My Experience at The Core Reformary
You can relate to this blog if you've never taken a Pilates class or even heard of it. Though this is my second time doing a pilates class, I'm still new to this exercise. Since I didn't want to embarrass myself by going alone, I made my friend, Brenda, attends it with me. When we first got to The Core Reformary, we were greeted by the instructor herself, Tiffany.
Inside The Core Reformary are a few sitting areas, a place for shoes, and a changing room. Though the space isn't big, it feels cozy and comfortable. As we entered the Pilates room, two other people joined us for this class. Tiffany wasted no time in introducing herself and started explaining the basics.
Virginia (2022). The Pilates Room
Tiffany prepared us with a few breathing techniques before starting the session. The first move is all about opening the hips. We lay down on the machine and did multiple glute bridges. What I l really like about the instructor is that she actively guides us throughout the process, ensuring that our body is in the right alignment. Slowly working out every muscle in our bodies, the moves progressed up to our abs, shoulders and arms.
My hardest move was when we had to come up and touch our feet. I felt the shakiness in my abs, and it failed to come up multiple times. But Tiffany kept hyping us up and ensured each of us kept moving.
Shutterstock (n.d)
The move that I enjoy the most is when we have to open up our legs into an 'O' shape using the holder to place the arch of our feet. This part targeted my inner thigh as we opened up the legs to form a large circle. At first, I didn't feel it then as the coach helped me to open up my legs more, I felt the stretch. It was the first time I felt such a stretch in my inner thighs.
Vexels (n.d)
We spent the entire session using a reformer, a machine with adjustable springs that can be set to various resistance levels. We would either be standing still while moving our legs, arms, and toes or pushing off the reformer.
Virginia (2022). Reformer Machines
In the end, I noticed I was holding my breath a lot, and Tiffany's mentioning to let our breath out made me realize that I was having. The breathing technique helped me get through the movement. Breathing out at the right time lets the air out and pushes me through certain movements, such as crunching up.
Pilates is not a competition to see who can become stronger or more flexible; it is an exercise in self-awareness and physical mastery that can benefit all areas of your life. You shouldn't feel bad about making mistakes in class because that's how you learn. For my part, I stumbled and nearly fell a few times, but that's to be expected and is simply part of learning.
If you are interested to try pilates, I recommend you to book at The Core Reformary located at 420 North Bridge Road #05-20 North Bridge Centre, 188727. I personally booked through the app ClassPass that you can download on Appstore or Play Store. You can also check price, schedule, and booked through their website.