There are many Pilates studios out there that use levels to describe their classes. They may use the terminology of Level 1, 2, 3. Or you may hear it in terms of beginner, intermediate and advanced. We don’t do that at Orofino Wellness and here’s why:
We want everyone to feel welcome. No matter what your current abilities are, we want you to feel like you can come into any class and fit in. Levels can feel exclusive and that’s the last thing we want to portray. Whether you are brand new to Pilates or exercise in general, we want you to feel like you have a place here.
Human nature has us avoiding difficult or new things when it’s really what we need. By making our classes all levels, you are able to try things you wouldn’t normally try. Just this week I was teaching some advanced moves on the tower and every. single. woman. in those classes did some version of the exercise. It was magical to see!
We don’t want you to limit yourself based on your body size. Some of the strongest women I know live in larger bodies and I’m here for it. We don’t judge a book by its cover, because we genuinely don’t know what an individual is capable of until we see their body in motion. You may be extra bendy or super strong, regardless, Pilates and Orofino Wellness meets you where you are at today.
Intensity doesn’t have to only apply to “advanced” students. We have multiple formats that are intense. Like Build, it’s focused on muscle fatigue that leads to more strength. We have Cardio Flow, which tests your endurance and stamina. And on the other end of the spectrum, we have Stabilize which forces you to move slower and get deeper. They’re all hard, in their own right, but they are still open to all levels. You can come to each class and find that you are challenged in one way or another. Plus, if you need modifications or amplifications, they’ll be there so you can make the workout work for you.
Each instructor brings their own energy to the class which may make that class feel more or less intense. We’re all teaching Pilates, but we all have our own flair. One of the comments I hear most around this is how, for example, class with Lily is sneaky. She’s calm and even keeled and then you get hit out of nowhere with the challenge of the class. Some of us are more overt with our intensity, but no matter which instructor you get, know that we’re trained and prepared to teach to every person that walks into our classes.
Do you like that we do all levels for our classes? We’d love to know.