Testimonials

Emily Barnes - September 2004

In seventh grade I overheard some of the girls in my ballet class talking about going to their Pilates class. Never having heard of Pilates, I asked what it was. "It's this place where machines are used to stretch you out and make your muscles stronger," they said. A crude explanation, but it does convey some truth about the Pilates method. I now know that it is a mind-body form of exercise that uses mat work as well as unique apparatus to form long, lean, flexible muscles; I say mind-body because it is important that one is "in the moment" while practicing Pilates.

I attended my first Pilates class in college and I was amazed at how long and strong my muscles felt and how energized I was after the workout. I didn't really think of the experience as exercise because I was so used to feeling worn out after other workouts like biking or exercising on a treadmill.

I now take mat classes and reformer sessions at Excel. One of my favorite aspects of Pilates is that there are so many details for each exercise that it is impossible to be bored. My mind works just as hard if not harder than my body in order to execute each movement correctly. Every teacher at Excel has a unique way of communicating the correct way to complete each exercise so that just when I think I have mastered an exercise, I am told something new to concentrate on; I always feel challenged.

I was accepted into the Teacher Training Program this year and am so excited! Judging by what I have learned so far at Excel' I know that I am in good hands. Pilates, like any art form, is never an "I have learned everything" scenario. I look forward to helping others experience the same enthusiasm for Pilates that I feel.

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