07/14/2026
Today, I was going through papers in my desk, and I found this scrap note I made over 12 years ago. 1/2/2014. I, Courtney Holcomb, owner of Pilates Anchored, have been practicing Pilates for 23 years, and teaching Pilates for 16. I've been a mover my whole life, starting dance at age 3, and using Pilates for cross training for strength, mobility, and flexibility since I was 13 years old. My spine was super rigid due to holding patters I had in my body, most likely from my classical dance training. For years, I held my body stiff and tight---thinking that made me strong, but it just made me immobile. A dance professor in college came up to me one day and said "Courtney, tension is not strength, tension is just tension..." and I think I relaxed my stomach for the first time in over a decade. I haven't just been doing movement and learning about movement, I have been thinking and reflecting about movement my whole life. I loved this reflection I made about specificity. "Specificity is not just for me as a dancer, it's for everybody. The world is noisy enough, when we quiet ourselves, give ourselves the time of day, and get specific, that is when we achieve clarity in our bodies."
At Pilates Anchored, we don't just do workouts, or do exercises. We access, we take notice, we get quiet, and we get specific. We take the opportunity to tune in, and for 50 minutes to make our body primary---not an afterthought. Not to judge it, but to take notice and listen. That, is the power of a mind-body practice. And for showing up for ourselves again--and again---and again.
If you've have a favorite Pilates discovery since starting your practice, I've love to hear it below!
