Finding Strength Beyond Limits: Anna Sarol’s Pilates Journey with Kaitlyn
For Anna Sarol, movement has always been an integral part of her life. As a former competitive gymnast, she spent years refining her strength, flexibility, and control. But after a life-changing injury left her a T10 complete paraplegic, she had to rediscover movement in an entirely new way. When Pilates began trending in the wellness space, Anna’s curiosity was piqued. Could this method, originally designed for rehabilitation, be adapted for her body?
Anna shared her experience…“when Pilates became a pop-culture trend, I started questioning whether it was something I could participate in as a paraplegic. I’ve always been one to put myself in uncomfortable situations for the sake of growth, and when I didn’t see another paraplegic represented in Pilates, my curiosity took over,” she explained.
Anna took to social media to find an instructor who was willing to explore that question with her. That’s when she connected with Kaitlyn, the Fitness Manager at Bodybar Downtown Kansas City, USA. With four years of teaching experience, Kaitlyn was confident in her skills—but she had never worked with a disabled client before.
“To be very honest, my first thought was, ‘I don’t know if I trust myself to do this,’” Kaitlyn admitted. “It actually took me a few days and a few pep talks with the owners of my studio to feel confident. I do not take my job lightly, and the fact that people trust me with their bodies means a lot to me. I wanted to make sure I was a ‘good enough’ instructor to give Anna a true Pilates experience without limiting her unnecessarily.”
Their first session was a mix of excitement and uncertainty. They spent time discussing Anna’s body. “We spent a good chunk of our time just discussing my body—specifically, my limitations, like not being able to engage my lower abdominals and how the inability to use my legs contributed to my lack of trunk support, making it difficult to stabilize myself,” she said. What made their collaboration work from the start was Kaitlyn’s willingness to listen.
“I was initially worried that I’d be met with an instructor who, despite having tons of experience in Pilates, might not be willing to adapt or listen,”
Anna recalled. “We’re all experts in our own bodies, and I’ve encountered professionals before who think they have all the answers. But from the start, Kaitlyn showed a real openness to learning from me as much as I was learning from her.”
That foundation of trust and transparency allowed them to experiment, problem-solve, and refine their approach together.
“My collaboration with Kaitlyn is very much a team effort. She brings her expertise in Pilates to create movements, and then she checks in with me to see how comfortable I feel trying them. Together we figure out how to get me into position, how to stabilize if the movement relies heavily on lower core engagement, and then testing it out with a few repetitions.
One example of this was when we tried a seated twist. Because I lack lower core engagement, I struggled to keep my upper body stable while rotating. We experimented with different ways to anchor myself, like adjusting my arm placement and using external support for better balance. After a few reps, we assessed how my body felt and decided whether to tweak the movement, keep going, or scrap it altogether. That process of trial, feedback, and adjustment is really at the core of how we work together,” said Anna.
One of their biggest breakthroughs came with the classic Pilates move—the Teaser.
“Anna does an amazing Teaser, and it’s one of our favorites,” Kaitlyn said. “She’s done it using the Tower and the Chair now, and her form may be even better than mine! When she does it from the Tower, I hold her legs up, and when she does it on the Chair, we put her legs on top of a box, but she does all the work to get herself up and down.”
Anna’s gymnastics background helped her adapt to Pilates faster than she expected. Her flexibility and movement awareness gave her an edge, but Pilates also challenged her in ways she hadn’t experienced since her injury.
“I’ve been surprised how much I’ve been able to engage parts of my core and trunk muscles in ways I haven’t been challenged in for a long time. I’ve tried so many different adaptive sports, but this is the closest I’ve felt to my inner gymnast coming back to life and thriving again,” Anna said. “That feeling has been completely unexpected but so rewarding.”
Their collaboration has also transformed Kaitlyn’s approach as an instructor. Working with Anna has deepened her understanding of movement and reinforced the importance of accessibility in Pilates.
“She has made me so much more aware of the body and how different it is from person to person,”
Kaitlyn shared. “I’m more aware now when I am teaching classes to give modifications because all of our bodies are different and we all need different things.”
Their shared commitment to transparency has shaped their work together. Whether an exercise is a success or needs to be scrapped, their sessions are built on trust, honest feedback, and a willingness to try.
“Instead of seeing challenges as roadblocks, we treat them as opportunities to figure things out together,” Anna said. “I’ve also had to be really vulnerable about what I can and can’t do, which can sometimes be hard to admit. As a very independent person, I often feel like I have to prove myself in the world as a disabled individual. But in this space, I feel comfortable being honest about what my body needs in order to thrive through adapted movements. That has made this journey even more rewarding.”
For both instructors and wheelchair users who may be hesitant to start this kind of journey, Anna and Kaitlin have the same advice: embrace the learning process.
“My advice to other instructors would be to be open and willing to be a student again,” Kaitlyn said. “One of the very first things I told Anna was that she was probably going to end up teaching me more than I taught her. We don’t know everything, and that’s okay—but having a growth mindset is essential.”
Anna wants wheelchair users to know that Pilates isn’t just for a certain type of body—it’s for anyone willing to explore what they’re capable of.
“You can show up, adapt, and thrive,” Anna said. “Pilates belongs to all of us.”
Now, five sessions in and attending weekly, Anna’s journey with Pilates is just beginning. But one thing is clear: with the right instructor, an open mind, and a spirit of collaboration, movement has no limits.
You can see Anna’s journey and inspiring story by following her instagram @AnnaSarol. Kaitlyn is the Fitness Manager at Bodybar Downtown Kansas City @kaitlynunland