Reach Pilates Studio

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Reach Pilates

Reach Pilates Studio is located in the heart of downtown Palo Alto, at 833 Emerson Street, between Homer and Channing. Private, semi-private and group pilates classes are offered. map

Introductory Session Only $45

During your introductory lesson, you and your instructor will discuss your past health and fitness history, your goals and assess your physical capabilities in order to provide you with a personalized program. Please wear loose, comfortable clothing.

Please contact us at 650-289-9459 to set up an appointment.

The Pilates Method

Pilates exercise is different from traditional workout regimens in that it focuses on how to move the body efficiently in proper alignment. It develops a strong mind-body connection to produce precise movements originating from core musculature. As students advance with pilates they work the body as a whole, consciously from their core, with a better understanding of their body’s alignment.

Injuries, repetitive motion, overtraining one muscle group and sedentary lifestyles often lead to muscle imbalances. An imbalanced body is characterized by weak and tight muscles, which inhibit optimal movement. Pilates exercise helps to overcome inefficient movement by training muscles to fire in the proper order and work in proper relation to each other. The method emphasizes movement initiation from abdominal muscles and increases strength and flexibility in muscle groups often overlooked by traditional exercise, creating balance throughout the body.

The systematic method begins with teaching the student how to access their core musculature. The focus is to stabilize the lower back and pelvic region. To this end, beginning exercises are based in forward and lateral flexion and spine twists. Shoulder girdle stability and abdominal connection during spinal extension is also emphasized. Once the student has established a strong foundation, exercises combine all movements with more challenging choreography.

Pilates Benefits 

Pilates students move with optimal efficiency and power. They develop a strong mind-body connection, furthering improved body awareness and increasing mental focus. By developing core strength and stability, students increase the stamina of their postural muscles and relieve vertebral compression. Pilates workouts emphasize deep, controlled breathing which increases lung capacity and circulation. Students relieve tension and pain by improving their flexibility through pilates workouts. They notice more tone to their figures, have better posture and alleviate the chronic pain associated with poor posture and faulty movement patterns.

Contrology is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, in the way you play, and in the way you work. ~ Joseph H. Pilates 1945

Pilates Students

Pilates is beneficial for everyone. There is a wide repertoire of exercises, each of which have multiple variations and modifications taught by extensively trained instructors to ensure that all students are able to achieve their goals. Pilates is a perfect supplement to all athletic endeavors, as it results in more cohesive, powerful movement. It can be used as a follow-up to physical therapy and is an excellent preventative exercise.

Reach Pilates Instructors

Reach Pilates Studio staffs fully certified and widely experienced trainers who work out injured and beginning students at the appropriate level, constantly challenge the evolving student, and ensure that students work with precision by cueing students to correct movement patterns. All trainers at Reach have movement backgrounds and came to this work through passion and dedication.

Pilates Apparatus

The advancing student uses the apparatus to challenge exercises they already know by performing them in different planes of movement.
Reach Pilates Studio is furnished with the traditional apparatus of reformers, cadillac and tower units, wunda chairs, barrels, spine correctors and magic circles. Reach Pilates Instructors also employ physioballs, foam rollers, BOSU, resistance bands, small balls, weights and towels to further aid and challenge their students.

History of Pilates

Pilates is an exercise system performed on a variety of apparatus to develop powerful core musculature. Both the exercises and apparatus were specifically designed by Joseph Pilates throughout the early part of the twentieth century. Pilates began developing what is now known as the mat work, or exercises done on the floor without the benefit of apparatus, to complement his boxing and dance training. Later, while nursing at a World War I military hospital, he invented spring-loaded contraptions to help injured soldiers more fully recuperate. These contraptions were the prototypes to the modern apparatus. In 1926 Pilates moved to New York City where he, with his wife, Clara, furthered the Art of Contrology (as Pilates then referred to his method). By working their bodies as a whole, Pilates rehabilitated and improved the performance of acrobats, dancers and athletes.