November 29, 2017 Is Pilates a spiritual path? – Part 2 by Reiner Grootenhuis Last week, we began to examine Joseph Pilates’ claims about the Pilates method being a “complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit” but we stopped short of any final conclusion as to it being a spiritual […]
Is Pilates a spiritual path? – Part 1 by Reiner Grootenhuis
November 22, 2017 Is Pilates a spiritual path? – Part 1 by Reiner Grootenhuis The power of the mind has fascinated me since my early youth. My first contact as a teenager was autogenic training, which I taught myself with two books I had found on our bookshelf at […]
How to Prepare a Lunge – by Anna Schrefl
November 15, 2017 How to Prepare a Lunge by Anna Schrefl There are many different lunge variations in the Pilates programme, on the Wundachair, Reformer, Cadillac or Mat. The lunge is a great exercise to lengthen tight muscles such as the m. iliopsoas and the m. rectus femoris. We all […]
Pilates in the Hospitals: Back Where it All Began – by Karena Thek
Noveber 8, 2017 Pilates in the hospitals: Back where it all began Scolio-Pilates® works with Dayton Children’s Hospital By Karena Thek In the early phases of his work, Joseph Pilates did a lot more than provide fitness instruction and athletic training. He was on the cutting edge of rehabilitation. Physical […]
In Health and in Sickness – My Life Long Pilates Friendship – by Rachel Lotspeich
“Avoid It, If There’s Pain” Does This Pilates Maxim Do Our Clients More Harm Than Good? by Marie Wittman I am in the midst of relocating from California to Minnesota and part of this move has involved placing my clients in another trusted teacher’s hands. While I have gone through […]
What would happen if …? by Sunni Almond
October 25, 2017 What would happen if …? By Sunni Almond What would happen if … you dropped your risers (you know, the things that stick up at the back end of your reformer that hold the ropes that attach to your handles or loops) or you did your […]
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 […]
Pilates: What is ‘it’? by Gary Calderone
Pilates: What is ‘it’? By Gary Calderone “As Pilates teachers – because we first had to experience ‘it’ in our bodies, and now wish to transfer that knowledge to others – we recognize that the expression of ourselves now is not the same as when we started then. Since then, we have […]
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 […]
OUT OF ORDER: Battling My Internal Pilates Police – Part 2 – by Sabrina Ellen Svard
Sept 27, 2017 OUT OF ORDER: Battling My Internal Pilates Police – Part 2 by Sabrina Ellen Svard OUT OF ORDER: Battling My Internal Pilates Police – Part 2 Last week, in Part 1, we learned about Sabrina’s Internal Pilates Police and left her in handcuffs. Will she escape? Read on […]
OUT OF ORDER: Battling My Internal Pilates Police – Part 1 – by Sabrina Ellen Svard
Sept 20, 2017 OUT OF ORDER: Battling My Internal Pilates Police – Part 1 by Sabrina Ellen Svard “Lie down on the carriage with your arches on the bar a fist distance apart. Headrest is down. Roll your shoulders back and widen your collar bones. Take a couple of breaths […]
Help Your Clients To Help Themselves – by Stephanie Behrendt PMA-CPT and Theo St. Francis
September 13, 2017 Help Your Clients To Help Themselves Sharing Session Responsibility with Spinal Cord Injury Clients This post is a collaboration by a trainer, Stephanie Behrendt, and a client, Theo St. Francis. In Pilates Intel style, we thought we’d shed some light on an aspect of training that […]
I am not just a Pilates instructor; I am an Entrepreneur – by Holly Furgason
Sept 6, 2017 I am not just a Pilates instructor; I am an Entrepreneur by Holly Furgason Walk the streets of the San Francisco Financial District for five minutes and you’ll hear people drop startup terms right and left. You’ll hear them talk about building their business from the ground […]
Hey! She Took My Ball! by Jenna Zaffino
Hey! She took my ball! By Jenna Zaffino August 23, 2017 It’s a moment of innocence. You’re scrolling through posts, liking pictures of your friends, checking out the latest Pilates happenings, and catching up on the news of the world through your online community. Then everything screeches to a violent […]
You Don’t Have to Reinvent the Wheel … If You Know How to Use It by Aubrey Johnson
You Don’t Have to Reinvent the Wheel … If You Know How to Use It by Aubrey Johnson Aug 30 2017 If someone told you they reinvented the wheel because it didn’t do a good enough job, how would you respond? My response would be “I’m curious…how did the wheel […]
Pullups!! – (an answer to Mike Perry ) – by Carol Robbins
Pullups!! – (an answer to Mike Perry ) – by Carol Robbins Aug 9, 2017 I was very interested to read Mike Perry’s recent Pilates Intel article on pullups. I have to say that I agree – not that you should have to perform a pullup or a deep squat […]
Continuing Education: Fast Track or Transformational Track? – by Madeline Black
Continuing Education: Fast Track or Transformational Track? by Madeline Black August 2, 2017 Every year, we all participate in workshops to elevate our work to better serve our clients, to be inspired, and (hopefully) to increase our value. Continuing our education brings us up to date on new research and […]
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 […]
Are you Motivated – by Anna Schrefl
June 21 2017 Are you Motivated – by Anna Schrefl Motivation – everything changes with or without it. How easy a class can flow when we are training fully motivated; how fun it can be when our clients are enthusiastic about their workout. On the other hand, life can get very […]
Isle of Man – by Jonathan Grubb
June 7 2017 Isle of Man – by Jonathon Grubb I am very fortunate to live on a wonderful, scenic and peaceful island called the Isle of Man. However, when Joseph Pilates spent 3½ years on the island from late 1915 to early 1919, he was strictly confined within the […]
CoreAlign and Human Harmony: Standing Pilates? by Jonathan Hoffman
May 31, 2017 CoreAlign and Human Harmony: Standing Pilates? by Jonathan Hoffman To various degrees, Joseph Pilates has been in my mind for the last 30 years. I will never forget the first time we “met”, back in the in the mid-eighties when I was an ambitious undergraduate PT student. […]
PERSPECTIVE, PART 2: “DEPTH OF PERCEPTION” – by Amy Havens
May 24, 2017 PERSPECTIVE, PART 2: “DEPTH OF PERCEPTION” by Amy Havens In part 1 of this article, I spoke about perspective – our points of view. We each have our own. Some of us share similar opinions but, at the end of the day, we individuate with our […]
Listen to the Wiggle! – by Theo St. Francis
Listen to the Wiggle! – by Theo St. Francis I believe we are now living in the Age of Disconnection. To address this, I think we should all wiggle more. ‘Wiggling’ sounds childish to you? That’s exactly the point. As a Pilates instructor, you understand this Disconnection-with-a-capital-D. You see the […]
Are We Being Lowballed Out Of Business? – by Sunni Almond
May 10, 2017 Are We Being Lowballed Out Of Business? by Sunni Almond A Pilates group class generally costs between $10 and $45 while a private lesson can be had for anywhere between $50 and $250. Or for a few extra bucks added on to a monthly gym membership, […]
For Me Pilates Is Not Enough! by Mariska Breland
Pilates Isn’t Enough By Mariska Breland Don’t get me wrong, I loooooove Pilates. Love it. I love classical Pilates, contemporary Pilates, and all of the apparatus. We have the best toys. The best. No one has better toys than us. I have been teaching and doing Pilates since the early […]
Get Out of the Way! by Clare Dunphy
Get Out of the Way! By Clare Dunphy Have you ever heard the quote “change happens through movement, and movement heals?” A powerful quote I first heard years ago, and in hindsight, it was a real game-changer. Not because it was a revelation but because it has made me think […]
Are You My People? by Mike Perry
Are You My People? By Mike Perry I’ve been lucky to recently start teaching one client in particular. Things were a little erratic in the beginning, because her back pain was such that she couldn’t make it to the studio, or was advised to wait by her osteopath. She would […]
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”, […]
A Letter To Brett From Lolita San Miguel
A Letter To Brett From Lolita San Miguel In February, as you may remember, I had the pleasure of presenting my friend Bob Hannum’s interview with Mary Bowen. In this excellent interview, Mary made a few comparisons between her own and Lolita’s teaching methods and styles. Soon after publication, I […]
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 for the Military Drills That Get Results by Joakim Valsinger
Pilates for the Military – Drills That Get Results by Joakim Valsinger A Pilates studio is a long way from the military exercise ground and the daily tasks expected from military personnel seem very different than executing exercises on a Pilates mat or apparatus. But Pilates can improve the effectiveness of […]
Spatial Awareness Becomes Part of a Pilates Practitioner’s Literacy Larkin Barnett B.A., M.A.
Spatial Awareness Becomes Part of a Pilates Practitioner’s Literacy Larkin Barnett B.A., M.A. Four decades ago, my college dance professor, Eija Celli, was beating on a drum while encouraging us to take up as much space as possible leaping across the floor. It was fun to push movement boundaries and […]
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 Hybrid of Many Masters – by Jillian Hessel
Hybrid of Many Masters By Jillian Hessel If you are a teacher, or even an avid student of Pilates, you can trace your lineage back through a special mentor or formative teacher. We each discovered Pilates traveling our own unique path, and this is how the living chain of lineage […]
Bob Hannum Interviews Elder Mary Bowen – Part 1
Bob Hannum Interviews Elder Mary Bowen – Part 1 Mary Bowen, one of only 2 active Pilates Elders, sat down with me a couple months ago for a lengthy interview. Mary is my teacher and mentor of 40 years. We divided the interview into several parts, this being the first. […]
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 […]
How Pilates Helped to Transform My Back Pain by Helen Behn
Since my teenage years, I’ve continually suffered from some level of back pain. As an active person that loves biking, hiking and gardening, it’s been a constant struggle balancing these activities with pain and occasional subsequent inactivity. I have a hypermobile spine, which essentially leads to my body unwittingly overextending […]
Stepping Up And Standing Out by Jenna Zaffino
Stepping Up And Standing Out by Jenna Zaffino As a long-time business owner and teacher, I am frequently asked for advice from teachers who are trying to determine where they “fit in” to the Pilates Industry. Classical or contemporary? Specialist or enthusiast? What’s the next step in my career? […]
Embodying the Brilliance of our BioIntelligent Wisdom By Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle
Embodying the Brilliance of our BioIntelligent Wisdom By Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle As we transition into 2017, I’d love to build on the wonderful article that Kathy Corey recently wrote for Pilates Intel on “The Importance of Honoring our Heritage”. I couldn’t agree more! Kathy begins her article with the quote “Heritage […]
The Importance of Honoring our Heritage – by Kathy Corey
The Importance of Honoring our Heritage By Kathy Corey Heritage is the linking of the present to its original source. To know where we are today, we need to honor the link to our past. No matter what are our differences, we share the common bond of the man who […]