Pilates with Mela

✈️ Travel doesn’t have to mean a break from your Pilates practice.

This week’s video is all about My Top 5 Pilates Props for Travel: the small, lightweight tools I always pack so I can keep my practice alive no matter where I land.

A few clever props can make it possible to reset your posture after hours of plane, trains or cars and stay connected to your body, as Pilates is a practice and that means - consistency.

If you could only pack one Pilates prop for travel, what would you choose?

🔗You’ll find my latest video in the link in my bio and today’s story.

Back extensions are such an important part of a balanced Pilates practice because they help build strength in the back body, improve posture, and create more mobility through the spine. They also teach you how to move with more length and support instead of collapsing into the lower back, which makes such a big difference in how the body feels and functions.

In this week’s new YouTube video, I’m breaking down Swan on my Spine Corrector and showing how this classic Pilates exercise challenges your balance, control, and two-way stretch in a really unique way. It’s one of my favorite ways to explore back extension because it asks you to stay connected to your center while lengthening in opposite directions.

🔗You’ll find my latest video in the link in my bio and today’s story.

Do you feel more connected in Swan on the Spine Corrector or on the mat? Let’s talk about it and why.

There’s one Pilates exercise you’ve probably seen everywhere — in studio logos, photos, and websites — and that’s the iconic teaser.

But if the teaser has ever felt more like a battle than a graceful lift, or looked a little more like a wobbly spinning top than the beautiful shape you want, you are definitely not alone. This is exactly why Joe Pilates created apparatus like the Spine Corrector: to help support you as you work through challenging exercises like the teaser. Pilates should look effortless, but it always takes practice to get there.

This week’s video is all about using the Spine Corrector as a kind of training wheel for teaser, just like learning to ride a bicycle. I guide you through two variations on the barrel so you can discover where your body needs more strength, connection, and control. It’s a really smart way to train the muscles that support a strong, balanced teaser on the mat or reformer.

And once it clicks, it sticks!

🔗You’ll find my latest YouTube video in the link in my bio and today’s story.

💬 Have you tried the teaser on the spine corrector before?

Reformer or Matwork Pilates — which one is actually better for you? 👀

With the rise of Reformer class popularity, many people are asking this question, and the answer isn’t as simple as “one is better than the other.” Both have so much to offer, but they’re not the same, and understanding the difference can help you choose the right class for your body, your goals, and your practice.

This week’s video was inspired in part by a recent article in The Guardian about the rise in reformer injuries in the UK calling it a “Wild West Reformer Boom”. And while that article is talking about what’s happening there, the reality is that the same things are happening here in the US — and honestly, in many places around the world too. If it hasn’t reached your area yet, the reformer boom probably will.

In Classical Pilates, we do it all because the method is a whole system. Each piece of apparatus has a purpose, and together they help teach your body how to move better — not just on the equipment, but in everyday life too.

🔗You’ll find my latest video in the link in my bio and today’s story.

📖 Wanna read the full article? I’ll leave a link to it in today’s story and in the description on YouTube.

❓Are you seeing the reformer boom where you live too?



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I always stay rooted in the Classical Pilates system, but once you understand the system you know how to adapt it!

Sometimes we just don’t have access to those magical springs on the apparatus (or the budget), so we must make the most of portable gems like the Theraband for home workouts or your travel days. As your Pilates practice shouldn’t stop just because you can’t get into a studio.

The Theraband can actually assist you in some exercises or the resistance adds an extra challenge in others.

💚 Join me for this advanced matwork This is your ticket to strength and mobility anywhere, anytime. 💚

🔗 You’ll find my latest video in the link in my bio and today’s story.

⬇️ Want help in creating your home studio or which props to get that can fit in your suitcase? Download my FREE GUIDE: Start Strong at Home [Link in bio]

💬 What do you like to pack in your suitcase when you travel to keep up with workouts?

Does a silent workout scare you? 😳

Okay this might be an unpopular opinion because music and workouts just go together right?!! But hear me out first.

We’re so used to constant stimulation wherever we go—podcasts, music, notifications, scrolling. But what happens when you let go of all that external noise and turn inward?

That’s the real Pilates magic I’ve been wanting to share and how Joseph Pilates designed his system. No music blasting. Just you, your breath, and your body talking to you. It might feel different if you are used to music in your workout (maybe even boring at first?). But watch my new video—you’ll get why you should NEVER listen to music during Pilates if you want to truly reap the full benefits of the method.

👉 [Link in bio]

Pilates is so much more than JUST a workout.

✨ When you follow the rhythm of your breath and have the space the just focus on your body, THAT’S where the true transformation happens and you get to reap the full benefits of the Pilates system. ✨

💬 What comes up for you in a silent workout? I love hearing your journey and discoveries.