The other day, after a massage session, a client looked around my studio at all the Pilates equipment and asked, “So…what is Pilates?”

As I began sharing its history, I realized how few people know the origins of Pilates—or its guiding principles. Even more, many don’t realize how much the method has been altered over time, sometimes in ways that lose its transformative essence.

Here’s what I always tell clients: if a class is marketed only as a “great workout,” it’s not true Pilates. It may be Joseph Pilates’ exercises performed on his machines, but without the deeper principles that make it life-changing.

At its core, Pilates is about the strength and mobility of the spine, integrated breath, and balanced movement. If the spine doesn’t move well, it impacts every system of the body—and over time, can even threaten health and longevity. That’s why so many principles of Pilates now show up in modern physical therapy.

📖 If you’d like to learn more about Joseph Pilates’ life and work, I’ve created a write-up and linked a short YouTube video (by Taube Pilates) here: 👉 Pilates History & Resources
The Shift in Pilates
In 2000, a U.S. court rejected a trademark lawsuit on the word Pilates, ruling that it had become a generic description of an exercise system (similar to yoga). That decision opened the door to many interpretations of “Pilates”—some faithful to the method, others less so.

True Pilates is built on seven principles: Control, Centering, Concentration, Balance, Flow, Precision, and Breath. These principles combine to develop core stability, spinal mobility, and whole-body balance.

The somatic element of Pilates comes from its mindfulness: learning to connect breath with movement and deepening awareness of how your body moves through space. The zen of Pilates is the mental focus it requires—you simply can’t be anywhere else but in the present moment as you engage specific muscles while quieting others that want to take over. This prevents imbalance and injury, while strengthening the body intelligently.
Pilates vs. Yoga: What’s the Difference?
While yoga emphasizes flexibility, spirituality, and energy flow, Pilates centers on the spine. By building core strength, engaging diaphragmatic breath, and restoring rib movement, Pilates creates ease of movement and pain-free posture.

When the spine stiffens and the ribs no longer expand, our breath becomes compromised. This can trigger upper-chest breathing (raising cortisol and stress) or belly breathing without core support (increasing risks such as back strain, diastasis recti, or pelvic organ prolapse). Restricted posture also limits blood and lymph flow, which can lead to reduced muscle nourishment and overall health issues.
Group Classes vs. Individual Practice
There’s no denying the appeal of group classes: they’re fun, social, and can be a great way to feel stronger, fitter, and more energized. But it’s important to remember that when Pilates is taught mainly as a workout, the responsibility falls on the participant to listen carefully to cues and protect themselves from potential injury.
Final Thoughts
I hope this helped deepen your understanding of what Pilates really is. If you ever have questions—or if there’s a topic you’d like me to explore in a future newsletter—please reach out. I love sharing knowledge and supporting you in your journey toward balanced, pain-free movement.

​- Machelle

According to a study that was conducted from 1990-2019, globally 46% of women have pelvic organ prolapse (POP) with 12.5% of the population being symptomatic. So what is POP?
POP is a condition where a woman’s internal organs begin to move downward and out of place. Many women are asymptomatic and don’t even realize that they have a prolapse. Prolapse severity is measured in 5 stages:

• Stage 0 – no prolapse is demonstrated during a physical exam.
• Stage 1 – the lowest part of your prolapse is more than 1 cm above your hymenal ring.
• Stage 2 – the lowest part of your prolapse is within 1 cm on either side of your hymenal ring.
• Stage 3 – the lowest part of the prolapse is more than 1 cm below the hymen but the vagina has not completely prolapsed.
• Stage 4 – the vagina is completely prolapsed outwards.
  

Conditions that can increase the chance of prolapse include: vaginal birth, particularly if forceps or a vacuum were needed to assist in delivery, prolonged constipation, obesity, menopause, and pelvic surgery. There are many types of prolapse: cystocele (bladder),  rectocele (rectum), enterocele (small bowel), uterine (urethra), and vaginal vault (vagina). Symptoms of a prolapse may include incontinence, general pelvic pain, painful sex, pelvic congestion, and lower back pain.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, the more we know the more we can empower and care for ourselves.
​- Machelle

To all the incredible women out there—today we honor the powerful journey of motherhood and daughterhood, and the deep generational bonds we share with the women who came before us.

I often reflect on the remarkable truth that I was once inside my grandmother’s womb—as my mother’s eggs were forming, I was among them. Every emotional, physical, spiritual, and social experience that shaped her development also left an imprint on me. We are deeply interconnected, and the choices we make today ripple forward through generations.

With that in mind, I hope you’ll take time today to celebrate and care for yourself. Self-care is not selfish—it’s a gift to your grandchildren and to the future.
As I progress through my pregnancy, postpartum, and pelvic floor physical therapy course, I am continually amazed by how our bodies adapt and strive to keep us functional.
This week, we explored the diaphragm, breathing mechanics, rib angles, and their connection to diastasis and pelvic floor dysfunction.
Here are a few insights:

• A wide infrasternal angle (generally over 110°) may indicate susceptibility to diastasis. In this case, the diaphragm often shifts from a respiratory role to supporting the spine—due to imbalanced oblique and weak intercostal muscles.
• A narrow infrasternal angle (generally under 100°) can limit rib mobility, increasing intra-abdominal pressure and contributing to incontinence or prolapse. Breathing shifts to the upper chest, which may activate neck muscles and raise cortisol levels.
• Fascinatingly, the left side of the ribcage is usually wider than the right because the liver supports the right side.

What does all this mean? Simply put, breath is vital. Balanced strength and flexibility in our bodies begin with the way we breathe. The body is an incredible, interconnected system—from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
Looking Ahead
Take care of yourselves, and I hope to see you soon as we continue to explore the balance between body and mind—together.

Why is self-care so important? Are we being just selfish? Can we afford to make ourselves a priority, emotionally, physically, and financially? Is it just the new buzzword of the moment? For most of my life I scoffed at the term self-care, I thought it was elitist and a waste of money. I felt that I needed to be responsible for my own physical, mental, and emotional health, never realizing this is the true definition of self-care.

I heard the analogy from a therapist the other day, that self-care is like the emergency oxygen mask on an airplane - you always put your oxygen mask on first before putting one on your child. I think this is so important to take into consideration. Let’s break it down: Women traditionally carry the heavier emotional, mental, as well as time workload. Statistically, we take on a larger role in raising the kids, managing the house, volunteering, perhaps working outside the house, caring for our aging parents, friends, and other family members, all the while feeling like we do not have the time or right to care for ourselves. We feel pressured to fool the world into thinking that we are ok. We invest in exterior beauty, such as make-up, hair, nails, clothing trends, and call this surface-level investment “self-care” because it’s a socially acceptable and expected response to stress – especially for women. However, inside we are in physical pain, holding stress, perhaps past trauma, anxiety and bodily challenges such as incontinence, prolapses and pelvic pain, to name a few. With society believing that self-care is limited to our exterior image, it’s no wonder that caring for ourselves gets a bad rap!

I recently watched an Instagram post where the therapist Mel Robbins interviewed Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic surgeon; here’s a summary of what Dr. Wright said she witnesses when she gets called in for an emergency hip break on an older woman: 30% of women who break their hip don’t make it. The patient is in excruciating pain curled up at the end of the bed and doesn’t want to be moved because it hurts too bad from bones she never paid any attention to. She’s lying in a pool of urine due to incontinence that she is too embarrassed to tell anyone about it. She may have a urinary tract infection as well. The doctor needs to perform a 45-minute surgery to replace the patient’s hip, but the patient’s heart is too unhealthy and weak because she has been taking care of everyone else her entire life and ignoring her own wellbeing. She may have a touch of dementia, but in her lucid moments she says, “I’ve not always been like this, I don’t know how I got here, don’t ever get old.”

This percentage is staggering, but the question remains – how does this happen?  How did we get there? We can choose another path and a conscious effort to believe we are worth it to invest in ourselves. Every person and body are unique with its own challenges, and we can invest in personalized attention that makes transformative change. I invite you to come and explore the benefits of transformation with personalized attention, allowing you to meet your body where it is with no judgement or pain and fatigue, leaving feeling better than when you walked in.

​- Machelle