Meet our BASI Pilates Love Contest Winner!

In the month of February we reached out to our BASI Pilates community and we asked you to show your BASI Love with your favorite BASI Instrcutor. The below interview is with contest winner Viki van den Barselaar- Smith a BASI Lover, Pilates enthusiast, and swimmer. View Viki’s winning post

How long have you been doing Pilates?

I started back in 2000 when I was living in the states, and when I came back to South Africa my husband and I started with Tash. That was 11 years ago! Tash is a phenomenal instructor and I admire her so much. She has given me so much strength within my body and mind, and has challenged me every week. I am learning from her all the time. I wish everyone could have a Tash in their lives; their minds and bodies would be so grateful.

What do you love about BASI Pilates? What’s not to love? No matter which exercise I am doing, simple move or complex, my body and mind are working hard to control and execute the move with complete awareness. It takes only few repetitions to feel the body working hard and I love that so much. It’s never easy, and always challenging. And of course I love the tone, strength and suppleness it gives my body. I also enjoy doing a semi private class with my hubby, Dyllan. This quality time working out together has always been very special to me and has keep us a strong team through thick and thin.

A member of our Faculty, Tash B told us you’ve been coming to her studio for 11 years! That is a long time. What is your favorite Pilates class or exercise? I’m a fan of inversion. Jackknife is still one of my favourites and the classic Roll Over. With Tash the classes are never ever the same, and I don’t know how she does it, but she’s always got something exciting up her sleeve for me to try. The fact that there is something new every week amazes me, and I look forward to moving my body in new ways. This is why I enjoy Tash so much; she knows how to push my boundaries and keep us learning new things about Pilates. It’s that one move that I just can’t get right that I love so much – it keeps me wanting more. How amazing is that?

What made you start doing Pilates? I was a swimmer back in the day and swam for the University of Georgia. We were required to do a lot of training outside of the pool from drylands to weights to running, etc. It was in my second year that Pilates became a part of our training programme and it didn’t take long for us to see the value in it. I hadn’t really taken notice of my core and Pilates changed the way I felt my body move in the water. Since then, I have seen the value of Pilates in absolutely everything that I do.

What other forms of exercise do you enjoy besides Pilates? I’m still swimming, but now to raise funds for charity. Yoga and surfing are also firm favourites.

What would say to someone that wanted to do Pilates but was afraid to start? I tell people all the time to start Pilates, you are never too young or too old to reap the benefits both physically and mentally from doing it. In fact, our 8 year old son and 4 year old daughter have just started in Tash’s children’s class and they love it. You cannot believe the difference in their posture, body awareness and core strength. Dyllan has also used Pilates to recover from a shoulder operation and rebuild his stabilisers. There are so many good reasons to do Pilates, and the exercises are so easily adaptable to anyone’s level and ability. It’s amazing how quickly you will notice improvements. Whether you are a seasoned athlete, or you sit behind a desk all day, or you need rehab from an injury or op, Pilates is the answer.