By focusing on breathing, posture, and strengthening your entire core, Pilates exercises are both gentle and hardcore. Since its founding as a form of injury recovery by Joseph and Clara Pilates in the 1920s, this practice has been a way for people to cultivate a fitness practice that integrates their full body and mind. If you're looking to start a routine of your own, however, it can be difficult to find body-positive Pilates YouTube videos.
Sure enough, it was a struggle to find even a few Pilates videos that aren't inadvertently into body-shaming, or on playlists with other videos that are. In my solemn mission to comb through the Pilates videos available on the 'net, I found so many videos that emphasized being "leaner," toning, or "blasting" fat. If those are some of your goals, that's more than OK. But many folks might want to avoid that language, especially if you have a history of being told that your body needs to change in order to be valid (because truly, it doesn't).
Honoring your body as valid is especially important here, because Pilates can be a great way to introduce yourself to fitness. Because it's a low-impact form of exercise, Pilates can be helpful for joint or muscular pain. It also builds muscular endurance and strength, not to mention mental stamina. YouTube can be a great way for people to get access to body-inclusive Pilates instruction. These four Pilates YouTube videos and one other online program offer body-positive options for you to start cultivating your own practice today.