Last week I attended the Art of Control Pilates Conference in Purchase, NY. The presenters at the conference were all very famous pilates practitioners and teachers—Jay Grimes, Mari Windsor, Brooke Siler, etc.

In my attempt to train with all the living elders, I signed up to have time with Jay Grimes. He teaches a style of pilates that he claims is the same as Joe Pilates. Jay said that his goal is not to have anything in his studio that Joe wouldn’t recognize if he came back to life today. The work was challenging and hard especially because of the subtle differences in exercises I know a certain way.

He was a very helpful teacher, funny and encouraging. He gave good cues, although more often than not he told me which exercise to do and watched as I did it, critiquing as I went along. He was so hands on that by the end of the session I’d felt like I’d had a massage from the inside out. I was impressed (but I feel that way about all the elders). His wealth of knowledge is amazing. Plus he’s got great stories about Joe and Clara Pilates.