I came across a great article that was recently published from the Newsletter where I received my training for my Pilates ...the author eloquently explains the benefits of Private Sessions and their value!
Pilates and how to stretch your $$
by Melissa Noble
Some people spend their disposable income skiing, some go on exotic vacations, and some buy gadgets or collectibles. Everyone has their priorities when it comes to how they spend their money. If you like to spend your money on health and fitness, then you may have already figured out the best way for you to make your dollars stretch. As far as pilates goes, I would like to give my humble opinion that comes with 20 years of teaching and doing pilates. The first recommendation is going to seem counterintuitive. But my own pilates journey has led me to the conclusion that you get the most for your money from private pilates lessons. I'm not just saying this because I'm an Instructor, it's because if you really pay attention to what your instructor is saying, you will learn more about your body in one hour than you will in 5 years of mat classes. Of course, this means going to an Instructor with experience and skill in the pilates field so you can make the most of your sessions. Making your dollars stretch is directly linked to the quality of instruction. "But I can't afford privates" you say. Even if you committed to doing just ten sessions, what you would learn would help you get so much more out of any classes that you take, whether it's pilates or anything else.
The next suggestion is if you truly can't afford ten sessions, that you do even one or two. Finally, if you can't do any privates, taking a progressive introductory class to pilates is always much more worth it than a drop in. If you've done lots of privates and you feel fairly secure about how to work with your body, classes can be a good alternative or addition to your regular routine. I would still recommend doing a private at least once a month, every other month or as often as you can afford it. The body is always changing, so even if you were working on something specific last year, it could have changed and now you need to go to the next thing. If you keep doing the cues that someone gave you two years ago, you could have over compensated for the original issue and now have another issue. This is what I mean by quality over quantity. If you had to choose one or the other, I also think you get more for your money by working on the pilates equipment rather than mat classes. Mat classes are a great supplement to equipment work and something you can do at home to maintain core strength. But if you want a workout that addresses your whole body, the equipment does that more comprehensively than mat work. It is important to point out that the pilates Principles are necessary for all work on equipment or mat, so the initial investment in a mat class that will teach you those is money well spent. My opinion about how to get the most for your pilates dollars aligns with Joseph Pilates' original concept about pilates, that it's not how many repetitions you do, it's how you do them. |
