Our next six-week Six Degrees Reformer 101 Pilates class is coming right up, starting on Oct. 15, and I can’t recommend it more. With instructor Linda Dahmen, up to six students will band together in a series of classes that help teach the basic principles of Pilates, introduce the signature piece of Pilates equipment (the Reformer, which gains its shape from Pilates’ origins as a physical therapy regimen for soldiers and others bound to hospital beds), and create a bonded group of people laughing and surprising themselves week after week. And you really do bond with the other students—this is your safe group, where messing up isn’t embarrassing, questions are encouraged, and you find pride when the teacher uses you as the example on a new move. The series also helps you make a commitment to yourself and to five other people: you will show up, you will try, you will connect.