Newsletter

Pilates Is A Way Of Life

Shining light on Pilates truths, honoring Joseph Pilates, and supporting you in your Pilates journey.

“Why do we have to change positions so often?” We lie down, sit up, roll, kneel, stand, lie back down again. It must seem inefficient to those who ask, because they often suggest a quick solution: Why not remain in one position and finish all these movements before changing body orientation? Let...

by Joanna u Telacka — Mar 21, 2026 aging classical pilates core core strength flexibility gift of pilates mr. pilates powerhouse strength

Your Intro to Pilates should go like this:

"Expect to listen to a lot of new information and move your body in an unfamiliar way." When you come to a Pilates studio for your first lesson, make sure that you come with a beginner's mind. Be ready to listen to a lot of new information and move your body in an unfamiliar way. Your first Pila...

by Joanna Telacka — Feb 21, 2026 basic 5 beginner mat beginner reformer cadillac classical teacher first pilates lesson intro to pilates ped-o-pull pilates intro traditional pilates

The Stretch You Know - And the Very Important Part You May Be Missing

You most likely know this stretch. The “quad stretch”. You grab your ankle, or your foot, your pant leg, you pull your foot towards your buttock, and you feel a stretch on the front of your thigh. But this stretch can do so much more for your body if you know how to use all of w...

Feb 07, 2026 flexibility hip flexors mobility muscles quad muscle stretch stretching

One Reason Why You Go To Bed Feeling Fine But Wake Up In Pain

You may go to bed feeling fine—sometimes even relaxed—yet wake up stiff, sore, or achy, particularly in the lower back. At first glance, it doesn't seem logical, and hard to believe that the culprit may not be your age, your matress, or the fact that you might have "slept wrong". In reali...

by Joanna Telacka — Jan 17, 2026 achy lower back achy neck achy shoulders bedtime routine good night sleep hip flexors morning aches and pains morning stiffness stretches

What your ultimate goal of practicing Pilates has to do with right and left side of your body.

Once you stop comparing yourself to a fictional “perfectly symmetrical person,” you can begin training your body as it is. That perspective shift will be a turning point in your practice. The Attributes of Pilates: Symmetry, Asymmetry, and the Path to Uniform Development Over the years, I’ve wat...

by Joanna Telacka — Dec 13, 2025 asymmetrical exercises at home workout body awarness classical pilates injury prevention pilates mat symmetrical exercises uniform development workout at home

When Someone Wants Pilates...But Not the Work Behind It

A potential client called the studio recently wanting to join a Reformer class. She had taken Pilates elsewhere and wanted to continue.I asked what kind of Pilates she had done.“The kind with music,” she said.So I asked a simple follow-up question: whether the exercises were taught in sequence—th...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 23, 2025 at home pilates choose better pilates classical pilates classical v. contemporary pilates what is best pilates what's the difference between classical and contemporary pilates why order matters in pilates

What's the secret to a healthy spine?

Spine health is the ability to function every day without pain and stiffness in any part of the spinal column. It is the comfort of living life without neck pain, upper back pain, or lower back pain. A healthy spine is the foundation for our body's overall mobility and proper posture. Josep...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 11, 2025 flexible spine healthy spine lower back care lower back health lower back pain lower back stifnes pilates for lower back pilates for lower back pain spine care

The Building Blocks of Our Well-Being

The complex choreography of classical Pilates exercises can be overwhelming, not only for beginners but also for seasoned Pilates enthusiasts as they progress through the material. However, the work of Joseph Pilates goes beyond the choreography of the exercises. Going deeper, learning and practi...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 11, 2025 body awarness get healthy healthy aging healthy movements longevity pelvis mobility pelvis stability pilates instructor tips pilates teacher tips spine aligment stay healthy tutorials

“Sitting is the new smoking”, is a a phrase coined by Dr. James Levine of Mayo Clinic in 2018. He used smoking as a metaphor to amplify the dangers that prolonged sitting can pose to our health– and we definetley do too much sitting :) Those who transitioned to working at home don’t commute anym...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 11, 2025 lower back pain movement is medicine sedentary job effect sitting is the new smoking sitting pains what to do when sitting to much

Behind the Scenes with Joseph Pilates Himself

What You and I call Pilates, he called Contrology. He outlined the art and science of Contrology in his two books: “Return to Life” and “To Your Health”. He wrote them last year... Just kidding! 😊 He wrote them about 80 years ago, but I bet you wouldn't be able to tell. Why? In “Return to ...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 06, 2025 antiaging hacks antiaging method health hacks longevity hacks movcement is health movement pilates for health pilates for life pilates for longevity

How to Make Your Pilates Lesson Stick

Have you ever walked out of your Pilates class feeling like you uncovered a golden nugget of knowledge? Maybe it was a phrase your teacher used that resonated with you, imagery that helped you understand a new movement you were learning, or connect to muscles you did not know you had. I certainl...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 03, 2025 effective workout own your workout personalized exercises personalized pilates pilates pilates workout

What's the secret to feeling energized and calm at the same time?

During and after the Pilates workout? Breathing:) Of course. It is hard to believe that even the most dedicated Pilates students often struggle with one foundational skill: Breathing. Some hold their breath without realizing it.Some try to force their exhale like they are lifting weights.Some are...

by Joanna Telacka — Nov 02, 2025 at home workout breathing low impact workout lung health pilates pilates at home strength training stress stress-free workout