WELLNESS

Core Values

A cancer survivor discovers the many benefits of Pilates

BY CAMBREY THOMAS

“THAT’S LIKE YOGA, RIGHT?” asks Elissha Bate. She’s joking. Bate is a certified, level 1 Stott Pilates instructor at Equilibrium Studio, in Bloomfield Hills. While Bate doesn’t see Pilates as the fringe practice it once was, she’s aware that not many people have stepped into a studio, let alone raised their knees into tabletop on the equipment. “It’s a method, and it’s a discipline,” she says. “And that’s what I want people to understand.”

Bate’s classes are exacting. Whether in a class or a private session, she smiles as she calls out the minute movements of your ribs or the depth of your ab tuck. While challenging, her approach sees her working with clients from teens to limber

“I want people to shake off this notion that it is just going to the gym and doing crunches. Pilates is a real study on your body.”

—ELISSHA BATE, PILATES INSTRUCTOR AT EQUILIBRIUM PILATES STUDIO IN BLOOMFIELD HILLS

90-year-olds and the physically disabled. “I want people to shake off this notion that it is just going to the gym and doing crunches. Pilates is a real study on your body.”

I was in my early 20s when I started practicing Pilates in New York City. I had only read about it in magazines, but between the words and the glossy photos of svelte bodies, there was a glint of something more profound. As a cancer survivor who had spent several years ailing from a laundry list of maladies, I felt off. The body that helped me survive looked fine on the outside but felt stiff and weak. With its promise of alignment and mind-body connection, Pilates sounded like my great panacea. And in many ways, it was. The bed-like equipment and succession of graceful moves allowed me to tap into a physicality that awakened long dormant muscles. I walked taller and felt knit together from my core. Not only did my clothes fit better, but I could ease into other forms of exercise — like boot camps and cardio dance — without feeling completely undone.

LOOKING TO TRY PILATES?

HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:

Equilibrium Studio

Part Stott Pilates studio, part education center, this is an authentic Pilates experience with a focus on classical technique and Gyrotonic. Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham: equilibriumstudio.com

Reforming Foundations Pilates & Wellness

Innovative classes, cool playlists, and an infrared sauna for reviving sore muscles. Plus, a classroom fitted with infrared panels for hot Pilates. Berkley: reformingfoundations.com

The Corner Studio Pilates & Lagree

This chic and cozy loftstyle space has a fireplace, Megaformers for Lagree, and a private room for one-on-one instruction. Grosse Pointe: thecornerstudiogp.com