Do Not Let The Chair Slam Into Your Back By Indrek Kornel February 13, 2019 Hello, My name is Indrek. Have we met before? Probably not … but if we have, when would you like to meet again? This article is a reflection on a process in my life through […]
An Inch Wide, A Mile Deep Finding your Niche in the Pilates Community – By Karena Thek
January 30, 2019 An Inch Wide, A Mile Deep Finding your Niche in the Pilates Community By Karena Thek It’s embarrassing to admit, but I can’t remember the last time I taught the Hundred, let alone the Series of Five. Yes, I teach using the Pilates equipment and I definitely […]
Finding Your Own Voice – by Madeline Black
Finding Your Own Voice By Madeline Black January 23, 2019 We invest a great deal into our life as a Pilates teacher. We spend hours, weeks and months studying and practicing Pilates. Then it takes time to synthesize the process of what was learned and embody the work before teaching […]
Are You Strong Enough Yet? by Carol Robbins
January 16, 2019 Are You Strong Enough Yet? By Carol Robbins When I was a Pilates teacher, I would get client referrals from doctors, PTs, chiropractors, etc., who would tell their patients they needed a stronger “fill in the blank” (usually “core”). In fact, I worked at a PT office […]
Cat Pilates! – by Brett Miller
Issue #251 – Cat Pilates! Brett’s year-end greeting to subscribers. December 19, 2018 Hello! This past weekend, I decided to be a little silly by putting on my best Santa hat and introducing Pilates to our recently adopted cats, Thompson and Nancy. By the way, I can report that the […]
My Imposter Syndrome! – by Adam McAtee
Issue #250 – Wednesday, December 12, 2018 My Imposter Syndrome! By Adam McAtee Truth be told, after nearly a decade of teaching Pilates, I continue to experience “Imposter Syndrome” – a pervasive perception of fraudulence, insecurity, and not being good enough despite one’s accolades and achievements. When I walk into […]
The 100 … Is there another way up the mountain? by Swami Doug Bentz
The 100 … Is there another way up the mountain? by Swami Doug Bentz December 5, 2018 So here we go, once again into the fray! Another Swami Doug “challenge” to the status quo … sorry! 😉 I realize this article might upset some people, and that is not […]
Pilates and Plants! The Power of Air-Cleansing – by Reiner Grootenhuis
November 28, 2018 Pilates and Plants! The Power of Air-Cleansing by Reiner Grootenhuis Does every Pilates studio need air-cleansing plants? The simple answer to this question is yes, a thousand times yes. Let me give you a bit of a background story. I do not have a green thumb, even […]
The Order – Learning from Romana By Tricia Dean O’Donnell
November 21, 2018 The Order – Learning from Romana By Tricia Dean O’Donnell In 1997, none of us realized we were observing history, while undergoing our teacher certification for The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning under the supervision of Romana Kryzanowska and Bob Liekens. There were many apprentices, sometimes nearly […]
Finding My Breath – by Pat Guyton
Nov 14, 2018 Finding My Breath by Pat Guyton “Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it. Since we cannot live without breathing, it is tragically deplorable to contemplate the millions and millions who have never mastered the art of correct breathing.” […]
In Memory of the Great Bob Liekens
November 7, 2018 In Memory of the Great Bob Liekens (this is the Pilates Intel edition from Nov 7 in its entirety) Hello , For the few of you who have not heard the news, you now most likely have guessed from the title that the wonderful Bob Liekens passed […]
Self-Care – It All Starts with You By Gail Giovanniello
October 31, 2018 Self Care – It All Start with You By Gail Giovanniello Self-care is often moved to the back burner when you lead a hectic lifestyle that creates the demand to never stop and to do it all! Without time to unwind, rest or do anything for yourself, […]
Don’t Make A Rule About It – by Amy Taylor Alpers
Oct 24, 2018 Don’t Make A Rule About It By Amy Taylor Alpers Pilates teachers are sometimes at their wits ends trying to figure out what is a real, true Pilates rule and what isn’t. Whom do you believe? Whose rules do you follow? As a rule-follower myself, I totally […]
A Perspective on the Knee Stretch Series: Knees Off by Clare Dunphy Hemani
October 3, 2018 A Perspective on the Knee Stretch Series: Knees Off By Clare Dunphy Alright, I am fairly certain we can all agree that Knees Off is an exercise that’s difficult to both do and to teach and one that most people love to hate. Why? Because it’s […]
The Art of Asking Questions – by Chantill Lopez
September 26, 2018 The Art of Asking Questions Why some questions aren’t worth asking and the right questions change EVERYTHING By Chantill Lopez “That feels great, right?” (Teacher as all knowing — You feel what I think you feel, right?) “Can you feel/find that?” (Teacher as mildly and […]
Pilates for Prader-Willi Syndrome – by Joakim Valsinger
September 19, 2018 Pilates for Prader-Willi Syndrome by Joakim Valsinger Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is an unusual genetic disorder with a long list of characteristics that develop over time. One of these is hypotonia – poor muscle tone. Many other more common disorders also cause hypotonia. It’s possible that you […]
Gentle Pilates – by Penelope Shure
September 12, 2018 Gentle Pilates By Penelope Shore The Gentle Pilates Internal Alignment Awareness series of exercises that I teach are my way of staying as close to the integrity of the classical Pilates repertoire with the addition of safety modifications necessary when teaching special populations. In my case, special […]
“I’m not good at Pilates” – by Mike Perry
September 5, 2018 “I’m not good at Pilates” by Mike Perry I heard a new (to our studio) client say that yesterday, and this is not the first time I’ve heard something like, “I’ve done it for two years but I’m not very good.” I then tie myself up in […]
You Should Thank your Clients for Asking This Motivating Question by Holly Furgason
August 29, 2018 You Should Thank your Clients for Asking This Motivating Question by Holly Furgason I want to share with you the most important question my clients ask me. It’s a question that I’ve spent my career trying to answer. It’s a question that motivates me to improve my […]
Changes Romana Made to Pilates: Brett Interviews the Bob Liekens
August 22, 2018 Changes Romana Made to Pilates: Brett Interviews the ‘Great’ Bob Liekens Interview with Bob Brett: You know Bob, since I started taking your LEAP program, I have been impressed by how much you talk about how Romana changed and adapted things, allowing her to teach Pilates as she […]
Falling In Love with Movement (again) – by Carol Robbins
Falling In Love with Movement (again) By Carol Robbins June 20, 2018 Even though I had 18 years of Pilates under my belt before I waved goodbye to a reformer, I’m still surprised when Brett requests another article. I was a student of Pilates for several years before I […]
SHORT BOX : Side-To-Side – by Sabrina Ellen Svard
SHORT BOX : Side-To-Side – by Sabrina Ellen Svard June 13, 2018 ~ From Wikipedia: Extrasensory perception, ESP, also called sixth sense, includes claimed reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. As instructors, we know that Pilates is magical. But at first, […]
Romana Kryzanowska’s Place in the History of Pilates by Amy Taylor Alpers
Romana Kryzanowska’s Place in the History of Pilates By Amy Taylor Alpers May 23, 2017 I wrote a piece for PilatesIntel awhile back in which I told Romana’s history and tried my best to describe her character and vivacious, fun-loving nature. Give her a glass of champagne, take her […]
When Swans Fly – Getting Higher Than You Thought You Could – by Chantill Lopez
When Swans Fly – Getting Higher Than You Thought You Could By Chantill Lopez May 16, 2018 And for the grand finale … we soar! SEQUENCE – Start where you move the least and allow the effort to ripple outward. Now for the fun part. We’ve organized and initiated (in […]
Breathing Techniques – Are They Really Good? By Brett Miller
Breathing Techniques – Are They Really Good? By Brett Miller May 9, 2018 The aim of breathing techniques is to increase breathing efficiency. Efficient breathing depends on the efficient functioning of the anatomical parts that are involved in breathing. And the efficiency of each of these breathing parts is, in […]
Pilates Progressions for the Active Aging Adult – by Nikki Naab-Levy
Pilates Progressions for the Active Aging Adult by Nikki Naab-Levy May 2, 2018 When it comes to mainstream fitness, active aging adults are an underserved population. This is ironic considering that they represent a large demographic and, as a whole, people are getting older and living longer. Because Pilates has […]
Pilates Starts With P! by Allie Greene
Pilates Starts With P! By Allie Greene April 25, 2018 * * * * * * Warning: one of my close friends read this and said it sounded a little preachy. When I read it again, there are parts that may have that tone. I wrote this as a […]
You’ve Gotta Get Your “Joe” On! – by Amy Taylor Alpers
You’ve Gotta Get Your “Joe” On! – by Amy Taylor Alpers April 18, 2018 As we all know, bodies come in many shapes and sizes and are often categorized in certain ways. In fruit metaphors such as apple-, banana-, or pear-shaped; geometric forms such as rectangles, triangles, or circles; and […]
Going Archival – by Reiner Grootenhuis
Going Archival by Reiner Grootenhuis April 11, 2018 Becoming a Pilates teacher in today’s world often means enrolling in one of the big Pilates schools and learning, in their opinion, what they think Pilates is. As we discover from this experience, many of us find out that the Pilates described […]
Footwork: “Standing” on the Reformer – by Karena Thek
Footwork: “Standing” on the reformer – by Karena Thek March 28, 2018 My clients tend to really look forward to footwork on the reformer. They’ve been working hard through the series I’ve given them for the first 15-20 minutes and they are ready for a break. And take a break […]
Point / Counterpoint – Appreciating Different Points of View (with Amy Alpers and Wendy Arbuckle-LeBlanc)
A Rebuttal to James Crader’s Article By Amy Alpers “What is the Pilates method?” Most of us in the field of Pilates have tried to answer this question many times but have often fallen short. As one who has committed to a deep exploration of Joseph Pilates’ work for over 30 […]
Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should – by Sunni Almond
Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should By Sunni Almond March 21, 2018 In the Pilates world, there’s lots of ‘going the distance’. There are bendy people who can stretch all over the place and there are tighter folks who have no stretch whatsoever. Stretching further may look fancier […]
Fearless Swan – Is It Possible?: An Upside-Down Approach (I) – by Chantill Lopez
Fearless Swan – Is It Possible? Part 1: Fearless Extension – An Upside-Down Approach By Chantill Lopez As I discussed in my previous article (“A Question of Potential”), there’s no moment more susceptible to holding our students to a very low ceiling of potential than when we’re tackling extension. Great […]
PILATES ESP: A System to Successfully Teach the Fundamentals – by Sabrina Svard
~ From Wikipedia: Extrasensory perception, ESP, also called sixth sense, includes claimed reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. As instructors, we know that Pilates is magical. But at first, Pilates is anything but magical. In fact, some of it is just […]
The Short Box Series Deconstructed – by Clare Dunphy Hemani
The Short Box Series Deconstructed by Clare Dunphy Hemani Feb 28, 2018 “You are only as old as your spine is flexible” captures a key feature of the Pilates Method, speaking to the importance of a mobile spine as we get older. In our current work culture many people spend […]
Form Or Philosophy: That Old Question – by James Crader
Form Or Philosophy: That Old Question by James Crader Feb 21, 2018 Let’s be frank – we teach movement not magic. It’s an old (and by old I mean so old that it’s hard to believe it’s not dead yet) conversation: Is what I’m doing Pilates or not? If we […]
Red Thread of Pilates: The Mat – Study Guide – by Tracy Maurstad
Red Thread of Pilates: The Mat – Study Guide By Tracy Maurstad Feb 14, 2018 There’s a mythical creature I call Nicc. Nicc is short for No Injuries, Compensations or Challenges. Nicc walks into your studio and wants to learn the traditional Pilates mat work. How and in what order […]
Growing as a Pilates Instructor – Advice from Three Experts by Holly Nava
Growing as a Pilates Instructor – Advice from Three Experts by Holly Nava Feb 7, 2018 In January 2017, I made a big change. I quit my career of 15 years to become a Pilates teacher. I’d been feeling like my soul was slowly dying as I sat behind my […]
Brett Interviews the ‘Great’ Bob Liekens
January 31, 2018 Brett Interviews the ‘Great’ Bob Liekens Brett: Let’s talk about your school. Please give a little history about your school and tell us how it is different from other schools. Bob: Our school is called The Pilates Standard and it is not so different from other schools. […]
Training a Dancer in Pilates – by ‘Swami’ Doug Bentz
Jan 24, 2018 Training a Dancer in Pilates by ‘Swami’ Doug Bentz After 49 years in professional dance (and 40 years teaching dancers in the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University), I can honestly say my entire working life has been spent either dancing or working with dancers. […]