Hi there! Laura Cotler, Going More Joe enthusiast and classical Pilates teacher-to-be here! I’ve taught Pilates since 2001, and although my contemporary education was good, I never quite felt like I fit into that world.
I dipped my toe into the classical Pilates pond a few years ago when I first took a private lesson with Andrea Maida at her Solana Beach studio. It was so different from what I was used to! Those springs were heavy, and that strange silver reformer with the leather straps was so hard to move all the way in! And Andrea didn’t talk at me—she watched me move. Gasp. I wonder what she thought when I told her I wasn’t there for a workout, that I was more interested in how she taught? (OMG, I said that to her!). I think she said, “Interesting,” and went on to put me through a seriously strenuous workout (unbeknownst to me at the time, it was the beginning order; we barely had time to finish because I was so slow).
In November 2017, Going More Joe popped up on my Facebook Feed, and I decided to join the group. I had been following Andrea’s blog for a few years, and I had done the private session with her, so I had an idea of what classical Pilates was. Going More Joe spoke to me—there I found Sunni, a former contemporary teacher like me, who now taught classical Pilates. GMJ also included a group of classical teachers who were willing to answer members’ questions with straightforward and honest answers.