The studio’s new Pilates Chair class is both a fantastic introduction to a really nifty piece of Pilates equipment and to the joys of a private (well, with a cap of three students, semi-private) session with a highly qualified expert. It’s also a way to experience the movements of traditional mat and Reformer Pilates with a different relationship to gravity… a surprisingly tough but rewarding relationship!
The Pilates chair, my teacher, Kelly, explained, is not named because you will spend the class sitting. Alas! Instead, it’s because wealthy New Yorkers who took up Pilates after its initial introduction as a form of physical therapy (particularly for veterans) found the Reformer and the Cadillac too bulky for their urban apartments. The newly developed equipment was named the Chair because when it’s not in use for exercise, it can be stored and used as, well, a chair. Nifty!
Like the Reformer, the Chair has different spring settings that change the tension on the pedal (or pedals, in some models), allowing for different feedback from the machine in different positions. Where you might want a tougher spring while pushing down, in movements where you lift upward, a lighter spring may keep you from being propelled off into space.
Luckily, the instructor is there to tell you which springs to use, which positions to take, how many reps to do, and how to adjust your feet and tap into your inner thighs to keep the exercise rigorous, but not painful. The emphasis is very much on Joseph Pilates’ favorite concept: bodily control. Using balance and smooth muscle movements, you can get a serious workout from engaging with one little contraption. It feels… well, a little like magic!
Be sure to check out Chair. Kelly is now teaching three classes a week, and each can have up to three students: Tuesday evening at 7:15pm, Wednesday morning at 8:30am, and Saturday afternoons at 12:30pm. The class is priced as a semi-private lesson, at $35 per student. (Kelly, a licensed Pilates instructor, also teaches Six° Barre.)
All you need to do is bring yourself, really! Shorts or yoga pants are nice, as is a fitted top, since they’ll let the teacher easily spot and correct any problems with form, but sweatpants and a t-shirt will do the job just as well.