Meet Robert—a business owner who has carved out some time for himself at The Pilates Room, NYC
We recently sat down with Robert to talk about how he found The Pilates Room NYC, how practicing Pilates has helped him with functional fitness and cross training and what advice he has for anyone who is curious about trying Pilates.
How did you become interested in Pilates and how long have you been practicing?
I’ve been practicing Pilates only for a few months. After a search for a Pilates studio here in New York, I luckily found Alison and The Pilates Room. Luckily for me, The Pilates Room is two minutes from my office in Chelsea. So for the first time in my life, I’m affording myself the luxury of taking care of myself during the work day.
I come here once a week, and it’s a really treasured time. I own a company that has 22 employees. I have five children. I’ve been married for 26 years, so this hour I carve out for myself every week is really all about doing something really important for myself.
Why did you decide to try Pilates?
I came to Pilates for a few reasons—to learn about controlling my body and to build strength, but also to learn how to exercise properly and not hurt myself, which I think might be my tendency in a gym lifting weights or trying to get through a number of exercises.
Pilates has helped teach me how to stand, how to pick things up, how to hold my shoulders. But I also came to Pilates with an injury or two. Building strength and controlling my body positioning was really important, and I get a lot of that at The Pilates Room, which is great!
Did you have any idea about what Pilates would be like when you started practicing?
I came to Pilates without knowing any movements—with no anticipation other than understanding that I’m doing something really good for myself. Now that I’ve been here for eight months, there are some movements I find very relaxing, and some I find awkward because an exercise might be new to me or because it might be outside of my normal range of motion. I think I’m a pretty flexible person, but I’ve learned that maybe I haven’t practiced or worked or flexed in certain ways, so it’s all a great experience.
What do you like best about The Pilates Room NYC?
This is a wonderful space—it has eastern light, it has northern light. It’s a peaceful space to come to. More importantly though, Alison is an instructor who has great intuition. She can look at the way I’m moving or the way I’m lying on the reformer or on the mat and make slight adjustments that quickly make a big difference about how I’m experiencing the exercise.
I had worked with another Pilates instructor prior to this—for one intro visit—and I felt like I was just being given a list of exercises to do. Even if that instructor was paying attention, they didn’t have Alison’s experience and intuition. So I’ve enjoyed her one-on-one instruction.
Do you have any advice for anyone thinking about trying Pilates?
If you think you might want to do Pilates—do it! It’s best if you can afford yourself a few private lessons. There’s nothing better than having one-on-one attention. But if you do get into group Pilates, make sure it’s a small group. I don’t know if there are classes out there with eight or ten people, but three people would probably be ideal because there is lots of room for one-on-one attention. Start with a private class, if you can, and try to select a teacher who can look at you and understand you and really figure out who you are.
Why would you recommend Pilates?
I wish I had started Pilates 20 years ago—it’s a really wonderful exercise that you can do twelve months a year. I’m a skier and a road biker, and I used to be a rock climber. Pilates is a really great supplement for your body. It can help you build strength to support any other athletic endeavor. Pilates is for everyone.
If you are interested in trying Pilates and are looking for one-on-one classes or group Pilates instruction, The Pilates Room NYC offers private and semi-private classes. Check out our offerings here.