Pilates Garage — Local services in New York

I started doing Pilates about 20 years ago. After trying out most of the Pilates studios in the general Park Slope area, I settled on Pilates Garage. I have been taking private and mat classes there ever since. The studio is a gem. It is a small studio with a dedicated, experienced group of highly trained teachers and extensive equipment. The mat classes are rarely more than 6 people, which allows the teacher to adjust to clients' requests, learn clients' individual needs and provide alternatives to accommodate injuries and limitations. The degree of tailoring is much more typical of private than of mat classes in most settings. Since Covid all mat classes are still on Zoom; I have been so impressed by the ability of the teachers to provide detailed feedback even on Zoom. I cannot recommend the private classes highly enough. All the teachers bring a nuanced and sensitive understanding of the body to the sessions. (There is even a (synthetic) skeleton we call Bones, to help the client understand body mechanics.) They draw on their study of other disciplines like Alexander Technique, Yoga, Dance and even Theater to deepen and broaden their Pilates instruction. This means that whatever your limitations or injuries, or level of activity, they are able to create a practice that will help you get stronger and more fit, and feel better. I have been through several injuries over my 20 years, and my work at the Garage has been invaluable in helping me recover. The support, knowledge and sensitivity of Margi Douglas and the other teachers enabled me to continue taking class even while my practice there went from very challenging to very gentle and back again more than once. I venture to say that the Pilates Garage is one of the rare studios that has enough knowledge and flexibility to provide that kind of instruction. I cannot recommend the studio...

I've been to my fair share of studios over the years, but once I found the Pilates Garage several years ago, I never left. While I've participated in a few classes, my focus has been more one-on-one sessions where I have had the privilege, and I do mean privilege, of working with Margi using both the Alexander technique and pilates to keep my body in balance, and frankly to help my mind. I literally crawled in there with a back issue and Margi worked with me using a smart approach grounded in gentleness and healing. Eventually, I got back to playing tennis, dancing and tai chi. I've had a lot of up and down health issues since then, and Margi has adjusted our sessions accordingly so I can still receive the benefit of movement. This is not a factory; the instructors know what they're doing and are consistently educating themselves on new techniques (and you get educated in the process of working with them). If you want personalized attention (even in a class) combined with caring expertise, make an appointment or join a class. And it is next to one of the great bakeries in...

The Pilates Garage is a professional studio of seasoned experts. This is not a studio where the instructors pay no attention to your form, resulting in injury, which is pretty common around the NYC fitness scene. I first saw the Pilates Garage in early 2020 while riding the B37 bus. After reaching out I was paired with senior instructor Donnell (the breathing, stretching, massage, body mechanics explainer extraordinaire), who I worked with for several weeks before COVID derailed us. We were able to reconnect about a year later, after I had a baby and needed help putting my body back together. In five short months Donnell has learned the ins and outs of my body’s weaknesses and helped me further rehab my abs, pelvic floor, ankle/foot injury, and 20 year old shoulder injuries. Anyone who has given birth understands that you sometimes feel like you’re in a foreign body afterward. Donnell and the PG have helped me learn to feel at home in my...