What does “Progression” mean in Pilates?
I asked this question to our Studio Teachers at our last Teacher’s Day here at Be:Poised Pilates. What is “Progress” in Pilates and what does it look like for us as teachers, and for our clients?
We often talk about Joseph Pilates’ traditional method being a progressive system. It is the main thing that attracted me so much to the Classical method, having originally trained through a more contemporary style. When I retrained as Classical teacher and changed my teaching to the Classical method I could see the progression in my clients so much more, and importantly so could they!
We know that Pilates is a practice through which we continually evolve and progress. But what does progression actually look like, and what does it mean? Let’s explore this a bit further…
Is progression…Learning new exercises?
Maybe…but we need to be careful with this one.
Learning new exercises because your body is beginning to master the ones that came before and is ready to progress the challenge…yes that is progression!
Learning new exercises for the purpose of bringing in variety or making you feel like you are doing something new…no, that is not progression.
Classical Pilates is a practice. This means there is repetition in the work and that repetition is good - it is one of the things that makes the method so effective. Joseph Pilates had a wonderful way of saying - OK, so you can find strength and connection working your body in this way…what happens if we add a little more challenge by perhaps loading the body differently, or changing your base of stability? That is what new exercises are all about - they essentially take elements of the exercises you have already learned and put them together in a way that will challenge your strength and control even more.
So if learning new exercises is only part of the story, what else could “progression” mean…
Is progression…Progressing from one class level to the next?
This might be the what clients see as the most obvious sign of progression, but is it really?
I’ll let you into a secret…levels are a teaching tool, not an absolute marker of progression. Joseph Pilates didn’t have “beginner’”, “intermediate” or “advanced”. You worked according to what YOUR body needed. The concept of levels really came in with the 1st generation teacher trainers to help give structure to how their trainees learnt and taught the method. They are particularly helpful when teaching in small groups rather than 1:1s which are fully tailored to the individual.
We structure all of our group classes here at Be:Poised Pilates into “levels”. This is a very important tool for us as it helps group clients together into a similar level of knowledge and understanding of the work, or a similar pace of teaching and practice. It helps clients to be able to work at the right pace for them based on their body’s needs. It is also important for safety of our clients, helping to ensure they learn the exercises properly and do not attempt things they are not ready for just to keep up with the rest of the group. People will move through levels at their own pace. The speed through which you move from one class level to another does not necessarily mean you are progressing faster or slower than someone else.
Some people may stay in a particular level of class for months, or even years. Not every exercise is right for every body. This is particularly true of the Advanced work. Some clients may always remain in our Intermediate or Intermediate Plus classes. This doesn’t mean they are not progressing, it means they are working on the exercises and pace of work that is right for their body. Progression within a single class level is being able to find the connections in your body better, to better access what you need for each exercise, to master the exercises within that class level better, and to coordinate mind and body together within the work. You can absolutely be getting stronger and more capable whilst staying in the same class level.
So, whilst changing from one level of class to another can be an indicator of progression it is not absolute…so what else could progression mean?
Is progression…The exercises starting to feel easier?
Not necessarily!
Jay Grimes used to say the first principle of Pilates was to “move!”. When we get a new client in the studio, often the first thing we focus on is just getting them moving. As a teacher we can be noting in our minds what that client needs to work on, and helping make adjustments to assist them as they learn the work - but first and foremost our client needs to be able to move and to begin to feel each exercise in their body. After all, some of those foundation exercises can feel really weird to someone who has never done Pilates before (Stomach massage anyone!).
As you start to get the work in your body, we start to refine more and more. Where are you loading from, where is your control coming from, is every part of the body working how it needs to be to really squeeze the juice out of that exercise? If we did all of that when you first walked into the studio it would be far too overwhelming and you simply wouldn’t know where to start- we can’t talk Pilates into your body, you have to find it for yourself by moving and feeling it.
As your body evolves, you can find connections in ways you simply weren’t able to access before. Your body has changed, and therefore so has the feel of the exercise. The Elephant on the Reformer is my favourite example of this. I can’t tell you how many times our Intermediate or Intermediate Plus class clients have said “I thought this was supposed to feel easy by now, why do I feel like I’m working even harder?!”. And that is when I know they are progressing! Their body has changed so they can connect into their Powerhouse better, and really find where the work is supposed to be. None of it is supposed to be easy. Progress isn’t finding the work easier. It is doing the work better. It is attending a Foundations class as an Advanced student and still having worked your body super hard! That is when you know you are starting to master Pilates!
So if progression isn’t necessarily about new exercises, different class levels, or finding exercises easy, what is it then?
In our Teacher’s Day at the studio we talked about how all exercises comprise of a set of skills, that come together to help us perform that exercise properly. As we “progress’ through the exercises we practice the skills we have learned, challenge those skills further and put them together with new skills to perform the exercises that come next.
So now we are starting to get an idea of what progression might actually be…the skills we learn, practice and develop.
The description we eventually came up with in our Teacher’s day to define “progression’ in Pilates was this…
Learning and Developing a set of skills that will help you become more capable both in and out of the studio
For us at Be:Poised Pilates this is a definition that shapes our teaching.
We’re not here to teach you choreography, or just “instruct” you through a group fitness class. We are teachers. Our role is to teach you the skills you need to develop in your body. To help you build strength and control of your whole body, not just the bits you already find easy.
If an exercise feels hard to do, let’s break it down to the skills needed. Where have you already started to learn those skills, how do we help you develop those skills further, and importantly how do we help you feel it in your body. That, to us, is progression.
And it’s even more than that. Progression isn’t something you see or feel only in the studio, it is something that becomes apparent in your every day lives. You start to feel stronger and more capable in your body. You can get down and up from the floor a little more easily, perform hobbies with greater ease, even put your socks on a little easier. After all, that is what it’s ultimately all about!