One of the questions I get asked most often — in DMs, in consultations, in the quiet moment at the end of a session when someone finally says the thing they’ve been holding — is some version of this:
“Is Pilates even right for me? My body is so complicated.”
And usually, underneath that question, is something harder to say out loud: I’ve been hurt before. I’ve tried things that made it worse. I’m not sure I trust my body anymore, and I’m not sure I trust movement either.
I want to tell you about a client. I’ll call her Ruth.
She came to me carrying exactly that kind of fear. Not the normal “I’m nervous to try something new” kind. The kind that had quietly rearranged her whole life.
Her Body Felt Completely Unpredictable
Ruth has hEDS and POTS. If you’re familiar with either of those diagnoses, you already know what that can mean on a daily basis. If you’re not — here’s the short version:
- Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is a connective tissue disorder that affects the body’s collagen. For Ruth, this meant that on any given day, her joints could shift or betray her without warning. Something as simple as reaching for a glass or getting up from a chair could result in pain, subluxations, or days of recovery.
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system that causes heart rate to spike significantly when moving from lying down to sitting or standing. Dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, and fainting are common. For many people with POTS, even gentle activity can trigger a cascade of symptoms.
Together, these conditions meant Ruth’s nervous system was constantly on high alert. Her body wasn’t just unpredictable… it felt like a threat to itself.
Movement wasn’t something that felt like it might help. It felt like something that might set everything off.
So she stopped.
She stayed home. She got smaller and smaller in her own life, because the world outside (and the idea of moving her body in any structured way) felt like too much of a risk.
What Happens When Someone Finally Moves at Your Pace
When Ruth first reached out to me, I could feel the hesitation in her message. She wasn’t sure Pilates was right for her. She wasn’t sure anything was right for her at that point.
We talked before we ever booked a session. I wanted to understand where she was, not just physically, but in terms of what her nervous system could handle, what had gone wrong before, and what she was most afraid of. Because for someone like Ruth, showing up at all was already an act of courage. The last thing she needed was to walk into a movement environment that wasn’t built for her and leave feeling like her body had failed her again.
Our first sessions were slow. Intentionally, unapologetically slow.
Some days, we only did three exercises. And that was exactly right.
Not because Ruth wasn’t capable of more, but because her nervous system needed to learn that movement was safe before it could accept more of it. Pushing through, “no pain no gain,” more reps, or more resistance? None of that would have helped her. It would have confirmed everything her body already believed: that movement was dangerous.
What she needed was the opposite. Consistency. Gentleness. A space where the pace was dictated entirely by what her body communicated, not by what a program said she should be doing by week three.
This Is What Trauma-Informed, Complex-Body Movement Actually Looks Like
I talk a lot about modifications at Havenwell Pilates. Every class I teach, every session I lead, has built-in options for different bodies, different mobility levels, different days. But Ruth’s story is a good example of why that matters on a deeper level than just “some people need easier exercises.”
For people with hEDS, hypermobility means that some of the cues and progressions that are standard in Pilates can actually cause harm. We have to think differently about stability, about loading, about what “working hard” means for a joint that doesn’t have the same structural support as a typical joint.
For people with POTS, transitions matter enormously. The speed at which we move from lying to sitting to standing. The exercises we choose and the order we sequence them. How long we rest. Whether we’re working with the autonomic nervous system or inadvertently against it.
For someone whose nervous system is on high alert — whether from chronic illness, trauma, years of pain, or all of the above — the emotional environment of a session matters as much as the physical one. Safety isn’t just about not getting hurt. It’s about whether your body feels safe enough to let its guard down at all.
These aren’t things you can Google your way through. They require someone who understands the nuances, who listens more than they talk, and who is willing to let your body set the pace — even when that pace is three exercises.
What Shifted for Ruth
Here’s what I want you to know: Ruth didn’t make a dramatic recovery. She didn’t one day wake up and stop having hEDS or POTS. Those diagnoses are still hers. Her body still has hard days.
But something did shift.
She started trusting her body a little more. Not blindly — she still listens to what it’s telling her and honors it. But the relationship changed. Movement became something she could access, rather than something she had to avoid. Her world got a little bigger.
She went from staying home to trying something brand new. From being afraid to move to having a regular practice that she adapts based on how she feels that day. From “I don’t think Pilates is for me” to showing up for herself, consistently, in a way that actually fits her life and her body.
That’s what working at your pace actually looks like.
If Any Part of Ruth’s Story Sounds Familiar
Maybe you don’t have hEDS or POTS. But maybe you have a spinal fusion, or scoliosis, or chronic pain, or a nervous system that’s been through something hard. Maybe you’ve tried fitness classes or group exercise and left feeling worse — physically or emotionally. Maybe movement has felt like the enemy for so long that you’ve stopped trying altogether.
I want you to know: there is a version of this that works for your body. I genuinely believe that.
It might look different than what you’ve seen before. It might be slower than you expected. It might start with three exercises. But it’s there.
At Havenwell Pilates, I work with people in exactly this place — virtually via Zoom, from wherever you are, at the pace your body actually needs. If you’ve been wondering whether this could work for you, I’d love to just have a conversation about it.
If that resonates, you can click the button below to send me a quick email. Tell me about where you are right now with your movement journey, and anything else you’d like to share or ask. No pressure. No commitment. Just a conversation.
About Havenwell Pilates
Havenwell Pilates is a specialized Pilates studio in Franklin, Tennessee, offering private and semi-private sessions both in-person and virtually. Our team specializes in working with clients who have spinal fusions for scoliosis, chronic pain conditions, and those who need modifications for their unique bodies. Every session is customized to meet you where you are, with a focus on sustainable, empowering movement.
Ready to get started? New clients can try 3 private sessions (in-studio or virtual!) for $300. Fill out the session request form to get started today.