Christian's Views on Pilates

In another post "Can Christians Practice Pilates" I wrote that Pilates is different from Yoga and it does not involve meditation, so it is ok for Christians to do Pilates.

I came across yet another friend who has have spine condition and chronic back pain that really bother him and even affect his quality of life. Regardless the numerous recommendations his friends (aka me) and even doctors or physiotherapists gave, he is reluctant to try Pilates. He said his pastor is really against Pilates, yoga and Taichi kind of exercise.

This is a really a sad misunderstanding that some religious personels have on Pilates. This really stems from lack of understanding of what Pilates is really about.

Here is a Christian's perspective from "A Christian Response":

"So far, we found nothing of major concern regarding the history and practice of the Pilates Method. Though most accounts of Pilates’ life mentioned his adaptation of yoga positions in some of his exercises, there was no indication that the Hindu yogi philosophy was also grafted in. As with tai chi, the physical postures of yoga are not of themselves harmful—uncomfortable, perhaps, but spiritually innocuous. The danger in these practices lies in their religious and philosophical teachings, but there is no sign of such teachings in standard Pilates material."

However the website warned that while the "Pilates exercises themselves may be spiritually neutral, sometimes those that market Pilates material are not". So watch out if the person/ company that is selling Pilates material (whether the studios/ instructors/ DVDs/ books etc) are promoting beliefs that are contradictory to the central tenets of Christianity. Or if they have blended in methods that involve spiritual philosophies (such as hybrid program Yogalates / Yogilates). So before signing up any Pilates class, you might want to do some homework of reading up the provider's website, or speak to your instructor to understand their standpoint or if they have any intention in promoting their own religious beliefs in their pilates class.

Can Christians practice Pilates?

Recently one of my friend told me she can’t join in my Pilates class because her pastor told her she is not supposed to do yoga and Pilates (without explicitly explaining the reason why). I understand that yoga is discouraged by some Christians because, in its most original form, it involved meditation, and Christians are not allowed to practice meditation. As mentioned in my “Yoga VS Pilates” article, Pilates is an exercise system, thus differed from yoga, which does not involve any spiritual meditation.

Quoting from the book, “The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning – The Original Pilates Book” (2005, Friedman & Eisen):

“Unlike most exercise programs, Pilates follows carefully laid-out principles based on a well-constructed philosophical and theoretical foundation (with no mysticism or appeals to unseen forces, divine or otherwise).”

Pilates is a “mind and body exercise”, but it doesn’t mean it trains the mind through meditation. It actually emphasizes on neural muscular connection, that is, to control every muscular moment with mental focus and concentration.

So to all my dear Christians friends, please rest assured that Pilates does not have any conflict with your faith, so do join me in my classes to learn more about how Pilates can benefit your mind and body.

*Related post: Christian's View on Pilates