Embrace the Shake: What Pilates Reveals About Your Nervous System

A Romana’s Pilates Perspective on Neuromuscular Strength and Real Control

Reformer

When you’re in the middle of a Pilates session and your legs start to shake—maybe on the Reformer or Cadillac —you might think, “Is something wrong with me?”

The answer? Absolutely not. In fact, that shake is one of the most important signs that your nervous system is doing its job—and getting stronger.

At Lifespan Pilates, we teach the original method developed by Joseph Pilates, preserved and passed on through Romana Kryzanowska, his protégé. In Romana’s Pilates, we don’t see shaking as a failure. We see it as a breakthrough.

• This blog will explain exactly:
  - Why your body shakes during Pilates
  - What it tells us about your nervous system
  - How this fits into the Romana’s Pilates Method
  - And why shaking is a powerful step toward long-term strength, balance, and control

Let’s explore the method—behind the tremble.

What Does It Mean When You Shake During Pilates?

When your muscles start to tremble during a session, you're experiencing neuromuscular feedback. Your nervous system is being asked to stabilize your body in a way it may not be used to.

That tremble isn’t weakness—It’s your brain and body creating a stronger connection.

Your nerves are sending new signals. Your deep stabilizers are being recruited. Your body is adapting to true, functional alignment.

• This is especially common with movements that challenge:
  - Core stability (the powerhouse!)
  - Balance and proprioception
  - Breath-driven engagement
  - New ranges of motion

At Lifespan Pilates, when we see clients shake, we don’t interrupt it. We support it—because we know the system is learning.

The Nervous System and Romana’s Pilates

Joseph Pilates called his method Contrology™, meaning the complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Romana Kryzanowska didn’t reinterpret that. She protected it—refining the system to work with, not against, the nervous system’s learning curve.

• Romana’s Pilates is mindful and precise. It teaches your body:
  - To use the right muscles in the right way
  - To stabilize from the center outward
  - To respond quickly and safely to challenge

In the modern world—especially during a hot, over-stimulating NYC summer—some of us live in a state of nervous system overdrive. Pilates can be the antidote: by building control, not chaos.

The Role of Gratz Pilates apparatus in Neuromuscular Activation

At Lifespan Pilates, we use authentic Gratz Pilates apparatus—the same dimensions, springs, and structure used by Joe himself.

• This apparatus is designed to:
  - Give real feedback to your nervous system
  - Engage stabilizers you can’t cheat with
  - Build the kind of reflexive control you carry into life

“Pilates-inspired” equipment won’t do that. The tremble comes from your body meeting the challenge of the real work.

Embrace the Shake—Because It’s Working

• Here’s what our clients report after experiencing this type of deep neuromuscular work:
  - “I feel taller.”
  - “I’m breathing better.”
  - “I walk differently now.”
  - “My anxiety has gone down.”

The shake isn’t the end goal. It’s the beginning of a new way of being in your body—with awareness, strength, and trust.

Why This Matters—Especially in the Summer

Summer is the season when routines fall apart, stress builds up, and health goals take a backseat. Many NYC fitness clients disappear in July and August—and studios feel it.

But what if this summer, instead of slumping, you used the season to retrain your nervous system, reconnect with your body, and reestablish your strength?

Romana’s Pilates isn’t just about fitness. It’s about resilience. And now is the time to build it.

Ready to Feel the Difference?

Lifespan Pilates NYC is the only Romana’s Pilates International™ training center in NYC, offering private sessions, group classes, and teacher training—all rooted in the original method.

Romana’s Pilates International™ has of hundreds of studios and instructors worldwide. Checkout their global directory here or contact our us for more information.

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start training with the real method on real equipment, let’s get started.

Book your private session today and experience what a Romana’s Pilates session really feels like.