October 9, 2019 The Amazing Chest Expansion by Clare Dunphy-Hemani I guess if I had to pick one universally effective, versatile Pilates exercise (which in my opinion, should be taught in every session and for nearly every person), it would be Chest Expansion. It includes all the essentials of total […]
Forget That Cue! – by Mara Sievers
Forget That Cue! – Three Wrong Cues for the Shoulder Girdle by Mara Sievers August 21, 2019 Guiding your student with your words is a combination of skill and art. Sometimes we overuse cues or apply certain cues to a movement where it’s not appropriate. You might or might not […]
Why Use Directed Imagery? by Julia Wyncoll
Why Use Directed Imagery? by Julia Wyncoll August 14, 2019 I recently had a fellow Pilates teacher tell me, “Some of my clients don’t like images, so we don’t use them.” Well, I’m here today to challenge this idea, because it’s my belief that we are all using images all […]
The History of the Pilates Cadillac – by Reiner Grootenhuis
Joe Pilates on the Cadillac – thank you IC Rapoport May 29, 2019 The History of the Cadillac by Reiner Grootenhuis Be sure to check out Reiner’s brand new Cadillac manual, available at Amazon, at the VERY FAIR price of $67 The Cadillac and I didn’t have an easy […]
“Does A Piece of Paper Make You A Teacher?” By Carol Monaco
Ron Fletcher Studio from the mid-eighties Top left to right Michael Podwal and Ron Fletcher Bottom left to right Diane Severino and Carol Monaco Issue #266 – Wednesday, May 22, 2019 “Does A Piece of Paper Make You A Teacher?” By Carol Monaco In 1973, Ron Fletcher opened his studio […]
It Does Matter – by Sabrina Ellen Svard
Issue #264 & #265- Wednesday, May 8 – 15, 2019 IT DOES MATTER! By Sabrina Svard I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. How did I get so weak so fast? None of this made any sense. I tried everything. I moved forward on the box. I moved backward on […]
“Fixing” My Rib Flare – by Nikki Naab-Levy
March 20, 2019 Fixing My Rib Flare By Nikki Naab-Levy As Pilates teachers, there are areas of the body that we are very aware of – in ourselves as well as in our clients. One of these of areas seems to be the ribs, or more specifically the rib flare […]
Love for the Baby Chair from Sunni A and Laura C
Feb 20, 2019 Laura Meets Baby (Chair) By Laura Cotler “The Arm Chair informs the rest of the workout,” said Andrea Maida, at her Solana Beach studio. The Arm Chair, also known fondly as the “Baby Chair,” or “Old Lady Chair,” wasn’t included as part of my contemporary Pilates trainings […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
You’re the Expert: Be Brilliant Every Day! – by Clare Dunphy Hemani
October 18, 2017 You’re the Expert: Be Brilliant Every Day! By Clare Dunphy Hemani In every profession, Pilates included, the most effective teachers are the ones who can communicate in simple terms, so the subject matter easy to understand, appropriate to the level of the learner. Elegant simplicity is an […]
The Challenges of Teaching with Clear Intent by Peter Roël
Oct 4, 2017 The Challenges of Teaching with Clear Intent By Peter Roël CAN YOU MAKE MAYONNAISE? 3 egg yolks 3 – 5 tablespoons wine vinegar or lemon juice 1 ½ – 2 ¼ cups olive oil or salad oil or a mixture of each oil ½ teaspoon salt […]
Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall?
Mirror, Mirror, Off The Wall by Carrie Pages Mirrors and movement disciplines have always gone hand in hand. I was a dancer and, for dancers, mirrors are intended to help perfect form and improve technique. I, however, used them to focus on every little imperfection I observed, which ultimately led […]
Romana Kryzanowska – Maintaining the Integrity and Spirit of Pilates – by Amy Taylor Alpers
Romana Kryzanowska (1923 – 2013) Maintaining the Integrity and Spirit of Pilates by Amy Taylor Alpers Romana Kryzanowska loved life, and she lived a full, rich, colorful, satisfying, adventurous one, always surrounded by family, friends and students. She was part “American Annie Oakley”, part “Russian prima ballerina”, part “Peruvian shepherdess”, […]
Teaching More Than Mass – Quantum Science Made Easy-er ~ James Crader
Teaching More Than Mass Quantum Science Made Easy-er ~ James Crader I remember sitting in a Humanities Class, day one, and the professor writing the words “Homo Religioso” on the board and stating that’s what we are. Comparative Religion was my college minor. He went on to say that the […]
Pilates Breathing and “The Hundred” as Taught to Francene Perel By Mary Pilates
Pilates Breathing and “The Hundred” as Taught to Francene Perel By Mary Pilates I am so fortunate to have been taught by Mary Pilates, niece of Joseph Pilates. Mary was very emphatic about breathing as one of the fundamentals of the Pilates Method. I recorded Mary speaking and one of […]
A Strong Woman – Carola Trier – by Eva Rincke
A Strong WomAn: Carola Strauss-Trier by Eva Rincke Carola Strauss-Trier was the first person to open a Pilates studio – other than Joseph Pilates himself. She contributed significantly to establishing the Pilates method in the field of rehabilitation. The story of her life is just as interesting as […]
Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 2)
Source: Stadtarchiv Mönchengladbach Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 2) “Perfecting the knee bend and many things to commend, his youth was gymnastic to the end.” – Joachim Ringelnatz, Setting up the Equipment (First Draft) Alongside his secret outings into the woods, the only other thing Joseph […]
Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 1)
Source: Stadtarchiv Mönchengladbach Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 1) “Perfecting the knee bend and many things to commend, his youth was gymnastic to the end.” – Joachim Ringelnatz, Setting up the Equipment (First Draft) There is a copy of an old photograph at the city archives […]
Did You KNOW You Don’t Have To Belong? – by Sunni Almond
Did You KNOW You Don’t Have To Belong? by Sunni Almond Not to any Pilates organization. You can if you chose too, but it isn’t necessary, and doesn’t get you more clients. Are you shocked?!?!?! I was too when I found that out. You mean I don’t need to empty my pockets of all that hard-earned […]
Five Instructional Secrets by Sarah K. Negara
Get the pdf version by request at newsleter@pilatesintel.com.
The Baby Chair – not a Chair for Babies – by Reiner Grootenhuis
The Baby Chair – not a Chair for Babies by Reiner Grootenhuis My first contact with an Arm Chair was an unusual one. The studio I was trained at had one of these rather huge Balanced Body Avalon Arm Chairs. So I was quite surprised when I saw a video […]
The Legacy of Kathy Grant – by Kathy Corey
The Legacy of Kathy Grant by Kathy Corey Kathleen Stanford Grant was a dancer and first generation Master Pilates Teacher. She was born August 1, 1921 in Boston Massachusetts. “I think I started to dance in my mother’s womb,” Kathy said, “but growing up, there was not much interest in […]
Where do your limbs begin and end? Embodied Anatomy by Leo Pappas
Embodied Anatomy Where do your limbs begin and end? I invite you take a moment to consider this question before you read on – this could be very insightful and possibly tell you more than what follows here. There are many ways to answer this question. For example, if I […]
On Becoming Great – A Work in Progress – by Colleen Wenrich
On Becoming Great – A Work in Progress by Colleen Wenrich I’ve been doing this a long time. Recently, I calculated that I’ve provided more than 17,000 hours of teaching. The book says that makes me an “Outlier”. Still, I know I’m not yet “perfect” in the kind of […]
Building My Bridge – by Tracy Maurstad
Building My Bridge – by Tracy Maurstad Like a lot of teachers, I picked my initial training program the same way many clients pick a Pilates studio – mostly because it was conveniently located. In 2007, BASI offered its first training in Las Vegas. They had a good reputation, I […]
On Writing “The Origins of Western Mind-Body Exercise Methods” – by Jonathan Hoffman
On Writing “The Origins of Western Mind-Body Exercise Methods” by Jonathan Hoffman In my eyes, honest sharing and honest challenging lead to unselfishness and clearer understanding. Pi-lates Intel has set this example in our field and therefore I was honoured when Brett read the recent article Phillip Gabel and […]
Why I Quit Teaching Pilates – by Carol Robbins
Why I Quit Teaching Pilates by Carol Robbins Click Here to Subscribe and Receive Full Article I am one of those people inexplicably afflicted with the horse bug. None of my relatives or ancestors rode, although my mother’s mother was Irish, so it could have been in the […]
Some Science on Pilates and Depression – by Laurette Ryan
The Truth about Pilates and Depression – by Laurette Ryan Each day I am thankful for Pilates, for myself and countless others I know, for whom Pilates is a lifeline. I am a teacher of wellness and health – a Pilates teacher. 1 in 4 people can say “I have […]
About Pilates, Ribs and Spirals by Anna Schrefl
About Pilates, Ribs and Spirals by Anna Schrefl When we walk and run, turn, twist, bend forward or to the side, our spine needs to be flexible in order to allow these movements. In addition to the spine, our ribs need to have mobility as well. In our Pilates training, […]
Why I Chose STOTT PILATES – by Alison Salmond
Why I Chose STOTT PILATES by Alison Salmond Choosing any training programme, whatever the subject area can be extremely time consuming and challenging for anyone. At present, there are many Pilates instructor training programmes; some offer mat-based courses, whilst others offer both mat- and equipment-based training programmes. Aspects to […]
Pilates Stopped Working For Me – by Karena Thek
Pic of Karena in the water – I had a great team to get me back in the ocean: Surgeon, physical therapists and Pilates Instructors! Pilates Stopped Working For Me by Karena Thek I’m one of those people. You know those people who credit Pilates with giving them back their lives, their […]
The Art of Breathing – by Kathy Corey
(Kathy Corey holding an original Pinwheel made by Joseph Pilates. Photo courtesy of Pilates Anytime) The Art of Breathing – by Kathy Corey In Return to Life (1945), Joseph Pilates wrote, “Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it.” Breath fuels our cells […]
My #Pilates45 – by Clare Dunphy
My #Pilates45 – by Clare Dunphy I love sharing the work of Pilates and consider myself to be a bit of a Pilates nerd. Most of you reading this article probably are too, so we are in good company. The problem is that we all live pretty far away […]
Pilates & ADHD – by Laura Browning Grant
Pilates & ADHD – by Laura Browning Grant Background Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was first classified in the 1920’s and was believed to be caused by a brain injury suffered at an early age. Though this theory has since been disproved, my personal research, observation and interaction with others […]