Mad About The Mat!

In like a lion, it’s March again! Every year at this time, Pilates folk around the world roll out their mats and celebrate the repertoire. How do you honour March Matness?

Last week, I led my first group through the Balanced Body® Mat I instructor training, and it was such a rewarding experience. Even though I feel quite confident teaching my regular classes, flying solo with a group of teacher trainees was a totally new experience that definitely moved me outside my comfort zone. I really wanted to be letter perfect for this group, and give them a solid foundation for the rest of their instructor education. What I loved most about the weekend was seeing the evolution from Day 1 to Day 2 as everyone got more familiar with the material and more experienced leading one another through the exercises. Seeing the students grow a little taller and speak with poise and assurance was so exciting! ·       

In the course of our training, we talked about the principles of Pilates: Breathing, Concentration, Control, Centering, Precision, Balanced Muscle Development, Rhythm and Flow, plus Whole Body Movement, and Relaxation. I imagine you’ve heard your teachers reference these phrases during class, but you may never have put them all together. This is the basis for the work we’re all doing, and it never feels more clear than when we’re practicing on the Mat.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves the Reformer, but if you’ve ever taken a Mat class, you’ll know that the advanced Mat exercises are some of the most difficult in the system. In fact, the apparatus repertoire helps prepare us for those incredibly challenging Mat exercises. And most group classes don’t tackle the hardest Mat exercises out of an abundance of caution. But the satisfaction that comes from mastering a Boomerang or a Seated Twist or a Control Balance is worth all the effort to get there.

If you’re “Mat curious”, you can join Retrofit’s In-Studio Mat classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, or catch us online seven days a week. Plus our Video-on-Demand Library has an abundance of classes on offer that you can do on your own schedule, any time, anywhere.

Let’s embody the Pilates principles this month and embrace “The Mat”–follow Retrofit Pilates on social media for insight, exercises and helpful tips on maximizing your mat potential!

And of course, see you in class. ~Pam

Pam Ferguson
Retrofit Master Instructor
Lead Instructor/Operations Associate