Where Should I Be Feeling This? By Heather O'Donnell

“Where should I be feeling this?” is an inside joke among Pilates teachers. It’s the question we dread hearing because it means the person asking the question isn’t getting the essence of what you are trying to teach them.  The reason this is a tough question is because usually there isn’t just one place you should be feeling it.  Pilates is a very nuanced and subtle practice and there is so much that goes into getting an exercise right, so when a client asks about feeling an exercise in a certain place when they should perhaps be thinking more meta about the whole experience, it’s back to the drawing board for us instructors.  It means we will have to find a way to take this person back to the basics and make them understand the point of what we are trying to teach them.  

The question also often hints at the misguided assumption that all Pilates exercises are about the “core”.  The assumption is if you aren’t feeling it there or perhaps we take you on a journey into some leg and footwork that your core is being neglected; that we are somehow missing the point.  Remember, an effective Pilates practice doesn’t have a narrow focus of addressing one problem area in the body, but offers a more holistic approach of working the entire body through the different planes of movement.

A Pilates practice requires a certain amount of mindfulness and patience. It requires a full understanding of the foundations such as pelvic stability, neutral pelvis, transverse abdominis engagement, etc.  Even the most experienced and advanced practitioners return to these fundamentals on a regular basis to improve. So next time you wonder “where should I be feeling this”, redirect your mind to “where AM I feeling this” and return to your fundamentals. If still unclear, ask your instructor for guidance and we will help you tap into some deeper connections and help you get the most out of every movement.