Was my Instructor trageting me?
I’ve been doing Pilates consistently and just finished my 60th class, so I’m not brand new to reformer Pilates. I’m totally open to corrections, that’s part of learning, but I had an experience recently that really got to me.
Within the first 30 minutes, the instructor corrected me at least 15 times. It started almost immediately when I sat down on the reformer with comments like “Are you okay?” and continued throughout nearly every movement. Meanwhile, other people around me were also doing moves incorrectly or struggling, but the attention seemed hyper-focused on me specifically.
For context, I’m 5’7 and overweight, and I was the only visibly bigger person in the class. I can’t tell if I’m being overly sensitive, but after a while it stopped feeling like supportive instruction and started feeling like I was being singled out.
At one point I got so overwhelmed that I went to the bathroom and cried. I eventually had to tell her, “I need a minute.” I came back out, cleaned my equipment, and left class early. The whole experience honestly affected me more than I expected. I even overslept the next morning and missed my usual class, which never happens.
I guess I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this in Pilates or fitness spaces. How do you tell the difference between an instructor being attentive versus making you feel targeted? I won't be taking her class ever again. Which is a bummer because she teaches all day Sunday they have pop-up cafe.