When I was growing up I danced upwards of 20 hours a week. Every single one of my classes started with Pliés at the barre.
Every. single. one.
After years of this, this is how I felt about Pliés.
I HATED IT! Every class. WHY????!!!! When will I ever get good enough to not have to do this! I want to do the fun stuff, I want to jump, turn and fly through the air.
I let my teacher know that the repetition of class was boring and a waste of my time. My teacher turned to me and said,
“The Plié is the foundation of your house. You don’t get rid of it. You build upon it.”
BUILDING MY FOUNDATION
After I ate a big piece of humble pie, I set about building my foundation. I started taking responsibility in a way I never had before.
My attention in class was better, I asked thoughtful questions and started taking more classes. That "seemingly simple exercise" gave me wings. The more I worked my fundamentals the better I was getting. I felt like I had found the holy grail.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH PILATES?
Pilates builds and maintains your body's foundation but it takes it one step further than dance.
Instead of having to spend 20 hours or more a week in the Pilates studio like I did back in my dancing days, healthy movement patterns can become habits in a fraction of the time because the skills transfer outside the studio.
Joseph Pilates based his method on daily human movement for this reason. So you could practice where you spend the most time. In your daily life.
I only see clients between one and three hours a week. Although they get great results, it's not enough. What they do outside the studio is more important than what we do in the studio. When my clients come to their lessons and say, "Wow, I catch myself slouching so much." I know they're working Pilates to their advantage. They're reinforcing good habits.
Engage with your Pilates inside and outside the studio and enjoy the reward of good habits.