Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
After asking around, I won't go to the Pilates class at my fitness club. Apparently the instructor is extremely chatty and when she isn't giving instruction she engages in general conversation with the students. That might work for some - but I find an overly-chatty instructor a distraction. Any DVD suggestions for basic things I can do at home?
Yeah, it can be hit-or-miss with big fitness club classes.

The Classical Pilates Technique Complete Mat Workout Series is probably the most comprehensive. It does a good job of showing workouts of different difficulties one at a time. It has modified basic all the way through super advanced, so it's a really great resource. There is a person demonstrating the exercises with a voiceover and no music. I think it is probably better as a reference rather than a workout video.

It can be a bit tricky to keep your head, neck and shoulders in the right position and watch a video at the same time!

I also like The Pilates Body Kit by Brooke Siler. It explains the basic principles really well, and it comes with audio CDs and flashcards. I loaded the CDs onto my iPod so I have that when I travel, and the cards contain some good tips that describe the form that you are aiming for. When I was doing PT, I made flashcards for my homework, and as I got stronger I added the Pilates flashcards into my deck. It was a really great way to track my progress and think about how I wanted to switch things up, depending on what my body was telling me on any given day.

I also just returned a Mari Winsor Pilates DVD to a friend, I don't remember which one. It was more of a traditional exercise video, but the workout was solid and they had one of the performers show modifications for those who are still developing strength/flexibility/etc.