While enjoyable for what it was, the class certainly cannot be classified as Pilates. The workout was more in line with a bodyweight training session, lacking essential Pilates fundamentals. There was a noticeable absence of back extension exercises, vital for strengthening and lengthening the spine. The instructor also skipped a whole set of exercises on one side, disrupting the symmetry and balance. The cueing was also insufficient, with zero mention of intercostal breathing and anatomical cueing. Had I not been a certified BASI Pilates instructor, I would not have known how to recruit the proper muscles and maintain form throughout the class. The class lacked the core principles crucial to its methodology and safety and misrepresents Joseph Pilates and the methods curated from his work.
This was TOUGH! I would have shied away from this class today particularly had I known the level but boy am I glad I did it! Feeling so alive and determined! This is definitely going on my rotation list. Thank you, Andrea ❤️
I came back to this class after a 48 hour break to see if I can polish some of the movements now that I knew what was coming. Definitely one of my favourite classes I will be repeating regularly. I disagree with the above comment about cueing - Andrea did a wonderful job with it, in particular when reminding us to keep engaging our core through the glute sequence. Yes, this may not be your classical pilates class but most if not all of us taking this class needed exactly this type of movement.