BASI changed the way I see aging. I was already a devoted Pilates practitioner when I enrolled in the Teacher Training program about eight years ago. I was also 52 and the oldest student in the program. There were far more experienced Pilates instructors in the program, too. Intimidated, I almost walked out of the course. Well, to make a long story short, when I tested out, I was one of the very few to pass all the exams for the first time! That experience really got me thinking about what it means to age in a way that kept me moving and gaining and achieving. Age isn’t just a number. It is a statement of how far you’ve come in life in years, and if you are lucky, in wisdom, too. Fitness is physical and yes, as we age it can be harder than it was, however, if you devote yourself to movement, and in my case, BASI Pilates, and you simply take things day by day, step by step, you will see improvement and even the smallest gain, say, in flexibility and strength. These small beginnings take you from where you had been standing in your mind and body. I embody this philosophy when I teach in my home studio and it is what I tell my students.

That success leads you to others, which for me meant learning to play golf and now driving the ball 200 yards—yup, I can do that! I attribute my golf success to Pilates as well as my continued approach to cross-training, which I feel is key to overall health and well-being. Aging is something we all do and will continue to do.

To give you an analogy my three grown computer engineer sons would appreciate: I use BASI Pilates as my mainframe, it does not necessarily factor in aging as a quantitative process but instead simply codes my systems for what I am able to do and then enables me to function better no matter what age I am.

Very best, Lori

Lori Ettlinger Gross