Downtown Pilates, Inc.

07/31/2025

Selling my last 89" classic aluminum reformer in Naples for $3,900. for pickup in Naples Florida only.

07/31/2025

Moved to Venice Florida from Naples Florida

12/08/2019

Spent the weekend in a terrific workshop with Benjamin Degenhardt.

10/26/2019

Thanks to Pilates Designs for the 10th anniversary shout out.

10/22/2019

I remembered this afternoon that today is Downtown Pilates’ tenth anniversary. Thanks to all who helped us come this far!

04/19/2019

Thanks, Alycea for this concise summary of some similarities and differences between Pilates and yoga, barre and personal training.

—IS PILATES KINDA LIKE YOGA?— We get this question a lot! (A LOT) While Pilates is easy to fall hard for once you know it, it’s also really common in the beginning to have some confusion of, well, how is Pilates different from other fitness systems?

Whether you’re a new student or a teacher getting this question on the street, today we’re breaking down some of the most frequently compared/confused systems to Pilates with a game of IS/INSTEAD:

IS PILATES LIKE YOGA?
—Pilates IS utilizing your body weight and a mat
—Pilates IS practiced in a group class (sometimes)
—Pilates IS effective in improving flexibility
—Pilates INSTEAD also uses equipment
—Pilates INSTEAD puts strength before stretch
—Pilates INSTEAD is secular, not spiritual

IS PILATES LIKE BARRE?
—Pilates IS working with targeted props
—Pilates IS evolved from a similar time period in NYC
—Pilates IS a full-body, multi-planed movement practice
—Pilates INSTEAD follows the beat of the exercises, not music
—Pilates INSTEAD prioritizes quality over quantity (no high-volume reps)

IS PILATES LIKE PERSONAL TRAINING?
—Pilates IS offering one-on-one attention
—Pilates IS utilizing a variety of equipment and modalities
—Pilates IS custom-designed and can work with your wishlist
—Pilates INSTEAD has a dedicated studio space
—Pilates INSTEAD works with a discrete, ordered series of exercises
—Pilates INSTEAD is corrective exercise, rather than just about getting in shape

We hope this cleared up some confusion about how Pilates compares to other systems of exercise, and that you feel inspired to try a group class or a series of privates to see what it’s all about!

09/19/2018

Nice article about what Pilates really is, going back to what Joe created.

While today it's more commonly known as Pilates, Mr. Pilates actually called his exercise method Contrology. In his book, "Return To Life", he claims that his method "develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit." Who...

02/17/2018

Great information about shoulder stability. It is oriented toward teachers but useful to anyone.

09/25/2017

Downtown Pilates reopened last Friday post-Irma. Everyone was happy to be moving and somewhat back to normal.

08/20/2017

Thanks to Tanya Louw Thompson for this wonderful post!

  Ok, so yes I have been doing Pilates for 20 years and yes this means I am no spring chicken to it either but it also means that I have some serious experience in what Pilates can actually do…