Everyday I teach Pilates. Yes, it’s “just” exercise. But in these uncertain times, I’m realizing it goes beyond fitness. Let me start with a little background. About ten years ago I set out to open a Pilates studio in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. Both the location and the name of my business were no coincidence. I came up with the name “Blue Sparrow Pilates” out of the idea that the sparrow is a symbol of love, freedom, integrity, and commitment. I also connected to the idea of the sparrow symbolizing journey and homecoming as I pondered, what would it feel like to to be completely at home in one’s own body?
Fast forward to today, I still aspire to embody these “sparrow” characteristics, as well as help to bring them out of everyone who walks through my studio doors. I see these ideals demonstrated in this studio community through small acts of love and mutual support.
As Pilates teachers, we don’t often impact the world through big acts.It’s really years of teeny, tiny acts that positively affect how people feel.And for me that’s as good as gold.
I help people to feel freedom in their bodies. Freedom from limitations and pain has a huge impact on how people exist in their lives, as well as how fully one can engage in life. I see firsthand how pain and fear are closely tied. The freedom from pain allows people to stretch their wings.
I train bodies that are vulnerable, those that are exceptional, and everyone in between. Feeling vulnerable leaves a person scared to do things, mostly out of fear of pain. Helping someone to feel stronger in their own body allows people the ability to better experience all the happiness and pleasures in life — like the simple joys of picking up a grandchild or laughing at dinner with friends.
I teach people to endure, to push a little bit harder, and always reach for more. Time and time again, I see amazing “Ah-ha” moments where people experience the satisfaction of knowing they’re capable of more than they ever believed. How incredible it is to witness someone exploding their notions of their own capabilities. I train all bodies. We have a body. I teach these bodies regardless of the color of their skin, faith, ability, gender identity, sexuality, nationality, or ethnicity. I believe the body needs to be cared for because it houses who we each are.
I teach a fitness method that not only spans our differences but celebrates them. From the very first time I took a Pilates lesson, it was made clear that my body was as unique as the person on the mat next to me — everything from the shape of my bones and muscles, to my alignment, and even how my brain interprets and signals movement. I was not only instructed to notice these special aspects of being in my body, but to love them. Not in a far out woo woo way, but in the way that is rooted in a growth or journey mindset.From the very beginning, the Pilates Method was built on innovation, systematic development, and practical application. Joseph Pilates experimented with exercising outdoors to cure his childhood ailments (asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever). He rigged springs to wounded soldiers hospital beds, and even taught systematic exercises to internment campers.
I know that sometimes we must regress in order to progress. I meet people where they are today, and progress people from a starting point toward where they want to be. We may “zig and zag” along the way but we keep charging forward.
I teach women leadership skills. I feel proud and fortunate to be a female business owner. When I began teaching I was shy, maybe even scared of people. Through teaching I learned how to speak with confidence to many different kinds of people. I learned how to be a strong, capable leader. I found that I had a voice in my field. And as a result, I learned I had a voice in the world. Never would I have believed that I would go on to employ and encourage so many women over the last decade. These women also have became leaders through their teaching, and together we continue to demonstrate how women have the capacity to lead. Yes, I just teach exercise. But Pilates can have a profound impact not just on someone’s body, but on their life. In my opinion, the body is a great place to begin to make change.
Looking back at the mission statement I wrote so many years ago, it still rings true today: freedom to move, confidence with your body, physical integrity, and mind-body revitalization. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not silly enough to think that Pilates can ‘heal the world.’ I’m not under the illusion that somehow Pilates could fix all the challenges we currently face. But as a female entrepreneur, I feel compelled to share my voice. In part, as a way to look at my life for a way to make a little sense out of it all, to reevaluate my priorities and existence, and to reflect on how my career engages in the larger conversation.
With all my love and gratitude,XO
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