Thoughts on Pilates and Privilege
On a beautiful summer morning, I sat in a room of about 50 people minutes before my Saturday morning yoga class began. I looked around the room and was brought to tears because not one person in that room looked like me. In a room full of 50 yogis in a busy SoCal yoga studio, I asked myself, “How is it that at 9am on a Saturday morning I am the only visibly black person here?” I was sad. I was infuriated because people who look like me do not have the same access to this modality that has positively affected change in my mind, body, and spirit. One of the reasons I became a Pilates instructor was so that I could introduce the LIFE CHANGING Pilates method to my own community. In that moment, in that yoga class, I was made aware that I personally have work to do.
When I left the house that morning I expressed gratitude for having the PRIVILEDGE to drive to Manhattan Beach for yoga that morning. Why is it that only the privileged have access to preventative wellness? In my mind, I transported to a room that was identical to this beautiful sun-filled room overflowing with 50 black yogis having casual banter about their week’s events in the moments before class began. My heart filled with joy and the thought of this being a possibility. I imagined a Pilates studio full of beautiful people of color moving their bodies in ways that cultivate healing and preservation. How do I create this space?
Black people and other POC have constantly expressed their interest in and desire to do Pilates and yoga, and their number one complaint is that it is “so expensive”. Their second apprehension is that there are no studios in their area. As a Pilates instructor, I have literally been racking my brain to find a way to address the issue at hand … Sure, I could open a Pilates studio in Compton, Gardena, or Carson … but who would come? I could make classes more affordable but then the instructors themselves would not be able to make a living wage. How would I keep the lights on? How do I place more value on this modality so that people are willing to pay the $20-25 class rate?
In the yoga world, it’s a bit easier to construct a business model in which you fill a space with 50 people and charge them each $5 a head. Pilates reformer classes tend to be more complicated. Being that the equipment itself is complex and has lots of moving parts, it’s difficult to supervise, guide and instruct more than 5-8 people at a time in such a setting. Do I open a studio, charge $20 a class? Is that still out of reach for my target audience? I am struggling here. But I’m working on it ya’ll. I promise you that I am.
Wishing you healing, happiness, and wholeness.
F
