Cultivating Your Pilates Mindset

It’s Great to Be a Beginner,  part 2

beginner: one that begins something (Merriam-Webster)

How we feel about being a beginner is created by what we think about ourselves, what we’re learning, and who is teaching. Together, they determine how we feel about starting something new: curious, nervous, excited, or unsure, hesitant, insecure. 

I’ve been an absolute beginner (hula dance class); a “born again” beginner, taking a dance class for the first time in 10 years (jazz, ballet, Broadway dance classes); and an experienced but humbled beginner – e.g., learning professional rhythm tap class from a virtuosic, experienced performer and teacher. All of these gave me first-timer jitters! Yes, I was nervous! When we’ve never done it before, we are bound to feel some beginner nerves.

It’s easy to use the word “beginner” against ourselves. (Maybe we think “I should know” or “should have done it by now.”)

And, maybe we make the word “beginner” mean something that it doesn’t. 

For example, when beginning Pilates with a reformer Pilates class, the Pilates studio will probably tell students to “start with a beginner or level 1 class.” 

We might make it mean that we’re not “good enough” (fit enough? strong enough?) to take an intermediate or advanced class. 

But that’s not a fact. It’s an attitude. (And it's not a helpful one when learning Pilates).

"Doing Pilates" means learning about your body, your mindset and applying new skills and awareness to your movement.

Beginning or being a beginner in Pilates is not an evaluation of your current strength or fitness level. Even MLB, NFL and NBA players who “do Pilates” had to learn Pilates. 

More than 500+ Pilates exercises teach mental and physical skills – and we either know them or we don’t. When we “do Pilates,” we learn the skills and practice them in our exercises.

That’s why Pilates gets harder the more that you do it: because the more you know, the more you can do – there’s hundreds of ways to use the skills you’re learning. 

So which mindset will you embrace to get moving? 

Some different mindsets I observe when people are learning something new are:

1. Often it’s “the gains outweigh the pains.” (I’ll make it work. I’ve got to do something.)

2. Another is: “I know this will work.” (All I have to do is get here. It’ll work.)

3. And a third is “I’m open to the possibility, so I’ll give it a try.” (I’m not sure but I’m willing to become more sure.)

Which one sounds more like you? (There’s no right answer here.)

Our discomfort can be mental, emotional and physical; I suggest “trying Pilates” at least 30 times in four months before deciding nope, it’s not for me. 

Try it 30 times?! Four months?

I'm serious. That’s enough time to ride the ups and downs of learning something new. To feel the difference of "before Pilates" and "after Pilates." It's like a three hour course for one semester. It has value. You’ll learn something.

After 30 classes, you will feel more in control of your body. You’ll walk taller and sit up straighter because it will feel less comfortable to slump or learn. You’ll feel stronger in your daily activities and notice less tension in your neck, shoulders and hips. Doing Pilates creates subtle improvements in how you sit at your computer, drive your car, unload your dishwasher or fold laundry. 

What you do during the other 23 hours of the day gives you plenty to work with in a Pilates class. And the reverse is true: what you do in Pilates is beneficial all day long.

More Tips for Learning Pilates 

When you add a mat Pilates class to your exercise routine – or start your new exercise routine with a Pilates reformer class or one-on-one with Pilates personal training – here’s a few more strategies for making the most of it.

1. Be gentle with yourself (and others). If comparing yourself to others is a habit, you will enjoy Pilates more when you decide to stop. For example: “Today I focus on what I’m doing, not how I’m doing.” I also encourage positive self-talk (though one of my students tells me her inner bitch is direct and firm and she keeps her moving!). 

2. Measure “Pilates time” in months and years, not days and weeks. Would you like to move like a 20-year-old when you’re 40? Like a 40-year-old when you’re 60? Like a 60-year-old when you’re 80? It’s possible with a commitment to recommended fitness guidelines and mind/body movement that teaches body awareness, strength and mobility like Pilates does.

   
   

   

3. Cultivate a curious mindset. What transformation is possible for you? What do you want to be different about you? your body? Learning Pilates takes time and patience. I witness remarkable transformations: students learn skills, vocabulary and movement patterns, and they become more relaxed, focused, and coordinated. They move with more control, strength, confidence, and ease. They look forward to exercising because they feel better.

   
   

4. And if it feels intimidating, remember that Pilates is “made up.” Pilates exercises are a beautiful creation of human thought inspired by human movement. What if it was fun? What if we are playing with movement just to see what happens next? When we focus on what we are doing and stop evaluating how we are doing, we become ready to enjoy all kinds of movement.

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