The Wisdom of Time: Lessons from My Pilates Journey

Time has a way of bringing clarity, peeling back layers to reveal hard truths we may not have seen before. As I reflect on my Pilates journey, I wonder—what insights have dawned on you along the way? How has your perspective evolved?

One thing I’ve learned is that the more knowledge you gain, the more you realize there’s still so much to explore. It’s a common experience for new instructors to feel the urge to introduce clients to advanced exercises, believing complexity equates to value. But with time and practice, you come to appreciate the importance of depth over breadth.

You begin to see how foundational movements are not just the basics—they’re the building blocks for everything else. The connections between shapes, transitions, and skills become clearer, and revisiting those “simple” exercises often unveils new layers of understanding.

I often think back to my early days teaching classical Pilates. I remember the exercises I pushed too soon, the errors I made, and the risks I took—risks I didn’t fully grasp at the time. Like many, I was eager, driven by the excitement of sharing what I’d learned. But with each class and each mistake, I grew.

Even now, there are days when I feel like a beginner all over again. Yet when I look back at where I started, I see how far I’ve come. This is the beauty of teaching and practicing Pilates: it’s a journey, not a destination. The best learning happens through doing—through teaching, observing, and, most importantly, being a student yourself.

If there’s one piece of advice I’d give to instructors at any stage of their journey, it’s this: prioritize being a student. Step out of your comfort zone. Collaborate with someone from a different lineage or training program. Not only will this broaden your perspective, but it will also highlight the common threads that run through all styles of Pilates. It’s in these intersections that we uncover the essence of the practice and its true significance.

So, what lessons has your Pilates journey taught you? How has time shaped your perspective? I’d love to hear your reflections—share them below!