Welcome to March MATness

A return to our Pilates beginnings, the Mat.

Every March Pilates enthusiasts around the world roll out their mats and set out to complete 30 days of mat pilates, the original sequence by Joseph Pilates. A fun take on the college basketball, March Madness, Pilates Matness aims to bring Pilates practicers back to the beginning and refocus in on our core values and intentions- connecting the body and the mind.

But where did it all begin? We can attribute our yearly tradition to, Ben Degenhardt, a pilates instructor and founder of 360 Pilates. Ben launched March Matness in 2012 as a social media campaign to celebrate Joseph's original sequence. Today, there are several variations of the original idea including bingo cards, studio challenges as well as taking on the entire sequence every single day.

But beyond the games and challenges, Match Matness brings new light to old traditions, it challenges us reformer enthusiasts to step off the apparatus and re-engage with the simple, the origin of Pilates.

For me, March Matness starts out a big begrudgingly, I enjoy my reformer, I enjoy teaching reformer and classical mat usually isnt my jam. But as we approach we 3 of the challenge, I have found my groove and am embracing our history once again. Finding ways to incorporate the original sequence into my classes feelings like sneaking broccoli into a childs dinner. It is in there, can you find it?

In all, march matness provides a fun way to challenge your current practice, provide some stimulation as we slowly climb out of winter and allows pilates enthusiasts to get back to our roots. With just a few short weeks left, I challenge you to embrace the mat, find enjoyment in the lack of prop and springs, and reconnect to your Pilates why.

Come April 1st, we may all step back on the reformer and put away our mat, until next March when we can reconnect again.