S12 Ep01 In the Lane of Contrology with Sharon Michau

In this opening episode of In the Lane of Contrology, PAA Podcast host Bruce Hildebrand begins a new conversation series with Classical Pilates teacher and PAA Committee member Sharon Michau by asking whether the industry is still teaching Pilates, or simply using Pilates equipment. Sharon draws a clear line between the apparatus and the method, arguing that the Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, barrels and small apparatus are not Pilates by themselves, but tools within a complete system that relies on intention, progression, breath, control, body organisation and discovery.

Bruce and Sharon explore how the Reformer has become the public face of Pilates, expanding awareness while also narrowing understanding. Sharon explains that equipment-based fitness may still be enjoyable and beneficial, but it is not necessarily Pilates if it lacks the deeper internal logic of the method. The conversation highlights the importance of the full system, where the Mat, Reformer, Chair, Cadillac and Barrels each teach the body something different and “speak to each other” in ways that are lost when Pilates is reduced to rows of Reformers.

Rather than dismissing modern studios or group formats, this episode invites teachers, studio owners and clients to ask more honest questions about what is actually being offered. Sharon encourages the profession to educate without arrogance, distinguish between Pilates and fitness on Pilates equipment, and return to the work with curiosity rather than defensiveness. The central message is that Pilates lives not in the machinery, the exercise names or the visual appearance of a class, but in the method: the intention, progression, control, breath, system and discovery that happen inside the body.

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