Fibromyalgia - Living with Fibro on the Mat

On The Pilates Lounge Podcast, Katie Crane speaks with Lourdes, a Pilates teacher living with fibromyalgia, sharing her lived experience of chronic pain, fatigue, depression, and the long, often confusing road to understanding her body.

Speaking from El Salvador, Lourdes brings honesty, humility, and deep compassion to this conversation — weaving together motherhood, injury, nervous system awareness, and the power of Pilates as a practice of reconnection rather than performance.

This episode is part of Katie's ongoing fibromyalgia series, created to help Pilates professionals better understand the realities of this condition — so we can teach with more intelligence, empathy, and respect.

We Explore:

• What fibromyalgia can feel like before diagnosis — and why it's often mistaken for depression or "just ageing"

• The overlap between chronic pain, fatigue, and emotional health

• Why pain often comes first — and depression follows

• Living, parenting, and teaching Pilates while managing fibromyalgia

• Why reconnection, not intensity, is the foundation of sustainable movement

• How mat work, breath, and props support safety and self-trust

• Why listening to the body matters more than loading it

• The role of self-love, gentleness, and pacing in long-term health

This Episode Is For:

• Pilates teachers working with clients living with fibromyalgia or chronic pain

• Movement professionals supporting fatigue-prone, nervous-system-sensitive bodies

• Teachers navigating pain, injury, motherhood, and long-term practice

• Practitioners ready to prioritise awareness, regulation, and connection over intensity

A Moment That Landed:

"When we're in pain, we disconnect. My first goal is always to reconnect — through breath, awareness, and listening."

Fibromyalgia cannot be understood through muscles, joints, or exercise prescription alone.

Lourdes' story reminds us that pain, fatigue, and depression are not failures of motivation or discipline — they are signals from a nervous system under load.

This conversation reinforces why Pilates teachers must expand their lens to include nervous system regulation, emotional safety, fatigue management, and lived experience.

When movement is rushed or driven by aesthetics, we reinforce harm.
When it's paced, intelligent, and compassionate, Pilates becomes a lifelong ally.

👉 Your Next Step:

If this episode resonated, consider this:

➡️ Reflect on one client whose pain or fatigue may be asking for listening, not progression
➡️ Review how your session pacing, language, and expectations support safety
➡️ Ask better questions — not to fix, but to understand

Continue the Conversation in The Pilates Muse

If you're craving deeper reflections, intelligent conversation, and writing that challenges how we think about Pilates, pain, and professional practice:

✨ Explore The Pilates Muse — a publication for Pilates teachers who want to think beyond cues and exercises
➡️ https://www.thepilatesprofessional.com.au/the-pilates-muse-publication

🎥 Prefer to watch?

This episode is also available on YouTube — experience the full conversation in a different way:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGs4C3-8NIw2BQZ1QTHZetg

This is where philosophy meets practice.

About The Pilates Lounge

The Pilates Lounge Podcast is where intelligent movement meets real-world practice. Hosted by Katie Crane, each episode supports Pilates teachers and movement professionals to think deeper, teach smarter, and build sustainable careers grounded in integrity, autonomy, and whole-person health.