Source: Flow with Mira
What is the March MATness?
March MATness is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the traditional Pilates Mat sequence. Originally led by Benjamin Degenhardt, March MATness is an annual, community-led event filled with internet love for the Pilates method.
Not a challenge. Not a contest.
Everyone loves a challenge and everyone loves competition. But, March MATness is not those things. Instead, it’s a celebration of “come as you are” of Pilates. You may participate in this celebration in any way you see fit; cheer others on, contribute to the fun, offer local special classes or events, encourage others to participate… In short: make it yours!
This year there will be an official “Subtitle Theme” sponsored by 360 Pilates, an online and in-person educational platform Benjamin created to keep Pilates’ original work relevant (“subtitled themes”) for 2020 has yet to be announced). By tagging posts with “subtitle topics”, participants can enhance the impact of their individual posts and send a unified message to each other and the public. While there are no “winners” of the March MATness (it’s a celebration, not a contest), selected posts will appear on the official Instagram feed as well as on the MATness website March.
Can I still join if I don’t use Social Media?
What if you don’t like social media? There are other ways to get involved. For example, if you struggle to maintain a consistent self-practice routine, March MATness can provide the motivation to go to Mat every day, all month long, helping to form a healthy habit. And if you’ve let 34 equipment-necessary Mat exercises get rid of because you think you don’t like them or can’t do them well (and we all have some exercises of this type!), March MATness is the reason. perfect for picking them up, dusting them off and testing them on your body again. You may discover that an exercise that once made you frustrated and difficult is now within reach. March MATness also reinforces the value of doing each exercise in Joe’s original order, showing the transition between and the interconnectedness of the work.
Seeing so many different bodies perform these iconic and beloved exercises (and, let’s face it, some of the lesser-loved ones) is a reminder that Pilates is made practiced around the world, for all body types. Today, the official Instagram feed has almost 8,500 followers. There are also YouTube videos and a strong Facebook community. The popularity of March MATness proves that Joseph Pilates’ hope that “the science and art of Control will last forever” has come true.
