Issue #337 Wednesday June 2, 2021 Sensing, Feeling…and Pilates. Somatics..What’s That? by Patricia Issit Somatics is a “broad brush” term describing many approaches to embodied movement practices. Put briefly, a somatic approach develops perceptual, kinesthetic and proprioceptive sensitivity with the purpose of developing awareness of soma, the felt body self. […]
Extending or Extension: What are They and Do They Make a Difference? – by Suzanne Martin
Issue #336 Wednesday May 26, 2021 Extending or Extension: What are They and Do They Make a Difference? by Suzanne Martin Spinal extension makes us vertical people. Pilates sometimes gets a bad rap because its exercises seem too heavily swayed toward spinal flexion. Or are they? Joe Pilates did say, […]
The Heart and Soul of Pilates – the Mat Work – by Ana Caban
Issue #335 – May 19, 2021 The Heart and Soul of Pilates – the Mat Work by Ana Caban “No man – No machine can correct or create vitality, power, or health for you; everything comes from within; you have to unfold it.” -Joseph H Pilates I still remember the […]
Every Breath You Take…Pilates Paradigm Shifts and Going Against the Grain – by Ivan Zagorsky
Issue #334 – May 5, 2021 Every Breath You Take…Pilates Paradigm Shifts and Going Against the Grain by Ivan Zagorsky I find that Pilates is similar to Kung Fu – every school teaches their own style, even though the basic movements look similar on the surface and humans with the […]
My 22-Year ‘Hand-in-Hand Relationship with Pilates – by Mona Stedenfeldt
Issue #333 – April 28, 2021 My 22-Year ‘Hand-in-Hand Relationship with Pilates by Mona Stedenfeldt It’s Fall 1999 and a physical therapy colleague at Colorado State University announced that there was a Pilates course for physical therapists in Denver. Did I want to attend? Oh, did I ever! Pilates had […]
Coordination on the Reformer – by Brett Miller
Issue #332 – Wednesday April 21, 2021 Coordination on the Reformer – by Brett Miller by Brett Miller Whereas at first I found ‘Coordination on the Reformer’ to be a rather quirky exercise – even a little stupid, I have come to value it more and more as I have grown to know […]
Golden Gals – by Penelope Wasserman
Issue #331 – Wednesday April 7, 2021 Golden Gals by Penelope Wasserman My personal Pilates practice began in 1999 and it soon became clear to me that this was not like any gym or dance studio experience I had ever known. Although I never considered myself athletic – I had no interest in […]
3 Tips To Make Your Verbal Cueing More Effective Immediately – by Mara Sievers
Issue #330 – Wednesday March 31, 2021 3 Tips To Make Your Verbal Cueing More Effective Immediately by Mara Sievers Now that most of us are teaching virtually, verbal cueing has become the single most important teaching skill for Pilates teachers. Here are three tips you can implement immediately to better communicate […]
Is Pilates an Embodied Practice? by Joanne Elphinston
Issue #329 – Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Is Pilates an Embodied Practice? by Joanne Elphinston The term “embodiment” is trending widely through the movement, psychology and emotional wellbeing fields at present; movement professionals in multiple professions have been quick to claim it as a benefit of their practice. Often promoted as […]
The True Masters of Movement: Animals – by Christina Maria Gadar
Issue #328- Wednesday, March 10, 2021 The True Masters of Movement: Animals by Christina Maria Gadar I grew up in a household full of pets. At one point, we had a total of twenty cats (in addition to dogs, rabbits, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, gecko lizards, a rescued […]
Whose Business is Bad Teaching? Part 2 – Awareness of Self By Chantill Lopez
Issue #326 – Wednesday, February 24, 2021 Whose Business is Bad Teaching? Part II by Chantill Lopez “When teachers become aware of how aspects of their self affect their view of students, they are in a better position to process the multiple variables that contribute to a successful teacher-learner interaction.” […]
The Side Way Sitting Stretch – by Reiner Grootenhuis
Issue #325 – Wednesday, February 17, 2021 The Side Way Sitting Stretch by Reiner Grootenhuis ”The Side Way Sitting Stretch” is the original name used by Carola Trier I first discovered this exercise in the archive pictures of Joseph Pilates‘s student Carola Trier. Shortly afterwards I was taught the […]
Whose Business is Bad Teaching? Part I – by Chantill Lopez
Issue #324 – Wednesday, February 3, 2021 Whose Business is Bad Teaching? Part I by Chantill Lopez Teaching is human. To teach is instinctual, even if in the smallest, most unrecognizable form. I teach my daughter how to fold her clothes, put away the dishes, scoop the poop from the […]
How to Create a Scoliosis Diagram – by Erin Myers
Issue #323 – Wednesday, January 27, 2021 How to Create a Scoliosis Diagram by Erin Myers This post is the second in a series of how to assess a client with scoliosis so you can work them out safely. Scoliosis can present very differently from client to client, and my hope […]
Active Opposition!! by Brett Miller
Issue #322 – Wednesday, January 20, 2021 Active Opposition (an exercise I was inspired to create by watching a video from Alycea Ungaro) by Brett Miller Today I am sharing an example of what I call “building block exercises”. These are simple, but by no means trivial, exercises that if […]
Hands-on Scoliosis Assessment – by Erin Myers
Issue #320 – December 9, 2020 Hands-on Scoliosis Assessment by Erin Myers Did you know there are millions of people living with scoliosis around the world? You may think it’s unlikely, but odds are one will walk into your studio someday. Are you prepared to work with them? I ask […]
What is Circular Pilates™ ? by Patti Kreiner NCPT
Issue #319 – December 2, 2020 What is Circular Pilates™ ? by Patti Kreiner NCPT Circular Pilates™ is a choreographed workout incorporating visually simple, but physically intensive, seated and standing exercises. The flowing, circular movements, combined with a certain symmetry and familiarity fueled by the breath, will free the body, […]
Pilates Wisdom from Jay Grimes – by Ana Caban
Issue #318 – November 18, 2020 Pilates Wisdom from Jay Grimes by Ana Caban When I sat down in Balanced Body Headquarters over 2 ½ years ago, I had no idea what an amazing and historical ride I was in for. I entered a conference room with managers of several […]
We’re Transitioning! – by Clare Dunphy Hemani
Issue #317 – Wednesday, November 11, 2020 We’re Transitioning! by Clare Dunphy Hemani It took me awhile to appreciate how powerfully transitions impact the work of Pilates. Their purpose and importance in our development as practitioners and teachers cannot be overstated. Let’s break it down and look closer at the […]
Review of Caged Lion – by Reiner Grootenhuis
Pic: Author John Steele with Joe and Clara Issue #316 – Wednesday, November 4, 2020 Review of Caged Lion by Reiner Grootenhuis As a Pilates Intel regular, you probably read the excerpt from John Howard Steel’s recently published “Caged Lion” here a few weeks ago. Time for a review and […]
Diving Deeper into the Pilates Matwork to Keep It Fresh – by Amy Taylor Alpers
Issue #315 – Wednesday, October 21, 2020 Diving Deeper into the Pilates Matwork to Keep It Fresh by Amy Taylor Alpers Pilates teachers often ask me, “How can I keep my Mat classes interesting – both for my clients and for myself? It’s so repetitive.” It’s basically the same […]
Pandemic Pilates! – by Teri Lee Steele
Issue #312 – Wednesday, October 14, 2020 Pandemic Pilates! by Teri Lee Steele On March 16th of this year, my husband and I packed our kids, pets and enough clothes for 2 weeks into our car and headed upstate to our house in the Catskills. We purchased […]
5 Common Mistakes in Choosing Exercise for Scoliosis – by Karena Thek
Issue #313 – Wednesday, October 7, 2020 5 Common Mistakes in Choosing Exercise for Scoliosis by Karena Thek You have a new client with scoliosis, and now you are researching the heck out of exercise for scoliosis. I get it. You are afraid of doing the wrong thing, choosing […]
Pre-Pilates and Beyond – by Christina Maria Gadar
Issue #312 – Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Pre-Pilates and Beyond by Christina Maria Gadar “I give people homework, like exercises to do in bed before you even put your feet on the floor in the morning. We don’t pop ‘em into a class and command them to do a […]
The Pilates Companion (My Pandemic Book Promo!) – by Lyn O’Neill
Issue #311 – Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Pilates Companion (My Pandemic Book Promo!) by Lyn O’Neill During a world pandemic seems an unlikely time for a book to find its readership, but this has unexpectedly happened for a book I wrote and illustrated that was published in 2018 called […]
Mary Pilates – by Bonnie Hubscher
Issue #310 – Wednesday, September 9, 2020 Mary Pilates by Bonnie Hubscher Early in my Pilates career, and full of enthusiasm to share it, I held workshops to bring Pilates to people’s attention. Mary Pilates LeRiche was invited to be our honored guest speaker at one of these workshops and […]
Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus
Issue #309 – Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus I was a teacher of physical education and history at a Commercial High School in Austria from 1978 until 2017. In 2004, I started my Pilates education with Juliana Afram in Hamburg, […]
Position, Posture and Alignment – by Carol Robbins
Issue #308 – Wednesday, August 19, 2020 Position, Posture and Alignment by Carol Robbins Semantics is the branch of linguistics concerned with meaning. When we have a discussion with another person, it’s important that the words you use have a meaning that is agreed upon by both people or confusion […]
Taking a Walk with Joe! Excerpt from ‘Caged Lion’ by John Howard Steel
Above a pic of author John Howard Steel and Pilates Intel editor Brett Miller Issue #307 – Wednesday, August 12, 2020 Taking a Walk with Joe! Excerpt from ‘Caged Lion’ by John Howard Steel When summer came and the days got longer and warmer, Joe would suggest we take a walk […]
Teaching Tips for Tendon Stretch that are Rooted in Motor Learning – by Chelsea Corley
June 24, 2020 Teaching Tips for Tendon Stretch that are Rooted in Motor Learning by Chelsea Corley Teaching Pilates is an expressive art form. That is part of the beauty in what we do as instructors. It is so fantastic that the same client can go to several different […]
Ingredients of a Perfect Pilates Practice – by Mara Sievers
Issue #304 – Wednesday June 10, 2020 Ingredients of a Perfect Pilates Practice by Mara Sievers What comes to mind when you think of having a perfect Pilates practice? What’s the epitome of Pilates for you? Go ahead, close your eyes for a few seconds, and think of the first […]
Results of The Pilates Hot Topic #2 ‘Touching and Teaching’!
Issue #304 – Wednesday June 10, 2020 The Pilates Hot Topic #2 Results Touching and Teaching Comments: Sometimes in group classes i use a “body” to show the movement. To assist my client, sometimes to calm my client, sometimes to focus attention, and sometimes to give some reiki. We […]
Pilates for the Ageing Population – the Power of the Feet – by Amy Alpers
Issue #303 – Wednesday June 3, 2020 Pilates for the Ageing Population – the Power of the Feet by Amy Alpers I’ve been teaching Pilates for 30+ years now, and some of my clients have been with me nearly as long. Consequently, some are now in the “senior” classification. And […]
Motivation – A Critical Factor for Success by Adam McAtee
Issue #302 – Wednesday May 27, 2020 Motivation – A Critical Factor for Success by Adam McAtee The work of Pilates is vast; as time progresses, it may have a significant impact on one’s physical and mental fitness. However, one could argue that we only receive as much benefit […]
Joe’s Breaststroke by Reiner Grootenhuis
Issue #301 – Wednesday May 20, 2020 Joe’s Breaststroke by Reiner Grootenhuis There are certain exercises in our Pilates system which seem to be difficult when you do them for the first time … and they often stay difficult even when you keep on practicing them. For many of us, […]
Coming into the Zone with Pilates – by Suzanne Martin
Issue #300 Wednesday May 5, 2020 Coming into the Zone with Pilates by Suzanne Martin Breathing is a major principle in our Pilates tradition. Mr. Pilates continually emphasizes breathing in Return to Life. I believe we can all agree that all movement starts with a breath as movement emanates from […]
My Personal “Return to life through Contrology” Post Stroke – by Tacye Lynnette
Issue #299 – Wednesday, April 29, 2020 My Personal “Return to life through Contrology” Post Stroke by Tacye Lynnette [Note from the Editor: This article was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.] One year ago, on April 27, 2019, I had a right ACA infarct (ischaemic) stroke. It came seemingly […]
Go Back To Your Studio – Your Clients are Waiting by Karena Thek (during Covid-19 Crisis)
From left to right: Forcius Marchus, Coiffus Perfectus, Antagonista Maxima with Whinius Caninus Issue #298 – Wednesday, April 22, 2020 Go Back To Your Studio – Your Clients are Waiting By Karena Thek (during Covid-19 Crisis) So. Here we are. A third of the planet on lockdown. And we’re only […]
Pilates Moving Towards Wholeness in Isolation: Our Critical Opportunity to Adapt Through Movement and Connection – by Chantill Lopez
Issue #297 – Wednesday, April 15, 2020 (during the worldwide Corona Crisis, this article is aimed for that time) Pilates Moving Towards Wholeness in Isolation: Our Critical Opportunity to Adapt Through Movement and Connection By Chantill Lopez Social distancing IS our best chance at making a positive impact on the […]
Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography A Review by Rebekah Le Magny
Issue #296 – Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography A Review by Rebekah Le Magny Title: Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography Author: Cathy Strack and Carol J. Craig Foreword by Mari Winsor Date of Publication: 2019 Pages: 287 Availability: www.cathystrack.com Price: […]