Pilates in Newton

“I have had chronic lower backpain for 4 years and I came to Olga after 3 mildly successful attempts at physical therapy. I do not have a herniated disk or major back injury, however, my backpain has been extremely debilitating these last few years. Anyone with chronic pain can empathize the psychological torture that it can exert on a person. I have heard from others that if performed cautiously, Pilates can be a gentle and sustainable method to improve chronic back pain and was hoping to dip my toes into this form of exercise. Starting off with a more physical therapy mindset and hopefully moving on to group classes to continue my recovery.

When I came to Olga, my back hurt 24 hours a day to varying degrees but maybe a 7 on the pain scale. It was hard to tie my shoes. I elected for the 6 session PT package and went once a week for 6 weeks. This was my best experience with PT. It is a one-on-one session with Olga who really took the time to monitor my progress and performed constant analysis of muscle activation, posture and range of motion.

The sessions with Olga exclusively one-on-one with her and were often posture muscle activation and healthy movement based. It included some exercises that you can do at home with only a floor and a wall, but a lot was done on the pilates reformer, spring bands and chair. This met my goal of using this as a gentle introduction to pilates to see if this form of exercise was right for me. We also finished each session with either laser therapy or shockwave therapy at no additional charge.

At previous PTs, you speak with the PT on the first day and they make a regiment for you and largely pass you off to PTs-in-training who walk you through the exercises in the following sessions. It can feel very rushed and impersonal. Almost like they could have just sent you an email for your exercises for the week and then charge you a great sum of money.

This was a very personalized and patient focused experience without it being a crowded room of patients being juggled between employees in a profit focused larger PT company. It was more expensive than my previous PT experiences but I feel was a much greater value. After 4 years of back pain I was happy to pay a little more for an improved chance at recovery.

I can happily say that my backpain has made great progress in only 6 weeks. I feel some improved strength and changes in how my core, glutes and hips activate in my daily life. Most days I get significant chunks of the day where I am completely pain free. I will give myself credit that I was very good at completing the "homework" that Olga gave me each week. Just showing up to the classes with Olga is only a small part of the recovery process, you have to take the exercises you learn home and perform them on your own but most importantly, take the healthy movement patterns and muscle activation that these exercises teach you to your day-to-day life.

I still have backpain. If I sit down too long it hurts. If I do a lot of lifting/bending it hurts. Even after I do my PT exercises it sometimes hurts. It took a long time to get sick and it will take a long time to get better. I am still extremely happy with the progress that I have made in these 6 weeks.

After discussion with Olga, we both think I am ready to try the classes at Holistic PT and Pilates with Evellin. I feel doing it at Holistic PT and Pilates is a wise decision as Evellin understands that many of her clients come from a PT focused perspective and may not be ready for high intensity Pilates workout.

I'm excited to start these classes with Evellin and and optimistic and hopeful that my backpain is finally on the path to a full recovery.

-Robby“

“I highly recommend The Body Center Pilates Studio. It is a Woman and privately owned Studio, where Erin, the Owner and an Instructor, truly cares about her Clients, their satisfaction. She is purposeful in increasing her Clients strength with each class. I have been a studio member (8 classes/month) for over 8 months, and with Erins' help, I have increased my core strength 10 fold and counting.

Erin, is a superb, experienced Pilates instructor who makes every class both fun and challenging. She methodically talks her students through every position while explaining how each move strengthens, open and stretches each muscle group. I have also met alot of new Pilates friends and highly recommend this Studio.“

“Both my husband and I have been taking Pilates lessons with Mara for a while and Highly recommend her! She is super professional, have an in depth knowledge of Pilates and other movement type methods. She is also super helpful in situations of specific injuries/sensitivities. Mara is also fun and engaging in her teaching style, being able to pay individual attention even when working in groups.“