How else would a Fashionista, a Doctor and a Chemical Engineer meet and become inseparable friends? Through BASI Pilates and the MTTC of course!

It’s been a dream of mine to truly study Pilates since falling in love with it 13 years ago. I was an intense marathon runner and of course, fell victim to injury. Pilates had my back, as we love to say, and got me back in the race. I found a balance from that point on between Pilates and running to keep my body healthy. The side benefit was it kept my mind healthy as well. I worked in the fashion industry, an industry known for its chaos and stress, and Pilates was an escape.

In 2016, my husband was offered a job in South Africa that changed our lives. Sadly, I couldn’t work in South Africa as an American ex-pat wife. But, yet again, Pilates had my back and kept me sane. Through the Pilates community, I met people who got me involved in charities and giving back to my Johannesburg community. I started my own charity feeding child-headed households in an informal settlement outside Johannesburg called Diepsloot. I had found a new path. Then, 2020 and Covid-19 arrived. The government took over all feeding schemes in the midst of the pandemic and I had to cease running the charity and meeting with the children.

Saving the day again was Pilates. It kept me active during a very severe South African lockdown. When BASI Pilates South Africa posted an online MTTC in the midst of lockdown, I knew it was perfect timing. The first day of the course was 27 May, 2020 and on 20 August, 2020 I became a certified BASI Pilates Mat Instructor. An achievement shared with my fellow students, and now lifelong friends, the Doctor and the Chemical Engineer.

Today, 13 November 2020 I completed the CTTC modules. And who will I meet in the Zoom Room to celebrate this next step and forever lean on throughout my Pilates Journey? The Doctor and the Chemical Engineer, my fellow MTTC graduates. My BASI BFFs.

BASI Pilates has truly changed my life. It’s not just about movement, it’s about being a part of an incredible global family.

Meghan Rittenberry