YOUR BUTT IS TOO BIG

“Your butt is too big for your body” was another observation/correction given to me on my one and only workout with Romana Kryzanowska. It was not said in an insulting way nor as a joke, but as a statement. Let me explain. At that time, I was participating in triathlons and spent hours on my bike training on hills so, that’s were most of my strength was, in my gluts. That is what she saw when we worked together that day. As with her other correction: “don’t crucify yourself and bring the carriage all the way in”, it would be twenty years before I understood why she told me that. 

 I realized recently that I have said the same thing to my own clients, without being aware of it. I have taken several people to the mirror and said, for example:  “look how strong you arms or shoulders are" and they usually agree. Then I tell them that in Pilates, we should look at you and see that you are strong but not necessarily know “where” you are strong. The body working as one, a body balanced is where you find strength.

I still prefer the way Romana said it “your butt is to big for your body”.

 “Constantly keep in mind the fact that you are not interested in developing budging muscles but rather flexible ones. Bulging muscles hinder the attainment of flexibility because overdeveloped muscles interfere with the proper development of underdeveloped muscles. True flexibility can be achieved only when all muscles are uniformly developed.” - Joseph Pilates