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Twenty-six years ago, Nancy Hodari, owner and founder of Equilibrium Studio, was practicing law and training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. She woke up one night with no feeling on one side of her body. Hodari had a nerve injury and needed a back surgery — her third — to fix it. “I had to walk with the brace, as a result of the surgery, so I started doing research, and I read about Pilates,” she tells me. There weren’t any studios in Michigan, at the time, so she flew to New York to work one-on-one with an instructor. Serendipitously, she found an Ann Arbor woman teaching Pilates out of her basement, once back in Michigan. In seeing her for sessions that focused on postural muscles, Hodari learned to walk without the brace.

Once healed, Hodari wasted no time in altering her career course. “I didn’t think Oakland County needed another lawyer, so I opened the first Pilates studio in Michigan.”

In 2019, I moved back to Detroit just before the pandemic shutdowns. After sedentarily sheltering in place, that “off” feeling crept back in and I had to act. It was then that I discovered Equilibrium and met Hodari.

Ever the over-achiever, I ended up going to classes at several studios nearly every day of the week. After two months, I realized I was on the edge of overexerting myself to make up for years I didn’t practice. I needed to trust the method and my own body to do the work, especially considering my reason for starting the practice in the first place — wellness, not fitness.

Pilates, like all exercise methods, is unregulated. However, there are several licensing organizations that grant certification. And countless scientific studies have tracked the method’s efficacy among those with back pain and those undergoing cancer treatment, particularly for breast cancer. “We have people going through chemotherapy who schedule their Pilates on the day they receive treatment,” Hodari says. A 2010 study showed that breast cancer patients who practiced Pilates enjoyed a higher quality of life, with fewer instances of fatigue and depression.

Even if you’re only looking for a workout, Sports Health confirms Pilates can increase relaxation, boost core stability, and improve posture. “I think everyone needs Pilates. It’s like health insurance,” Hodari says. LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD Whatever your fitness goals, you can look good while chasing them, in this BY RACHAEL THOMAS simple yet stylish workout gear

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