Working in the purest form

PURE Pilates Dubai really exists because of my mentor, a first-generation Pilates teacher, Jay Grimes, I owe it all to him. Even though my career in Pilates started almost a decade before I met Jay, I really feel that my true Pilates journey started with him. I first met Jay in a workshop in the UK. I remember being so nervous as I wasn’t yet proficient in the “classical” work and when I had my first private with him, he did not speak a word for the first 15 minutes. He just watched me, I could feel his hawk eyes taking in every move and breath I took. It wasn’t until the long stretch that he put his hand on my back, and without a single word, my body knew instantly what was needed. This is the skill of a true master with decades of experience and who truly embodies the work. His one touch was a 1000 words.

This experience really sparked my curiosity for learning this lost art of guiding people to find Pilates, or contrology as Joe used to call it, in their body. It requires a deep understanding of the work in your own body, patience to observe the body, and intuition that comes from real wisdom. A tall order… but I was up for the challenge and I have to say that it will be a life-long quest to go deeper into this brilliant method. Jay said it himself when I saw him last year, “50 years of teaching and I still feel like a beginner”. His humbleness really resonates in his teaching; Jay never changed the work he learned from Joe, he only teaches what he learned in the New York studio with Joe and after Clara Pilates. This is what struck me the minute I met him. It felt like the purest form of Pilates and made me feel closest to Joe...this is how my studio got its name.

During my apprenticeship with Jay, I realized that I had to do my part in sharing and preserving the work. I set up PURE Pilates in Dubai for everyone who was  willing to learn the true work. It wasn’t an easy beginning. The hardest part was to teach our instructors and clients the importance of people moving independently, taking responsibility for their bodies and their own learning. I was adamant that we would teach contrology the way that it was taught back at Joe’s studio. Independence is one of the essential elements of contrology that I find has gone missing. Back in Joe’s studio you are expected to learn the sequence of exercises he gave you and move continuously with focus and precision, first with his guidance and after without. Most Pilates classes now have teachers telling their students every detail on what to do, dictating even when they breathe in and out. What has been lost along with the independence is the true  connection, when you drop into your body and start to truly feel  everything. My mentor Jay Grimes says; “You need to think with your body and feel with your mind”. For this you need to be more in flow and focus. This requires commitment from the client and trust from the teacher. Trusting the work, not overcorrecting so that the body is allowed to move without overthinking. Pilates really is quite simple in my opinion, we are bringing the body back to its natural way of moving. The body is intelligent, a good teacher knows how to guide it back to its innate power and agility.

Another element that has gone missing is the concept that contrology is in its essence corrective exercise, not a group reformer class. Even though the main bulk of your work is on the reformer and mat, it is the specific exercises on other equipment that bring about significant changes in the body. In order to teach

Joe’s method you have to understand all the equipment that he invented as  each of them hold a very specific role in correcting asymmetries and imbalances  in the body. When you combine these two key concepts; independence and  corrective exercise, the changes you see in people's bodies are truly mind blowing. The challenge for my studio has been to find teachers who can teach this way, who know the work, trust the method and to also allow the clients to move without overcorrecting. When I first started the studio it was hard to find teachers that could teach this way but now we have a teacher training program where the emphasis is to create instructors ready for this level of teaching.

In studio, our challenge has always been trying to convince new people of the benefits of not just moving straight into reformer group classes. In order to not lose clients we added group reformer and mat classes, however, if I had a choice I’m always trying to get them to experience an open studio setting where they work on exactly what they need most. There is such a distinct difference in watching people move in a space together, all at different abilities and levels, all focused in their own body. And everyone gets to do their specific exercises at the end of the session! It’s very rewarding for them and you as the teacher.

Teacher training is close to my heart. I feel like this is my contribution to  spreading the teachings of Joe and Jay even further. We have amazing people  every year coming from all around the world to study with us from places as far as Oman, Saudi, Belgium, Slovakia, Ethiopia to name a few. This year will be our fourth group of  teachers so there is already a community of graduates doing amazing work. It has also brought nice energy to the studio and motivates our teachers to keep evolving in their work. Last year we added a bridge element to the program, where already certified teachers could get to work on getting proficient on all the  apparatus and learn the original method. This has been a very popular path for many as they seek for deeper understanding of Pilates. There is great synergy to work with people from all backgrounds and nationalities, coming to together to learn. And as a teacher and now a teacher trainer, I am always learning. We learn from our clients and we learn from each other. Teacher training is close to my heart. I feel like this is my contribution to spreading the teachings of Joe and Jay even further.

My goal from the start opening PURE Pilates was to create a welcoming space  for all Pilates lovers, and to share openly to my best ability the work that Jay so  generously handed to me. I considered it a precious gift and I am grateful that I am able to have a part in keeping the original method alive in the world in its PUREst form. 

Susanna has been teaching Pilates since 2003. She her full certification with Stott Pilates in Oxford in 2007. Her thirst for learning more led to the discovery of classical Pilates. In 2013 she was accepted to study under Jay Grimes in Vintage Pilates Los Angeles, a first-generation master teacher who worked in Joseph and Clara Pilates for over 10 years. She completed their intensive Masters Program in 2014 and completed Jay’s mentorship program in 2016. Susanna owns Pure Pilates Dubai.