
But wow, it turns out that big machine is fun! And more importantly, the reformer is incredibly versatile. Interestingly, Joseph Pilates is said to have developed the first version of the reformer by working with what was available to him in prison (the springs were first gathered from cell bunk beds). The uniqueness of the reformer is what allows Pilates to be so adaptable. In recovering from rheumatoid arthritis, Larissa says the reformer and other equipment were key. The reformer offered infinite possibilities and combinations for personalized ways to develop strength and endurance, in the low-impact way that was exactly what her body needed.
Larissa says that for her, this variety was important physically, but also mentally. The many possibilities helped to create a “mindset shift…after being told by doctors, basically, shut up, take your meds, there's literally nothing you can do to recover…you just have to live with this condition.” To be able to do high intensity workouts again that were also low impact allowed her to reconnect with what it was like to “feel strong and capable.” With the reformer, Larissa says, “a whole world opened up to me.”
Are you interested in learning more about Pilates? Check out our website, or call our front desk at 612.345.5648. To book a session with Larissa, simply book online or call the front desk!
For even more, check out this great episode on the Angela Davis show on Minnesota Public Radio about Pilates, Yoga, and other functional fitness practices.
