Pilates Saved Me
Pilates has always been more than movement to me.
I grew up an anxious kid, never really understanding or feeling confident in my own skin. I spent a lot of time worrying, overthinking and feeling disconnected from myself. Looking back now, I can see that I was searching for something that would help me feel grounded, although I didn't know it at the time.
Everything changed after I lost a close friend in high school to suicide.
Like many people who experience loss, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to process what I was feeling or where to put all of the emotions that came with it. It was a time in my life that left a lasting impact on me.
Pilates became the thing that helped me find my way through.
Pilates saved me.
Not because it fixed everything overnight, but because it gave me something I desperately needed. It taught me how to clear my mind. It taught me how to love myself despite the outside world. It taught me how to be present.
For someone who lives with anxiety, shutting off the noise can feel impossible. My mind is always moving. There is always another thought, another worry, another thing demanding attention. Even cardio never gave me the sense of calm I was looking for.
Pilates was different.
When I am moving, I have to focus on what I am doing. I have to pay attention to my body, my breath and the movement itself. It forces me to be present. For that hour, the noise quiets down.
That experience shaped the way I teach today.
“Every client who walks into my class is carrying something. Sometimes we know what it is. Most of the time we don't. What I do know is that showing up can be incredibly hard.”
Walking into a fitness class for the first time can feel terrifying. It can feel vulnerable. It can bring up insecurities and self-doubt.
Because of my own experiences, I never take that for granted.
I want every client to feel seen.
The hardest thing they had to do was walk through the door. My job is to make them feel safe once they get there.
I think Pilates offers something that many people are craving right now. We live in a world that is constantly demanding our attention. Our phones never stop. Our schedules are full. We are always connected to something.
In my classes, I encourage people to put the screens away and give themselves permission to be present.
I always start with slow, grounding movement. I want clients to connect with how they are feeling and what is happening in their bodies. I constantly remind them that they know themselves best.
They already showed up.
I don't care what happens after that.
What matters is that they are there.
Creating a safe environment isn't just about the exercises we choose. It is about the energy we bring into the room. Clients can feel it. They notice how we speak, how we cue and how we treat people.
As instructors, our energy is contagious.
I want people to feel like they can show up exactly as they are. Not who they think they should be. Not who social media tells them to be. Just themselves.
When clients are struggling with confidence or self-doubt, I often share my own experiences. I remind them that I am human too. I have struggles. I have hard days. I don't have everything figured out.
Sometimes hearing that is exactly what someone needs.
The more years I have spent in this industry, the more I have realised that the same principles apply to instructors.
Many newly qualified instructors leave their certification programs feeling completely alone.
They have the qualification, but they don't have the confidence.
They don't know where to go next.
They wonder if they are good enough.
Imposter syndrome creeps in and starts telling them they don't belong.
That is why mentorship became such an important part of my work.
I wanted to create the kind of community I wish more instructors had access to. A place where people could ask questions, share struggles, practise teaching, exchange ideas and support one another without judgement.
A place where instructors felt safe.
A place where they realised that all of their feelings were normal and valid.
A place where they understood they weren't alone.
Because the truth is, we all have days where we doubt ourselves. We all teach classes that don't feel like our best. We all face challenges that nobody else sees.
When I think about the bigger mission behind everything I do, it comes back to one thing: community.
I want people to feel safe. I want people to feel seen. I want people to become mentally and physically stronger.
Pilates has given me so much, and being able to pay that forward through the people I teach and mentor is a privilege.
We are stronger together.
Jill Rothenberg is a Pilates instructor and mentor who believes movement supports both physical and mental wellbeing. She creates supportive spaces where clients can build confidence and connection, while mentoring instructors to become confident, impactful teachers.