The Language of Pilates

Let’s get real about our words. How many times have you said something when teaching and cringed when it came out of your mouth all wrong? I know I am not alone in this. Over the past few years I have taken a good look at my language when speaking and writing about Pilates. There are phrases that are commonplace but have negative connotations. The negative perception of the words is often overlooked because they are so widely used. There are better ways to get the same message across. There are words that could be left out. There are better choices out there if you think about and consider your language.

I have found that speaking positively to myself and encouraging my students to do the same thing has changed the results that Pilates offers. This has helped my students feel empowered to make better choices for themselves inside and outside the studio. When a Teaser doesn’t happen the way they wanted, there is a lot less frustration and more problem solving to move forward.

Over the next month I will be digging deep into language here on the blog. I hope you will join me. In the meantime, drop your least favorite phrase people say in the comments. I’ll be sharing mine next week.

Photography by Jennifer Gouge at Parnassus Books