Bethlehem’s only Classical Pilates studio, Bodysense Pilates, guarantees you’ll feel better after only 10 sessions. Business owner and trainer Genevieve Key explains what makes this system so powerful and effective.
I just spoke with a client of yours who says her daughter complimented her on her change in posture this morning. And she’s only on her fourth class! How is it possible to see results so quickly?
The thing is, Joseph Pilates didn’t develop his system to earn money or please celebrities – he needed it to cure himself. Born in 1880 he was a weak, sickly child and suffered from asthma, rheumatic fever and other ailments. He was always captivated by an animal’s ability to flex and move gracefully, and started practising gymnastics, bodybuilding and martial arts at a young age. As an adult, he taught boxing and self-defence classes to detectives at Scotland Yard. Pilates managed to heal himself and helped a lot of professional athletes and dancers to recover from injuries and become healthier and stronger. His system of physical exercise is a result of many years of observation and education.
But you’ll only see the results if you’re training at least twice a week. If you’re following my advice and don’t feel the difference in 10 sessions, or don’t see the change with your own eyes in 20 sessions, I will give you your money back!
It seems that there is a lot to learn – breathing techniques, leg positioning, even safety instructions.
That’s true! We always remind our clients that they have to have their brain ‘switched on’ during a session. We don’t meditate here, we never close our eyes. We don’t even listen to music during the class so as not to interfere with the natural tempo of each exercise. We make our bodies work hard as well as our brains. After all, the six basic principles of Pilates are precision, control, centering, concentration, breath and flowing movement. We make everything in your body work in harmony and, if you listen to the instructions carefully, you’ll end up exercising every single muscle in your body in just 55 minutes.
At the same time, you almost never use extra weights. Is exercising with just your body weight really enough to build a toned, strong figure?
Correct breathing and an activated core is what gives you a toned figure, not the weight lifting! In an advanced class, I might offer my clients 1.5 kg ankle weights, but never more. We’re enhancing strength and health, not building giant muscles here. If you want visible muscles you should combine Pilates with gym – it will improve the results a lot! Most of the Pilates exercises are done on a special Reformer which already provides you with passive and controlled resistance.
Speaking of Reformers, the Pilates room looks a bit like a torture room for a newbie. What are all these machines?
First of all, not machines but apparatus! Machines have engines and they move you, whereas in Pilates you’re working together with the apparatus. Joseph Pilates created his Reformer to correct the mistakes we make when working out on a mat, so it’s your best friend and your extra muscles. It’s a basic apparatus you’ll see at any Classical Pilates studio. At Bodysense Pilates, we also have Wunda chairs, the Cadillac and other important devices. We mostly use them during private sessions, when we see that the client needs to work on a specific problem.
Must be a lot to learn. How does one become a Classical Pilates teacher?
You can only learn from a certified teacher. If we look back into history, Joseph Pilates was the person who introduced this system. He had 10 students who learned all the techniques from him. These 10 students were 1st Generation Pilates instructors. Anybody taught by them, personally, became a 2nd Generation instructor, and so on. There are three stages of studying Pilates – beginners, intermediate and advanced, and at each stage you have to complete at least 200 hours of apprenticeship that includes studying with your instructor, reading books and teaching clients. I’m privileged to bea3rdGenerationAdvancedPilates instructor.
How did you first get into Pilates?
It was back in South Africa. I went to the local gym regularly but was never really into lifting weights. As a child, I used to do a lot of ballroom and Latin American dancing. Gym exercises really lacked that gracefulness I always loved in dancing. One day I was relaxing in a hot pool after a workout and discussing this with a woman sitting next to me. ‘You should come to my studio!’ she said. That woman was Natasha Madel, a recognised 2nd Generation Pilates teacher. I attended her studio for two years as a client before she encouraged me to become a teacher.
We later moved to New Zealand and I never really thought of opening a studio here. But I couldn’t miss an opportunity when Pilates apparatus suddenly went up on sale in Tauranga. And that’s how Bodysense Pilates was born five years ago!
Have you noticed a change in awareness and interest towards Classical Pilates in the last five years?
Of course! Often new clients have already seen the positive impact this system has had on the health, appearance and self-love of friends and relatives and they are keen to experience the change for themselves. The best thing about Classical Pilates is that anyone, from youngsters to the older generation, can do it! We even have a special group for 80+ year-olds. We’re fully booked most of the time and although I already have two amazing instructors helping me, I’m looking to hire more people.
Joseph Pilates once said ‘I’m fifty years ahead of my time’. Looks like he was right and we’re finally starting to acknowledge his invention made back in the early 20th Century.
I’ll tell you more – he invented one of the most beloved and well-known workouts of the 21st Century, and even though he died in 1967, it wasn’t until 2013 that his memory was commemorated with a bronze plaque in his home town Mönchengladbach (Germany). I’m glad we’re finally paying him the proper tribute!
