Some of you may
remember the dynamic
duo of Pilates Complete,
introduced here over 1
year ago when Pilates
Intel had 149
subscribers. Since then,
Linda, Jasmine and I have
come a long way in our
respective endeavors.
These ladies are fun and
successful, their attitude
and innovation makes
their small studio a real
force in the Swedish
Pilates community, and they are to be learned from. I attribute their
success to the following:
1. They are smart in that they seek partnerships with other expansive
persons, first of all just to have fun. But secondly knowing that
when people work for each other’s success, more success comes
about for all. (Something I myself am fully dedicated to.)
2. Their engagement with the community through their own newsletter and social media is skilled and sincere, generating enthusiasm and even love for what they are doing.

3. They innovatively use their limited resources maximally, (examples below).
4. They have begun their own on-line training services in cooperation with the Swedish site, yogobe.se. Love it or hate it, on line services are coming….and they were quick to adapt.
Linda and Jasmine are more open than I am to mixing Pilates with other forms of training at their studio. But this does not stop me from loving them, and wanting to work with them. And they are happy to work with my more conservative approach. Let us retrospect a moment.

From Issue #5 – Wednesday, May 8, 2013

In this edition I have the pleasure of introducing two friends of mine, Jasmin Salhi and Linda Erlandsson, who run “Pilates Complete” in Gothenburg, Sweden. STOTT Pilates trained and the best of friends, they inspire to find innovative ways to offer the complete Pilates experience.

For example, in the summer time they move their mat and reformer equipment outdoors to their beautiful terrace and give all their classes, courses, workshops and PT’s under the sun. Jasmin explains, “Our clients continue to train throughout the summer because they don’t have to go indoors when the summer sun shines and you just want to be out, they love it!” And believe me, the warm summer sun is a commodity in short supply here in Sweden, so I can certainly relate to their predicament.
And while that level of commitment is impressive, they really get the gold star for originality with this one…Each month they choose a new artist to exhibit their work in the studio, ranging from paintings, sculptures, and ceramics to photography and even sound installations.

“It’s a way for us to keep the studio alive and give our members something to reflect on, or just to enjoy the before, during and after of their Pilates workout. Even for the artists, it’s a unique opportunity to display their art in a different context than in traditional galleries which has been greatly appreciated.”

Jasmin and Linda met in Cairo in 1998 while working as dancers; they hit it off immediately and have been sharing their passion for Pilates with their clients since 2005. Having been introduced to the method during their respective professional educations in ballet and the performing arts, it was the feeling of strength and balance after a workout, along with the great increase in body awareness that drew them to pursue it as a career.

Linda says, “Before I discovered the Pilates method I just mimicked the movements given in choreography without really knowing where the power or the direction of the movement came from. With Pilates, a whole new dimension opened up for me, it fascinated me.”

We look forward to seeing more from “Pilates Complete” in the future and wish them the best of luck in their endeavors. (Article end).

The future is NOW! Let’s have a closer look at Linda and Jasmine!

Hi ladies, what is your favorite exercise?
Jasmin: I love all exercises that engage the mobility in the spine – Spinal Rotation is a favorite. A simple and pleasant rotation exercise that limbers up and engages the body.
Linda: I have many favorites, but the Semicircle on the Reformer, for instance, offers strength and mobility in one and the same exercise. I love it!
Okay, and your least favorite?
Jasmin: The teaser because of the long levers, a big challenge because of my biomechanics. I know it is good for me but my body has a love-hate relationship to it.
Linda: The double leg-kick because of tightness in my hip flexors and quads. I also find the timing difficult to cue when I teach it, it is always easier to teach what feels good in my own body. But as we all know, it is the exercises we love the least that we need the most. 😉

Do you find it important to study the original work of Joe Pilates?

Yes of course! Inspiration at its real meaning! It is always important to go to the core and understand the fundamentals of the exercise and to learn about the purpose of Joe Pilate’s technique. We do like to follow trends and are not strict when we teach. We like to mix in functional training, yoga, garuda and dance in our teaching. In reading Joe’s writings, we realize that we actually work similarly to the way that we think he did. We see exercises and combinations that we create that actually appear in the original repertoire.

With Amit Younger’s recent Pilates Intel article in mind, how do you feel that Pilates via the web can be beneficial and helpful?

Above all it is a very nice opportunity to share quality Pilates with those without access to a Pilates studio. We have carefully filmed a session on the basic principles, helping users to understand how small changes in the body can make big differences in the results. We offer users different themes, addressing for example back pain release, core power and pregnancy. This allows the user to get a solid start, with detailed instructions, meeting the user’s needs at that time.
The sessions vary in length from 5, 45 to 60 minutes, catering to those that do not have much time to visit a studio on a given day. A little Pilates is better than none at all! And on days where motivation to train is low where one feels like skipping it all, these videos also perfect! Our online instruction can increase continuity in a person’s training.

It is true that hands-on, personal corrections are absent, but then yogobe.se has several tips on studios, courses and workshops to visit and train IRL. Those already practicing Pilates regularly for an instructor may see this as a perfect complement for when they have trips, parental leave or holidays. We at Pilates Complete are also available through yogobe.se for questions.
And of course, when in Gothenburg, Sweden, all are welcome to us for questions and tips. And finally, we will be posting to our blog about future sessions.

Thank you ladies, I expect great things from you in the future! Learn more about Linda and Jasmine’s at their website, and their on-line training here! With campaign code pilatescomplete you get 14 free days!