Press

During World War I, Joseph Pilates retooled the hospital bed, using its springs to provide resistance for a series of rehabilitative exercises that simultaneously lengthen and strengthen muscles. Nearly 90 years later, there’s another war raging, and, this time, it’s among his many disciples. With no certain heir to Pilates’s legacy, his death has given rise to dozens of schools claiming to certify instructors in either “authentic” Pilates or Pilates that improves upon his methods. While the popularity of Pilates has soared in recent years, and though the number of instructors has skyrocketed, the quality and style of instruction varies wildly. The following trainers may be certified by different schools and may subscribe to different interpretations of Pilates, but they are all, according to our experts, among the county’s best. Lesly Levy considers herself a practitioner of traditional Pilates, unaltered from founder Joseph Pilates’s original teachings. “The best Pilates instructors teach from all six of Joseph’s principles at once, never sacrificing one for another,” says Levy. “Although precision is of utmost importance, some other methods focus so much on alignment and/or control, looking at movements merely as exercises. But Pilates is a continual flow of movements that challenges all muscle groups to work all the time. There’s nothing abrupt or jerky in Pilates.” Lesly is a top-notch trainer who provides continuing-education workshops to other Pilates teachers in conjuction with the Pilates organization, Power Pilates, Inc. in New York City. She has a multi-dimensional background as a gymnast and yoga instructor, but her teaching has always been movement-oriented. Levy became an ACE (American Council on Exercise)-certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor in 1992. She also has certification in spinning, Reebok cycling, and yoga, and specialties through ACE in perinatal fitness, youth fitness, mind-body integration, and flexibility training. Lesly Levy, Mindful Moves Pilates Center, Mount Kisco (914) 244-0199. Fee: individual $66--75/hour; duet $45-55/hour; trio $38-44/hour; classes $20-22, depending on whether a package or a single lesson is purchased. No. of clients per week: 40, not including classes Fitness tip: “Pulling your abdominals in and up while moving your body with control will strengthen your abs, back and buttocks.”