Wabi-sabi

On our recent trip to Portugal and Spain, I was reminded that sometimes the most beautiful things are the things that aren’t perfect.

While in Portugal, we took a tile-painting class. As we painted, the woman teaching the class shared the idea of Wabi-Sabi—the beauty found in imperfection, simplicity, and the uniqueness of each thing.

She said something that stuck with me:

“Everything is beautiful in its own way. Imperfect is perfect.”

I kept thinking about that long after we left the class.

And then I started thinking about Pilates.

In Pilates, we often strive for the perfect movement. The perfect teaser. The perfect plank. The perfect alignment. As a teacher-in-training, I’m constantly learning how much precision, control, and intention goes into each movement.

But what if perfect doesn’t look the same on every body?

One person’s beautiful teaser might look completely different from another’s. One person may have more flexibility, another more strength, another a different body structure or history of movement. The goal isn’t necessarily to make every body look the same. It’s to find the best version of the movement for your body.

Maybe that is my version of Wabi-Sabi Pilates.

Finding beauty in the wobble.
Finding strength in the struggle.
Accepting that some days our bodies move differently than others.
And remembering that the goal isn’t perfection—it’s connection, awareness, and being present in the movement.

So on this trip, I brought Pilates with me.

I practiced in beautiful places, imperfect places, quiet places, and unexpected places. And somewhere between Portugal, Spain, and a paint-covered tile, I was reminded that movement doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Maybe imperfect really is perfect.

And maybe Pilates is a little more beautiful when we stop trying to make it look perfect—and start making it our own.