As Pilates professionals, we regularly make and endorse statements like “All bodies are Pilates bodies” and “Pilates is for everyone.” When it comes to working with different body types, however, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. This workshop aims to provide Pilates professionals with clarity, confidence, and opportunities for allyship when working with people in larger bodies.

 

Beginning with modifications such as body position, spring changes, and prop use, this workshop will give instructors actionable tips for creating seamless programs and improving accessibility for clients with a variety of body types and sizes.

 

In addition to exploring how to improve access to individual exercises and apparatus, this workshop will expand on how to move clients safely and effectively through the Pilates system—from safe mounting and dismounting techniques to transitions—without getting overwhelmed by modifications. After all, as Romana Kryzanowska famously quipped, “Pilates is a workout.”

 

Armed with a variety of actionable teaching skills, participants will leave this workshop with practical tools for creating more inclusive studio spaces. These include best practices for using weight and size-neutral cueing and imagery, curbing fatphobia, and amplifying diverse points of view within the Pilates industry.