What exactly is a Pilates duet, and why would I want to take one?

by Madeline Brock

Your local Pilates studio may offer sessions for two called "duets," also known as "semi-privates." These lessons can be conducted several different ways. One type of session may consist of two people working side by side on Reformers performing the same progression-similar to a Reformer class-while another may incorporate all the Pilates equipment and lead each student through his or her own individual progression. This format provides a more specialized and comprehensive Pilates session and requires a teacher who is skilled at multitasking.

Why choose a shared session? To gain the benefits of any fitness program, it's best to exercise three times a week. Private Pilates sessions can be costly, so the duet is an affordable way to attend more lessons. The benefits are more than financial, though. Part of the Pilates process is to find your sense of internal guidance through feeling, control and concentration. Duet instructors will not be focused solely on you, allowing for your internal knowledge of the exercises to be challenged. This independence encourages your body to imprint changes in your nervous system and deepen your practice.

Sharing a Pilates session with someone can be a great way to spend quality time with a friend or family member. Having a workout partner helps keep alive the motivation to exercise, so this may be further incentive to form a duet partnership.

When choosing a partner, consider a person whose ability level is similar to yours so the teacher can give you equal attention. But if your motivation is to share Pilates with someone else, your skill levels don't necessarily have to match. For example, one of my clients, a professional tango dancer, wanted to share a session with her mother, who had never done Pilates before. It was not an equal match of physical ability, but the dancer wanted to spend quality time with her mother and motivate her to do Pilates on a regular basis. The mother did several private sessions to establish her knowledge of Pilates, and then the women shared weekly sessions.

To participate in a shared session, I recommend new students start with private sessions in order to learn basic Pilates principles. This also gives instructors the opportunity to observe each student's way of moving and explain how self-adjustments of the movements can be made. Once you know your body's unique tendencies, you will be able to feel any misalignment of movement, then slow down and readjust in a controlled way-even when not under the constant supervision of an instructor.

Prices vary by location but expect to pay a little more than half what a private session costs-approximately $35 to $60 per person-for a duet session. Most studios offer a series of sessions for a discount. To get started, ask your teacher if you are ready for semi-private instruction.

Madeline Black is the owner of Studio M in Sonoma, CA. She founded the first Pilates studio in the Bay Area, and she currently co-directs ITT Pilates, the Integrated Teacher Training Program.