One of the biggest benefits of Pilates is honing your sense of awareness about movement. As you continue to practice, you become aware of alignment. Those “aha” moments where you recognize a shift.

Like the architect I’m working with who recently said “I never knew I did that, that’s really weird, I shift to the left when I’m much stronger on my right.”

Think about your spine as being similar to a game of Jenga. Being right (or left) dominant, we  shift to the other side, until that one more block causes compression. When these patterns stack up, they can start to overload a muscle, tendon, or joint.

And that’s how injuries and misalignments can be our most powerful teachers!

I used to cry in frustration in my chiropractor’s office – seriously, lamenting my back injury and its reluctance to heal. “Someday this will be a gift,” my chiro would tell me. 

He was right. The two years I spent digging out of my injury helped me become the teacher I am today and one of the important reasons why I love Pilates’ ability to realign and heal.

Keep honing your alignment and feel how it helps you progress your Pilates. Your body’s intuitive awareness is amazing – truly!