Inspiration of the Month- Teena VanDaele

December 2014

Inspiration of the Month

Teena VanDaele

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I began Pilates about 10 years ago and was extremely diligent with my lessons, then my oldest child was born and Pilates fell to the wayside.  I restarted in May of this year because I was getting older and because of my occupation, I had horrible lower back pain.  I soon realized how much I truly enjoyed the experience of Pilates.  Not to say I didn’t have my struggles as I began taking classes again, but I was truly amazed that despite the few years I had been away from Pilates, I was still able to “maneuver” myself into various positions.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?
I began in May with two sessions per week: 1 private and 1 class.   I enjoy the private classes for the individual perspective they provide.  Private classes enable you to perfect to your “working level” the techniques of Pilates, giving you a perspective on where improvements need to be made or where your strong points remain.  Class gives you the opportunity to work at a faster pace with a variety of sessions; i.e. mat, reformer, Tower.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?

My personal favorite is by far the tower classes; they provide an interesting mix of mat work/resistance combination.

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates?

In restarting Pilates this past May, I have noticed a vast improvement in my lower back pain and my energy levels throughout my day.  I no longer wake up in the middle of the night with back pain and I find myself sleeping better overall.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
What I have learned and would pass along as a piece of advice from someone who started Pilates in my late 20’s, early 30’s and did not restart until I was 40, is that you certainly do not have to master the skills within each aspect of Pilates to retain the benefit of what it can do for and to you.  Everyone has a varied skill level and no matter what that skill level is; simply trying Pilates will provide benefit to you… that is the art of Pilates.