MARGOT MCKINNON IS committed to helping people with neurological disorders improve their overall well being, one stretch at a time.
And it is her meticulous teaching style that makes the Body Harmonics Pilates founder so successful.
McKinnon, 42, offers classes to the general public, but applies a specific type of care when it comes to her students with Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s Disease. They are divided up based on their moving ability, though McKinnon is in perpetual awe of each student’s progress.
“These people never miss their class,”McKinnon says.“Some have been coming for 12 years, and then there are people in a wheelchair who are in the advanced class.” Most of the students are between the ages of 30 and 60, and bring individual challenges along with them.
“It’s emotional,” says McKinnon.
“One woman I teach is losing her speech. She came in one day, really struggling, but by the end of the class she was speaking almost clearly.”
Self-esteem is a concern as well. “Our purpose is to help people connect with themselves in a way that is not scary,” she explains. “You see it in their physical posture.”
McKinnon finds that the biggest challenge in her field of work is educating people on what Pilates can do for them.
She wants the public to be aware of the profound effect that intelligent movement can have on the body, and on one’s general well-being.
She says that by learning how your body works, you’re improving its ability to function properly.And the added bonus is that it does wonders for your mental health — a perfect therapy for people with neurological disorders.
“It’s a very simple way to improve quality of life for people that is enjoyable and empowering,” she says.
McKinnon, who describes herself as an “innate mover”, was born in France and moved to Canada as a child. She grew up in the Annex and now holds a masters degree in adult education.
“Teaching is in my blood, really,” she says. “This is the seed of what Body Harmonics is today because it brought my two passions together, movement and teaching. At the time, I didn’t know how I was going to apply it.”
McKinnon founded her business with a partner in 1996, and launched her private practice in 2004. By 1998, she had found a home base for her studio near the intersection of Dupont and Christie streets. She has another studio in the Yonge and Eglinton area.
Her neurological program is typically used by people on disability pensions. “We wanted to subsidize the classes because we knew some of our students were on fixed incomes.”
When McKinnon isn’t working she is teaching conferences abroad or doting over her five-year-old son, who is already learning Pilates.
“When I’m teaching it’s so natural. My work allows me to be really creative. And I de-stress by doing it!”
