Do We Meditate in Pilates?

I’m writing this blog post in response to a question that comes up quite regularly. This question comes from people who are looking to begin Pilates, and my members are sometimes asked by family and friends. Do we meditate in Pilates? And another question they often ask is: Do we do any kind of chanting or om-ing or things like that?

Now, this blog post is not going to go into a discussion about whether meditation and chanting etc are effective or not. I’m just going to talk about whether we do this in Pilates or not, and where it might come from.

So, in response to this question: Do we meditate, chant and om etc in Pilates? No, we don’t. It’s just not part of the practice. Pilates is a functional exercise program that aims to recover your body from various issues, it can help to rehab and certainly aids prehab, along with a significant number of benefits. From improving back pain and posture, to strengthening the core, whole body, and enhancing sports performance, Pilates can help.

Pilates was created by multiple sportsman and professional boxer, Joseph Pilates,  about 100 years ago. Some of the exercises and movements in Pilates can be a little bit similar to yoga as Joseph Pilates incorporated some of the poses, but with a different technique. Pilates is often bundled in with yoga, but beyond being on a mat with no shoes on, they are quite different.

Whereas in yoga you may well have a meditation/relaxation phase, in contemporary Pilates, we don’t meditate in the class. Now, there’s an argument to say that you do, because exercise is like meditation. You’re focusing your mind on your body as you breathe and exercise with control and precision. This can be considered like a form of meditation. This is great for your mind and great for your body, of course. But no, we do not lie there, we don’t close our eyes, we don’t sit cross-legged, and we don’t meditate.

However, there is one caveat to that that I will discuss here, and that is to remember that every Pilates instructor has their own background. If you went to a Pilates class run by a gymnast, expect that to be pretty extreme, because they will probably tailor it to their experience of gymnastics. If you went to a Pilates class run by an ex-dancer or a ballet dancer or something like that, expect that to come into it. Expect there to be some standing on your toes and stuff. They will be bringing a little bit of their experience of dance into the Pilates.

If you went to a Pilates class run by a guy who had significant, debilitating back pain, multiple injuries and a few surgeries having previously played rugby until recently. Spent years working at a desk and in a car. And despite these various challenges, undid the pain and continues to be very active, mobile and lifts heavy weights – then expect to find a lot of elements which will lend themselves to aiding that in their class. Yes, that’s me. That’s my approach and that’s where I come from with it. But each instructor comes from a different background and will bring elements of that with them.

If you went to a Pilates class run by somebody who was a yoga teacher or is a yoga teacher, there’s a chance they might get you doing a meditation and relaxation at the end. And that’s fine. That’s their style and that’s their preference. But that’s not what I do in my classes.

Pilates, in one form or another, is going to be great for absolutely everybody, with most goals in mind. Yes, okay, if you want to be a competing bodybuilder, Pilates isn’t going to do it. But Pilates is going to help you on that journey. If you want to become a competing marathon runner, Pilates isn’t going to be enough to get you there. But Pilates will definitely help you achieve that goal. If you’re into competing sports, impact sports, things like that, Pilates will help you prevent injuries, recover faster, and perform better.

So, I hope that answers some of your questions about Pilates. If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch, my details are below. And if you’re interested in joining me online, you can find out more below. Thanks for reading!