Pilates defies gravity. I can Fly!

Pilates rocks. Seriously. I admit that I’m a little over the top in my enthusiasm for the Reformer, but the Jumping Board brings it to a whole new level. Exercising on the Jumping Board makes you feel like you are flying. Really. This image portrays it perfectly. Pilates defies gravity.

Arica’s Group Reformer class the other day was amazing. We started on the roller. The work was all about stabilizing the pelvis. We laid on our rollers lengthwise and sort of marched in place while lying on our backs. Toe Taps. It sounds simple…until you try it.

Then we did some crazy abs work on the Reformer with scissoring legs and lunges, I have done and written about these Pilates lunges before. Now that I had some experience and a bit of understanding, they were much deeper this time around.

The abs work in Pilates is like nothing I’ve ever done before. I love yoga and practice regularly, I’ve done Gyrotonics, I’ve done Fitness Bootcamp. None compares to the specificity of the muscle work in Pilates. Pilates muscle work is like the finest brushstroke in a fine art painting compared to the broad strokes of house painting that are other forms of exercise.

We finished with the jumping board.  It was so much fun, I laughed throughout the class. I know that we were working hard, I felt my ankles and calves and inner thighs the next day, but the delight of jumping was spectacular. You’ve heard the expression ‘jump for joy’. In this instance, you are first joyous, then you jump. In Pilates, you jump and it creates joy.

I am quite sure that Pilates (and the Jumping Board specifically) can cure depression and SAD (seasonal affective disorder). I mean it’s April 1st and a huge snowstorm is forecast for the Burlington area and the whole Northeast. Many people around me are completely bummed about the weather. But I am not sad about it at all, in fact I am happy and optimistic. I just hope I can get to group class through the snow!

Image credits: slouchingtowardsthatcham.com, www.pilatesdigest.com, www.mercantilla.com