What is Classical Pilates?

Inspiral Motion teaches Pilates in its Classical form as embraced by Michele Larsson and the prestigious Core Dynamics® Pilates school of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Inspired by Joseph Pilates' personal student Eve Gentry, Core Dynamics® Classical Pilates is a movement system which systematically transforms your body over time.

Classical Pilates is marked by its authenticity. Classical work is the work Joseph Pilates taught before his death in 1967. Classical Pilates does not include systems like "yogalates" (the combination of yoga and Pilates), it does not include Pilates in the pool or Pilates on a pole. It includes a specific repertoire of exercises Joseph Pilates taught his students on a mat, the Reformer, the Cadillac, the Ladder Barrel, the Ped-a-Pull, the Wunda Chair and small apparatus including the Magic Circle and the small barrel (also known as the spine corrector). The Reformer and the Mat work include a specific syllabus created by Joseph Pilates, which is to be taught in its specific order and sequence, utilizing the other equipment when extra resistance and/or support is needed. At Inspiral Motion, we also use rollers and balls to assist with our Pilates teaching.

Today, there are a lot of new pieces of Pilates equipment, new exercises, new schools of Pilates, etc. Classical Pilates is a format wherein teachers learn the traditional work thoroughly (at least 450 hours are required) and then decide if the new exercises and the new equipment are true to Joseph Pilates' method.

Inspiral Motion offers five levels of Pilates Mat Classes; private, duet and semi-private (3 to 4 people) instruction in mat and the Pilates equipment. Group classes on the equipment are here but are limited to those who cannot get into a semi-private environment. Write here to get on the list for classes.

Benefits of Pilates include overall body strength, stamina, flexibility, stability, balance and mental centering and focus. The vitality earned from an integrated body improves your lifestyle, posture, health, and the aesthetic appearance of your body. One of the best benefits of Pilates is the learning associated with the technique; students begin to understand body mechanics, muscle function and purpose, and general anatomy. Once students become aware of their bodies and how their bodies move, new movement patterns may be learned and change begins.

Lisa Lansing of Inspiral Motion is a Pilates Mentor for the Core Dynamics® Pilates School and supervises Pilates Apprentices through their apprenticeship and into certification.