Reclaiming Balance with Pilates
by Natalie Hayden When Dee (Dolores) first walked through our studio doors at the end of April, she was hoping to join a group Pilates class. But as soon as she entered, it was clear her body was asking for something more personal and more gentle to start. Dee has Parkinson’s. She carried the visible markers: a tremor, a distant look, a frail and uncertain posture, and an overall slowness that immediately signaled a high fall risk. Group class wasn’t going to be her first step and to be honest, I wasn’t sure it would ever be her path.
But I believe in the miracles of Pilates.
Over the years, I’ve seen extraordinary things including a paraplegic client initiating subtle leg movement for the first time, triggered by precise breathwork and repetition in the straps. So when I met Dee, I was up for the challenge.
We started with short, focused 30-minute private sessions with slow, careful assessments to introduce movement, breath, and connection. After her first session, I knew we had a long road ahead. She came once a week, always showing up with a quiet but steady determination.
We focused on the basics: Pilates breathing, precision, and foundational strength. Her body responded to the structure, and I could tell what she really needed was a skilled eye and consistent, mindful cueing. She also needed some honesty like the day she showed up for her session right after a restorative yoga class. Her system was so relaxed and disconnected that I feared she’d lose her balance. I told her gently but directly: don’t do that before Pilates again. It wasn’t serving her nervous system or her safety.
Then we made a discovery that changed everything. On the days she did water aerobics before Pilates, something clicked. She walked in energized, present, and noticeably more stable. Her body was awake. And that same day, I introduced the jumpboard, a playful but powerful way to connect strength with rhythm and coordination. To my surprise, her body loved it. She responded beautifully to heavier leg tension, which seemed to fire up her neuromuscular system and anchor her in the work. These elements of water movement beforehand, strong leg loading, and jumping in a controlled, supported way created a noticeable leap in her progress.
Five sessions in, I knew it was time to try a full 60-minute session.
She was ready.
Her body awareness had more than doubled. She could turn, she could lean back on something that many people with Parkinson’s are told is nearly impossible. She shared that with me after we did the short box abdominal series: “I’m not supposed to be able to do that,” she said, surprised. And yet she was doing it. Consistently.
Since that first 60-minute session, Dee has completed a total of 8 sessions five half-hours and three full-hour privates and is continuing to build strength, coordination, and a new connection to her body. Her core, legs, spine, and mind are all noticeably stronger. She's learning to manage her tremor with breathwork, often settling her body before movement even begins.
She’s not just learning Pilates, she's embodying it.
There are still things we watch closely. When a new movement is introduced, the tremor can reappear. But with breath, patience, and awareness, she continues to find stillness and control. That’s the work. That’s the magic.
At her last session, Dee shared something that made it all real:
“There is a bridge I often encounter on my daily walk and I was always nervous about it. It was a challenge physically. But today I realized I had already walked on and over the bridge, and I didn’t have that same experience. Pilates did something that day for me.”
My next goal? I’m preparing to invite Dee into her first Level One Reformer Pilates class, a space where I believe she will not only hold her own, but thrive.
Learn more about our transformative approach to Pilates and Yoga at Body Haus Lifestyle Club. Find us in Muskegon and Norton Shores for unparalleled wellness experiences.