#pilates

#pilates

She donned a strapless light brown tube bra over a fitted dark brown tank top, featuring a plunging halter-neck collar and slightly cropped hem, to create a layered workout ensemble. She paired her dual tops with stretchy flared yoga pants, which she scrunched up on one side to create a high-low contrast. She topped her 'fit with a khaki-hued cargo track jacket, featuring a boxy frame and oversized pockets.

When Joseph Pilates developed what he first called Contrology in the early 20th century, there were no dedicated studios or intimidating contraptions. There wasn't even a reformer yet. (That came later, improvised from leather straps and hospital bed frames.) The idea was simple then, and it still is now: Pilates asks you to work with what you already have. Your body does the work, and a mat just makes it more comfortable.

As the (frequently) sole male in pilates classes, I wonder if the reason pilates and the male psyche don't seem to connect (Letters, 19 October) is that the language is directed towards women and their anatomy. On more than one occasion, when I have clearly been confused as to what bit of myself I am meant to be concentrating on, female instructors have whispered crown jewels in my ear.

For Ong, the studio is the realization of a dream more than a decade in the making. After moving to New York in 2011 and spending years in the corporate world, she told Brooklyn Paper the dream of creating a Pilates studio never left her. "This has always been my dream," Ong said. "Ever since I started Pilates 10 years ago, it's been helping me. I always had that entrepreneurial spirit when I was [working] in corporate and I'm always into the health, wellness and fitness space."

"I was shaking the entire time," creator @allisonlloydfit said in a viral clip, while @selenaamae said just the warm-up alone had her entire body "on fire."