Why I Moved from Yoga to Pilates
I'm going to be honest with you: I did not want to teach Pilates.
I was an Iyengar yoga teacher, and don't doubt for a second how genuine a yogi I considered myself. I went to Pune. I was at BKS Iyengar's funeral. This wasn't a hobby for me, it was who I was, a way of life.
And I was happy. I loved the stretching, the backbends, the breathwork and the relaxation. In the Iyengar community, one of the terms and conditions are that you don't teach Pilates, or any other style of yoga, or any other movement modality that in itself should cause a few warning bells.
A couple of my students asked if I'd teach Pilates, and in my heart of hearts I did not want to. I had a picture in my head of Pilates as a bit like callenetics: lots of pulsing, loud music, all in the name of diet culture. None of that was on my agenda, in my own practice or as a movement teacher.
But the ladies kept at me and I bit the bullet and did a training in Dublin. The principles of Pilates were absolutely game changing. My body loved it.Then I started to practise a lot, and Pilates held up a mirror. At workshops in ShoulderBridge my hamstrings cramped so badly I had to look across across the room how come nobody else's did. When we sat on the Swiss ball and had to take a foot off the floor, I was wobbling around like crazy while everyone else sat there calmly. When we had to touch our toes, I was fabulous at it. But when the teacher told me to get back onto my sitting bones, I was crap. This was interesting… Was yoga missing something….
I had to face the fact that my hamstrings were very loose and couldn't actually contract. I'd been hinging to touch my toes instead of lengthening my spine. And when it came to stability, I was very unstable in my own body. Weirdly I could stand on my head for 10 minutes - but I was doing it completely from my back body. And fecking my neck up to boot. I'm not going to lie, I ignored those red flags and sailed on with my yoga practice.
But more and more I practised Pilates, and the more differences between the two I noticed:
Range. Yoga often works at end range. Pilates really doesn't.
Holds and reps. Long holds are common in Iyengar, Hatha and Yin. In Pilates we don't do long holds, and we don't do lots of repetitions. Joints don’t like long holds at end range
Origins. I thought Pilates was based on yoga. It isn't at all. Once I read about Joseph Pilates and his background in boxing, and looked at the exercises (rowing, swimming, horseriding not to mention rehab), I began to open my mind.
Apparatus. Pilates is done with equipment. We learn the mat work to start, but the apparatus really brings it to life. Even though the yoga I did uses props the Pilates Apparatus is the game changer. The equipment loads you in a closed box system - your body can’t help but process the load through the centre. That teaches your body where your centre of gravity is - you walk better, run better - do yoga better.
I began seeing Pilates in its own right and realising I had had a very closed mindset.
In my experience, Pilates is a lot safer for people, which is why it's so often recommended by doctors and physios. I have had huge success with Pilates with students pelvic floor dysfunction, post natal rehab, stability for people with Parkinsons and MS - yoga just doesn’t reach these people. It was with Pilates I learnt about body and how to work with dysfunction, injury and surgeries.
Now I not only teach Pilates but teach yoga teachers to be Pilates teachers - it is journey and it involves personal growth and reflection - very yogic attributes - I try to help them see Pilates in its own right. It's hard. I know, because I had to do it myself.
What my name said :
You can actually trace my whole journey through my socials. It started out as Suzie Dodd Yoga. Then it became Suzie Dodd Yoga and Pilates. And now its Suzie Dodd Pilates. Today I created the page - Suzie Dodd Pilates Academy - I am proud of this journey.
I didn't sit down and plan that. It happened the same way everything else did, naturally and organically. But when I look at those four names in a row, it tells the whole story better than I could: where I started, the stretch in the middle where I was doing both, and where I ended up.
A gentle word about money
Yogis have a funny relationship with money. Love it and or hate it, - many of us were taught, quietly, that teaching is a calling and not a living, and that wanting to be paid well is somehow at odds with the practice.
So I'll say this as kindly as I can: in my experience, your income as a Pilates teacher can quadruple your income. You've spent years building real skill, and there's nothing unspiritual about being properly rewarded for it. It's a lovely surprise, and you're allowed to enjoy it. Yoga teachers are great movement teachers - learning the Pilates Principles and applying them to your pilates class is deep and rewarding - there is nothing boring about Pilates - trust me I don’t do boring.
So why did I move?
In the fifteen years I've done both, I've veered almost completely into Pilates, in my own practice and in my teaching. It happened naturally and organically. The results, in my own body and with my students, have simply been more powerful. The proof is in the pudding.
But I'm sure someone else could veer just as naturally towards yoga. It isn't a competition. If it works for you and it works for your clients, it works.
If you're a yoga teacher who's been quietly wondering about Pilates, you're allowed to follow that. It's one of the reasons why I run my Pilates Teacher Training Academy and I'd love to hear from you. I genuinely I do get that it is a difficult and complex decision for some yogi’s - if you want to chat give me a ring.
