Aware Aligned Awake – Pilates

Cristal has been an amazing instructor. I have an injured knee and after 5 years, I shifted my posture to compensate for my weak knee instead of strengthening it. I took many yoga classes thinking that it would help me. Being very flexible, I could do a lot of the asanas without feeling too much of an effort. Although I would feel a good stretch, I never felt I was strengthening. My back would chronically hurt and my knee did not feel any better. I started Pilates with Cristal looking for a new experience. Cristal’s knowledge of anatomy has facilitated the process of identifying my postural inefficiency so as to help me re-​align myself and strengthen my cores. She has helped me access muscles that I didn’t even know could be engaged. After a year, it’s been a long journey of undoing years of bad postures. In retrospect, I’ve realized that when I was doing yoga, I was emphasizing the stretch rather than the support. Through Cristal’s guidance, I’ve learned that less is more. Choosing not to go as far in the stretch but keeping the proper form is where I’ve gained my strength. And understanding what is proper form has been a long process of Cristal’s adjustments and re-​adjustments that I would have never gotten in group classes. Although my knee is not completely painless, it has felt a lot stronger and my back is now feeling a lot more supported. Cristal has provided me with the tools to recognize my triggers and the appropriate set of exercises to correct them. The journey is not over yet but I definitely feel I am on the right path, thanks to Cristal. If you are looking to strengthen your cores, check her out!!!