Let’s face it, the exercises in Pilates can be a little weird and a little intimidating, especially if you’re new and have never moved your body in these ways before. By learning the basic exercises before you take your first session, you will already be giving yourself a huge leg up.

Below you will find some videos from a colleague (and fellow Real Pilates graduate), Denes Dreisziger, co-founder of Studio Espace Pilates in Montréal, QC. In these videos, he describes the seven basic exercises, the different modifications you can take within them, and how to advance them in order to make the exercises work best for your body. As a bonus, he also throws in a few videos on how to flow through the exercises from start to finish.