What is Pilates?

Most people don’t realize this, but Pilates began as a rehabilitation method during World War I, when Joseph Pilates attached springs to hospital beds so injured soldiers could exercise. After moving to New York in the 1920s, his work became widely adopted by professional dancers in the 1930s and 1940s for its unique ability to develop strength, control, and injury prevention.

At its core, Pilates is about control, alignment, and coordination. While there are many versions today, this remains its essence.

Why do you use Pilates as a physical therapist?

Because the body learns through sensation, not instruction.

In my practice, I use the equipment to both assess and guide movement where you can finally feel it yourself. Where you are strong, where you need support, and how your body “finds” the correction. That awareness is what allows real change to happen quickly.

Is your Pilates equipment different?

Yes, in a few important ways.

I designed Restore Studio for recovery so I use Balanced Body equipment, which is geared towards clinical use. There’s more adjustability to allow me to tailor the setup for specific vulnerabilities such as an early postpartum body.

The specific reformer setup I use actually connects all four limbs, not just two, which is how all other reformers are designed. By linking the arms and legs through a pulley system, it allows for more complex, full-body integration making training feel more connected, and also more challenging in a meaningful way.

Lastly, I incorporate other technologies I’ve worked with for many years in my physical therapy practice, such as whole body vibration (using a specific system from Germany), to address capacity or muscular tension before training on the Pilates equipment. It allows me to sequence the training to be more efficient.

What does a typical session look like?

We start with a check-in. How your body feel, how you’re moving, and what you are noticing.

From there, I may use some hands-on work if something feels tight or restricted. Then we move to the equipment, where alignment comes first, followed by stability and coordination training. Each session maps to a client’s personal goal so if the goal is return to running, we work on components of those skills.

Is this physical therapy or fitness?

It can be both.

If we are working on a specific injury or medical condition, it is physical therapy. If the focus is strength, conditioning, or overall performance, then it is fitness.

How did you first get into Pilates?

It’s a bit of a full circle moment!

I discovered Pilates with Mari Windsor in Los Angeles after the birth of my daughter over 25 years ago. As a young physical therapist, I understood its value in rehabilitation intuitively and got certified immediately!

I’ve used it conceptually or with Pilates equipment throughout my career across many settings, but now, with my focus on women and pelvic health, it’s especially relevant. It plays a central role in how I approach postpartum recovery and rehabilitating a woman’s body which has phases of real fragility, yet is so much more powerful than we realize!

A women’s body is truly amazing…complex, but amazing!

Photos by Praise Santos McKenna of ComePlum.com