Movement Is a Practice, Not a Prescription
Building a Sustainable Pilates Practice at East River Pilates
By Kimmy Kellum, Founder, East River Pilates
Before I jump into the good stuff, I want to officially welcome you to the very first edition of The East River Journal! This is our new monthly space to slow things down and reflect on what it really means to move with intention. Through personal stories, teaching insights, and perspectives from our community, The East River Journal is an open invitation to stay curious, stay connected, and keep listening to your body. Ok, let’s get into it…
When I opened East River Pilates, I wasn’t trying to build a place where people came to simply “work out.” I was trying to build a place where people could come home to themselves.
ERP began with a simple belief: movement can truly change your life, not because it pushes you harder, but because it teaches you how to listen. To your body. To your breath. To what you need that day. Over time, that listening becomes strength, confidence, and trust, not just in your movement practice, but in yourself. This belief didn’t come from theory. It came from living inside a body that has changed, adapted, and needed different things at different times.
Movement Has Met Me at Every Stage of My Life
I have been practicing Pilates for over twenty years. I found it first as a gymnast, then as a dancer, when my body was strong, flexible, and constantly in motion. In those years, movement was about performance, precision, and pushing limits. Pilates supported me by helping me stay strong, aligned, and injury-resistant through demanding seasons of training.
As my life shifted, so has my relationship with movement.
Pilates carried me through the transition from dancer to adult, and later through three pregnancies and into motherhood; seasons when my body changed in ways that required patience, softness, and deep listening. What I needed from movement then looked nothing like what I needed before. And over time, my practice has never stayed the same for long.
There have been seasons where light, restorative movement felt essential. Seasons where heavier weights and strength work felt grounding and empowering. Seasons where mobility and stretching were the priority. And seasons where Pilates wasn’t the right choice at all, where what my body truly needed was a walk outside, fresh air, or a swim in the ocean.
That evolution taught me something essential: a sustainable movement practice is not one thing. It is a relationship.
Pilates has remained part of my life not because I forced consistency, but because it allowed change. That belief sits at the heart of how East River Pilates was built.
There Is No “Best” Teacher, Only the Right One for Today
One of the questions we hear so often is: “Who’s the best teacher to take?” The honest answer is all of them.
Every teacher at East River Pilates brings something different into the room — different energy, different cues, different ways of seeing bodies and movement. That diversity is not accidental. It is one of our greatest strengths. Taking class with different teachers helps you:
Hear cues in new ways
Discover muscles you may not have accessed before
Learn how different teaching styles support different nervous systems
Stay engaged and curious rather than habitual
If you always take the same class with the same teacher at the same time, your body adapts, but your awareness can plateau. Rotating teachers isn’t about inconsistency, it’s about expanding your movement vocabulary. Think of it like learning a language. You understand more when you hear different accents.
Variety Is How Pilates Stays Intelligent
Pilates was never meant to be repetitive in a rigid way. It was designed as a system; one that includes challenge and restoration, effort and integration.
That’s why we offer such a range of class types: Reformer, Mat, Cardio, Mobility, Stretch, and more. Each one serves a purpose.
Reformer builds strength, precision, and support
Mat builds internal organization and resilience
Cardio challenges endurance and coordination
Stretch and Mobility restore range, breath, and balance
A well-rounded practice isn’t about doing the hardest class available. It’s about choosing classes that support your whole system, week to week and season to season.
If you feel stuck, sore, or bored, it’s often a sign that your body is asking for something different, not necessarily more.
The Quiet Power of Planning Ahead
One of the simplest ways to support your practice is also one of the most overlooked: blocking your workouts ahead of time. When you schedule your classes for the week in advance, something important happens. Movement stops being optional and starts becoming part of your life rhythm.
Planning ahead:
Removes decision fatigue
Helps balance effort and recovery
Increases consistency without pressure
Makes movement feel supportive, not reactive
You don’t need a perfect plan. Even scheduling two or three classes ahead creates a container your body and nervous system can trust. Consistency isn’t about discipline. It’s about creating conditions where showing up feels easier.
This Is a Practice You Get to Grow Into
At East River Pilates, there is no finish line. No “right” body. No perfect schedule. There is only practice. Some weeks you’ll feel strong and energized. Other weeks you’ll need gentler movement, more stretching, or more rest. Sometimes Pilates will be the answer. Sometimes it won’t, and that’s okay too.
My hope is that ERP continues to be a place where you feel supported in exploring all of that. Trying new teachers. Trying new class types. Planning ahead when you can. Letting go when you need to.
Movement isn’t about doing more. It’s about learning how to stay connected.
Until next time, we look forward to moving with you in the studio.
Warmly,
Kimmy