A year ago, I started Jiu Jitsu classes, and recently took a few private boxing lessons.
Let me tell you something: learning a new skill as an adult is humbling.
At 39, with my brain already split between motherhood, running a business, grocery shopping, replying to emails, and all the daily life things… there’s honestly very little mental capacity left to learn something completely new.
Almost none.
And yet, every week at Jiu Jitsu, I show up and feel like my limbs belong to somebody else.
Every class feels like someone calmly explaining a choreography sequence while I’m being folded into a human pretzel wondering where my left leg even went.
Meanwhile my brain is buffering like an old computer.
To be fair, I only do Jiu Jitsu once a week, so progress is naturally slower. But it brought me right back to my early years learning Pilates.
Because beginners often think they’re bad at Pilates.
And of course they do!
Pilates asks a lot of your brain.
You’re learning choreography, body awareness, coordination, balance, breath patterns, core engagement, alignment, timing, control…
“Engage your core.”
“But keep breathing.”
“But not too much in the belly.”
“Lengthen your spine.”
“Relax your neck.”
“Keep the carriage still.”
“Use less hip flexors.”
It can feel like trying to pat your head, rub your stomach, solve a math problem, and balance on a moving platform all at once.
Some people are naturally more connected to movement. Some have stronger proprioception (body awareness). Some grew up dancing or playing sports. Others feel completely disconnected from their bodies at first.
None of that means someone is “bad” at Pilates.
It means they’re learning.
And learning movement takes repetition.
I went all in when I first started Pilates years ago. I practiced constantly. That consistency is what made me improve — not some magical natural talent. And honestly, I’m still learning. Still refining. Still advancing. Pilates is an ever-evolving practice.
That’s one of the reasons I love it so much.
You never really “arrive.”
So if you’re a beginner feeling awkward, confused, uncoordinated, or like everyone else somehow understands what their “deep core connection” is supposed to feel like…
You’re normal.
Stick with it.
One day, things start clicking.
And then eventually, you become the person casually saying things like, “Try to posteriorly tilt your pelvis slightly while maintaining scapular stability.”
Which is honestly its own kind of weird.
And if you’re at the beginning of your Pilates journey, I created a few foundational programs on Saran Pilates to help things click little by little — without feeling overwhelmed. You can explore them here.
Gabrielle Saran
