HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are turning 30 this year. So it felt right to share where we came from and how we started. Buckle up for our Real Pilates Time Capsule! Watch for regular posts and stay connected to our Real Family!

~Alycea Ungaro
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It was 1992 when I first stepped foot inside Drago's Gym to meet with Joseph Pilates protege' and ask for permission to train as a Pilates instructor. I was instructed to have a seat on a plush circular couch on the 6th floor at 50 West 57th Street. I was nervous but excited to speak with the Grande Dame herself. My prior instructor Steve Giordano had sent me here and I felt confident that I had a good chance of getting the approval I sought.

Romana whisked in and took a seat asking brusquely who had sent me. Once my training had been established, she stood up and walked away. I felt my confidence receding. A minute or so passed before she returned with a piece of colored folded cardstock . Her outstretched hand instructed me to take it. It was a list of exercises. A long list. I recognized some but not all.

"Come back tomorrow at 7am. You'll teach this Mat."

It was 1pm.

I didn't know my schedule but I knew enough not to push back.

Still, I faltered a moment. "Teach the whole list"? I queried?

Romana replied with words I have never forgotten - "There's no way around it Alycea, you have to memorize it."

It's been more than 30 years since that moment. I wonder sometimes where I would be if I hadn't shown up that next day. But I did. And Romana was right.

There was no way around it.