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Welcome to the Pilates Style monthly newsletter. Each month we bring you a calendar of the must-know Pilates events around the country, updates on our conferences, Pilates-related news, original feature articles and bonus material from the current issue of Pilates Style magazine. We want to hear from you! If you have, or know of, a Pilates event, or have news to share with your community, email us at newsletter@pilatesstyle.com ____________________________________________________________________________
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Pilates Poppas
Believe it or not, some dads prefer to spend their Father's Day on a Reformer instead of a couch. Is your dad a Pilates junkie? If so, tell us about him by emailing email@pilatesstyle.com, and please include a picture. We'll highlight some of the most inspiring dads in next month's newsletter.
BONUS: One special dad will receive a goodie-bag from our super-cool Pilates stash!
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Power Berry Shake
Forget the blueberries-if you really want to supercharge your morning shake, you'll load it up with Brazilian açai. This potent little berry packs so many antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids you'd think it was formulated in a nutrition laboratory, not on an Amazonian palm tree. It's delicious, too, with a taste that combines berries and chocolate.
Try this recipe for a traditional-style bowl of berry goodness, or just toss some açai into your next smoothie.
2 packs Sambazon Original Açaí
2/3 frozen fair-trade banana
2 oz. apple juice
1 scoop hemp protein (optional)
Blend all ingredients, pour into a bowl and top with some granola and the remaining 1/3 banana, sliced.
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Note: All information was correct as of publication. Please call or visit the websites for more information. If you have a listing you'd like included in a future newsletter, please send all relevant information, formatted as below, to newsletter@pilatesstyle.com. Submissions must be received by the 15th of each month in order to be included in the following month's newsletter.
6/1 Scoliosis Workshop with
Jillian Hessel
Watanabe Pilates Studio,
West Hollywood, CA
(323) 791-2986
cherylmontelle@earthlink.net
jillianhessel.com/ workshops.html
6/4-8 5th World Conference on
Breast Cancer; Heart, Soul &
Science: It's a Small World After All!
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
(204) 480-4588 / wcbcf.ca
6/5 PPS-II (first weekend)
Balance Pilates and Yoga,
Bradenton, FL
(800) 925-3674 / peakpilates.com
6/6 Level I Chair Core Evolution
@ Velociti Fitness
League, Dallas, TX
(800) 925-3674 / peakpilates.com
6/6 PPS-I (first weekend)
Progressive Bodyworks, Boston Area
MA
(800) 925-3674 / peakpilates.com
6/6 Power Pilates Semi Private
Sessions with Liv Berger
(Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Madison, WI
(212) 627-5852 / powerpilates.com
6/6 Power Pilates Reformer Review
(Intermediate-Advanced) with
Liv Berger (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Madison, WI
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/6-8 Power Pilates Beginner Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Atlanta, GA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/6-8 Power Pilates Beginner Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Chicago, IL
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/6-8 Power Pilates Intermediate Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Nashville, TN
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/6-8 Power Pilates Systems Level 1 (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Dallas, TX
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/6-8 Power Pilates Systems Level 2 (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Annapolis, MD
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/6-8 Knee Workshop
SynergySystems® Fitness Studio, Encinitas, CA
(760) 632-5677 / synergypilates.com
6/6-8 Stretch Therapy and Its Application to Pilates, Session 1
Westcan Pilates Inc., North Vancouver, BC
(604) 984-6863/ pilatesinc.ca
6/6-8/2 EHS Pilates Institute-Teacher Training Immersion
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ ehspilates.com
6/7 Basic Mat
The Inner Space, Avon, CT
(800) 925-3674/ peakpilates.com
6/7 Level I Barrel
Core Evolution @ Velociti Fitness League, Dallas, TX
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/7 Power Pilates Open Tower System with Juliet Harvey (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Beacon, NY
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/7 Power Pilates Semi Private Session with Liv Berger (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Madison, WI
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/7 Power Pilates Cadillac Review (Intermediate-Advanced) with Liv Berger (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Madison, WI
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/7 Power Pilates Special Needs Strategies with Alison Laundrie (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Stamford, CT
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/7-8 Breathing for Full Body Health with Amy Taylor Alpers
Real Pilates, New York, NY
(212) 625-0777/realpilatesnyc.com
6/7-8 The Gentry Work with Debora Robinson Kolwey
Body Precision, Rosemont, PA
(610) 520-2348/bodyprecision.com
6/7-8 Reformer Level 2
East Brunswick, NJ
(800) 847-SPIN
spinfitnesspilates.com
6/7-8 Madeline Black Presents Assessment: Touch & Sensory Perception (CE)
Studio M, Sonoma, CA
(707) 938-5593
info@studiompilates.com
6/7-8 Breathing for Full Body Health with Amy Alpers
Real Pilates, New York, NY
(212) 625-0777/realpilatesnyc.com
6/7-8 Balanced Body University Reformer II
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio, New York, NY
(212) 904-1399
movementsafoot.com
6/7-8 Team Pilates: Pilates for Dancers
Dance Theater Southwest, Albuquerque, NM
(888) 576-0340/team-pilates.com
6/7-8, 6/28-29 Kane School Certification: Comprehensive Mat
Evolution Bodywork & Nutrition, Bristol, RI
(401) 396-9331/evolutionri.com
6/13 Power Pilates Advanced Reformer Review with Kristin Moses (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Dallas, TX
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13 Power Pilates Open Level Tower System with Jennifer Van Etten (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, New York, NY
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13 Level I Barrel
Progressive Bodyworks, Boston Area, MA
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/13 Living Anatomy Series 5
Peak Pilates, Boulder, CO
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/13-15 Power Pilates Beginner Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Boston, MA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13-15 Power Pilates Beginner Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Philadelphia, PA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13-15 Power Pilates Intermediate Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Atlanta, GA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13-15 Power Pilates Intermediate Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Boca Raton, FL
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13-15 Power Pilates Intermediate Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Pawtucket, RI
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13-15 Power Pilates Systems Level 1 (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Hamburg, Germany
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/13-15 Stretch Therapy and Its Application to Pilates, Session 2
Westcan Pilates Inc., North Vancouver, BC
(604) 984-6863/pilatesinc.ca
6/13-15 Formal Lecture Series Weekend III
InsideOut Body Therapies, Durham, NC
(919) 361-0104
insideoutbodytherapies.com
6/13-15 Formal Lecture Series Weekend IV
Centerspace, Minneapolis, MN
(612) 822-4776
centerspacepilates.com
6/14 EHS Pilates Presents Marie-José Blom-Building the Bridge between Pilates and Rehabilitation
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
6/14 Level II Barrel
Progressive Bodyworks, Boston Area, MA
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/14 Power Pilates Reformer on the Mat: Challenging Your Mat Clients with Marcia Hagemann (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Annapolis, MD
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/14 Power Pilates Add Magic Circle to your Mat Class with Linda Spriggs (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Chicago, IL
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/14 Power Pilates The Mastery of Multi-Tasking, Delivering a Seamless Semi Private Session with Veronica Combs (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Dallas, TX
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/14 Power Pilates Semi Private Session with Veronica Combs (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Dallas, TX
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/14-15 Power Pilates Advanced Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Frankfurt, Germany
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/14-15 Team Pilates: Anatomy in Clay
Flying Horse Country Club, Colorado Springs, CO
(888) 576-0340/team-pilates.com
6/14-15 Balanced Body University Reformer III
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio,
New York, NY
(212) 904-139
movementsafoot.com
6/19 PPS-II (first weekend)
Core Evolution @ Velociti Fitness League, Dallas, TX
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/19 PPS-I (first weekend)
Progressive Bodyworks, Boston Area, MA
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/19-20 Team Pilates: Cadillac Intensive Teacher Training
Flying Horse Country Club, Colorado Springs, CO
(888) 576-0340/team-pilates.com
6/20 PPS-III (first weekend)
The Pines Studio for Pilates, Wexford, PA
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/20 Level II Chair
Precision Pilates, Annapolis, MD
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/20-22 Power Pilates Beginner Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, New York, NY
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/20-22 Power Pilates Intermediate Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Athens, OH
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/20-22 Power Pilates Comprehensive Program (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Dallas, TX
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/20-22 Power Pilates Systems Level 1 (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Atlanta, GA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/20-22 Formal Lecture Series Weekend IV
Pilates on the Lake, Pewaukee, WI
(262) 695-2262/pilatesonthelake.com
6/20-22 Formal Lecture Series Weekend IV
InsideOut Body Therapies, Durham, NC
(919) 361-0104
insideoutbodytherapies.com
6/21 Power Pilates Super-Advanced Exercises on the Reformer with Juliet Harvey (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Beacon, NY
(212) 627-5852
powerpilates.com
6/21 Level II Barrel
Precision Pilates, Annapolis, MD
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/21 EHS Pilates Tuesday Night Workshop Series-Bosu Ball with Nancy Myers
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
6/21-22 Reformer Level 2
New York, NY
(800) 847-SPIN
spinfitnesspilates.com
6/21-22 Reformer Level 2
Washington, DC
(800) 847-SPIN
spinfitnesspilates.com
6/21-22 Mat Level 1
El Segundo, CA
(800) 847-SPIN
spinfitnesspilates.com
6/21-22 Team Pilates: Pilates Mat Certification
Flying Horse Country Club, Colorado Springs, CO
(888) 576-0340/team-pilates.com
6/22 Power Pilates Intermediate Reformer Review with Karine Cid (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Verona, Italy
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/22 Power Pilates Real Men do Pilates with Sylvia Gamonet (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Nashville, TN
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/22-29 Pilates Week with Kim Kilway
Cal-a-Vie Spa, Vista, CA
(866) 772-4283/cal-a-vie.com
6/26 PPS-I (first weekend)
Grasshopper Pilates of Marin, San Anselmo, CA
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/27 PPS-III (first weekend)
Pilates of Greenville, Greenville, SC
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/27 Power Pilates Spice Up Your Mat Class with Jennifer Van Etten (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, New York, NY
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/27-29 Power Pilates Beginner Mat (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Sao Paolo, Brazil
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/27-29 Power Pilates Comprehensive Program (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Boca Raton, FL
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/27-29 Power Pilates Systems Level 3 (Teacher Training)
Power Pilates, Atlanta, GA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/27-29 Centerworks Pilates Basic Mat Workshop with Aliesa George (Teacher Training)
The Pilates Studio of Little Rock, Little Rock, AR
(877) 874-7578
centerworkspilates.com
6/28 Basic Mat
Core Evolution @ Velociti Fitness League, Dallas, TX
(800) 925-3674/peakpilates.com
6/28 Anatomy in Clay-An Introduction with Doris Pasteleur Hall: The Legs
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio, New York, NY
(212) 904-1399
movementsafoot.com
6/28 Power Pilates Movement Heals- How & Why? with Lisamay Scott and Djuna Watt Bennett (Continuing Education)
Power Pilates, Irvine, CA
(212) 627-5852 /powerpilates.com
6/28-29 Reformer Level 2
Cambridge, MA
(800) 847-SPIN
spinfitnesspilates.com
6/29-29 Invitation Only Pilates Training with Siri Galliano
Body Proof, Dallas, TX
(469) 360-3464
forbetterhealth@yahoo.com
7/7-8 Team Pilates: Anatomy in Clay
Arete Health and Wellness Chiropractic, Kansas City, MO
(888) 576-0340/team-pilates.com
7/8 EHS Pilates Tuesday Night Workshop Series-Yoga Plates with Nancy Myers
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
7/10-11 Team Pilates: Pilates for Dancers
Ottawa Pilates Studio, Ottawa, KS
(888) 576-0340/team-pilates.com
7/11-13 Hip & Pelvis Workshop
SynergySystems® Fitness Studio, Encinitas, CA
(760) 632-5677 /synergypilates.com
7/12-13 Balanced Body University Apparatus Level I
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio, New York, NY
(212) 904-1399
movementsafoot.com
7/18 Kane School Certification: Pilates Equipment Basic Training I & II Begins
Evolution Bodywork & Nutrition, Bristol, RI
(401) 396-9331/evolutionri.com
7/19 Anatomy in Clay-An Introduction with Doris Pasteleur Hall: The Spine
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio, New York, NY
(212) 904-1399
movementsafoot.com
7/26-27 Balanced Body University Apparatus Level II Movements Afoot Pilates Studio, New York, NY
(212) 904-1399
movementsafoot.com
8/1-3 Spine Workshop
SynergySystems® Fitness Studio, Encinitas, CA
(760) 632-5677 /synergypilates.com
8/2-3 Balanced Body University Apparatus Level III
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio, New York, NY
(212) 904-1399
movementsafoot.com
8/8-8/29 EHS Pilates Institute-August Teaching Training Intensive
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
8/9 Anatomy in Clay- An Introduction with Doris Pasteleur
Hall
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio,
New York, NY
(212)904-1399/movementsafoot.com
8/9-10 Balanced Body University
Mat I
Movements Afoot Pilates Studio,
New York, NY
(212)904-1399/movementsafoot.com
8/12 EHS Pilates Tuesday Night Workshop Series-Functional Footplates with Nancy Myers
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
8/22-24 Pilates on Tour
Minneapolis, MN
(877) 745-PILATES/bbu.pilates.com
8/26-9/2 Labor Day Holiday Pilates/Yoga Retreat with Tannis Kobrinsky
Sagrada Wellness, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
(323) 924-5950 (USA); 044-415-101-8312
sagradawellness.com/mexico-
retreat/pilates-core-yoga.shtml
9/5-7 Shoulder Girdle Workshop
SynergySystems® Fitness Studio, Encinitas, CA
(760) 632-5677/synergypilates.com
9/6-7 EXO™ Chair Tour
Purely Pilates Studio, Reno, NV
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
9/9 EHS Pilates Tuesday Night Workshop Series-Functional Gait Training with Nancy Myers
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
9/11-14 Inner IDEA Conference
Palm Springs, CA
inneridea.com
9/20-21 EXO™ Chair Tour
The San Francisco Bay Club, San Francisco, CA
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
9/20-21 EXO™ Chair Tour
Prairie Life Fitness, Omaha, NE
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
9/20-21 EXO™ Chair Tour
Pilates Core Center, Mt. Laurel, NJ
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
9/20-21 EXO Chair Tour
Body Evolve, Highland Park, IL
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
9/27-28 EXO™ Chair Tour
Synergy Fitness San Antonio, Boerne, TX
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
9/27-28 EXO™ Chair Tour
Bodies In Balance, Portland, OR
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/3-5 Postural Assessment Workshop
SynergySystems® Fitness Studio, Encinitas, CA
(760) 632-5677 /synergypilates.com
10/3-11/22 EHS Pilates Institute Teacher Training Immersion
Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
10/4 Pilates Teaching Clinic "The Ladder Barrel & Ped-O-Pull"
East Coast Pilates, Avon, NJ
(732) 775-5006
eastcoastpilates.com
10/4-5 EXO™ Chair Tour
Townsend Street Pilates, Birmingham, MI
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/4-5 EXO™ Chair Tour Pilates Body by Valentin, Dublin, CA
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/4-5 EXO™ Chair Tour Personalized Pilates, Scottsdale, AZ
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/11-12 EXO™ Chair Tour
Team Pilates, Albuquerque, NM
(877) 745-2837
bbupilates.com
10/11-12 EXO™ Chair Tour
Pilates of North County, Solano Beach, CA
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/14 EHS Pilates Tuesday Night Workshop Series-Knee Tracking
with Nancy Myers Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
10/18-19 Balanced Body University Mat II Movements Afoot Pilates Studio,
New York, NY
(212)904-1399
movementsafoot.com
10/18-19 EXO™ Chair Tour
Mercy Healthplex, Fairfield, OH
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/18-20 EXO™ Chair Tour
PowerFlowPilates, New Haven, CT
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
10/25-26 EXO™ Chair Tour
Core Kinetics Movement & Pilates Studio, Bellingham, WA
(877) 745-2837/bbupilates.com
11/1 Pilates Teaching Clinic "The Spine Corrector/Foot Corrector"
East Coast Pilates, Avon, NJ
(732) 775-5006
eastcoastpilates.com
11/11 EHS Pilates Tuesday Night Workshop Series-Freeing the Head with Nancy Myers Ellie Herman Studios Pilates, San Francisco, CA
(415) 285-5808/ehspilates.com
11/6-9 Pilates Method Alliance 8th International Educational Conference "Vitality-Longevity-Pilates"
Phoenix, AZ
(866) 573-4945
pilatesmethodalliance.org
11/7-9 Teaching & Business Skills Workshop
SynergySystems® Fitness Studio, Encinitas, CA
(760) 632-5677 /synergypilates.com
2/10¬-16, 2009 Pilates & Surfing Retreat w/Alisa Wyatt
Sayulita, Mexico
(917) 405-2131 alisawyatt.com
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Booty Beauty
Ana Cabán credits the Magic Circle with her transformation from "flabby fanny" to "perky buns." In the May/June issue of Pilates Style, Cabán teaches us what she's been teaching friends and clients for years-how to use the Magic Circle to achieve results like hers. Here's one more butt-firming exercise, exclusively for our newsletter readers.
Rollover with Circle
1. Start by lying down of your back, and place the Circle between your ankles with your feet parallel and your arms by your side. Extend your legs to a challenging angle, squeezing the Circle.
2. Using your powerhouse, lift your legs over your body, maintaining the squeeze.
3. Roll your legs back down, articulating the spine one vertebra at a time, returning to the start position.
Modification: Do without Circle.
Advanced: Point your toes in steps 1 and 2; flex your feet in step 3.
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 Making Your Way in the World Today:Lessons from Joe and Clara's Student
By Siri Dharma Galliano;
Additional Reporting by Heidi Dvorak
First Generation Master Teacher Jay Grimes, who was interviewed for the May/June issue of Pilates Style, has more to say about his work with Joe and Clara and his opinion of the state of Pilates today. The gifted instructor now works out of Estrella Pilates in Beverly Hills, CA, and teaches workshops and master classes around the world.
Q: What advice would you give someone starting to teach today? A: Learn the work. Everyone wants to be a star; everyone wants to get rich. They get that piece of paper and they think they know Pilates. That piece of paper is a learner's permit. Learn the work.
Q: How should they go about that? A: Everyone is in a hurry. They all want to get certified in two weeks or two months. I told one young student, "Look, you are being offered a Harvard education in Pilates. This career will last you a lifetime. Take the time to learn it correctly." Pilates is the hot thing. Everyone wants to teach it to get rich. You can earn a living teaching Pilates, but not become rich. People look for the fastest certification.
Q: How can a student tell if he has a good instructor? A: Really good teachers are the ones who say they know nothing. I learn something every day. I'm in awe of what Joe has created. So I tell aspiring teachers, "Stop talking so much, stop correcting so much and learn from your student's body." No one comes in with a balanced body. Everyone has strong points and weak points. Give your students some advanced moves, instead of demoralizing them by correcting every move they make. Q: How can you spot an aspiring Pilates student from one that just wants to take the easy way out? How are they different? A: It's a matter of approach and focus, the willingness to learn. They don't have to come in with a terrific body. They have to listen and pay attention. You can tell when someone has a genuine need to learn. Q: What keeps you passionate? A: A huge rent bill! What keeps me passionate is I've had the experience. Being able to help other people experience Pilates is very fulfilling, wonderful, funny, exciting . . . and, if you can help people, so much the better. I'm still amazed when it does happen. It never gets old. It doesn't. I'm still learning because every body is different. Q: What direction is Pilates headed? A: It's changed the entire world of business in the last 10 years, which I think is great. Even personal trainers realize that the body has core. They now work the whole body, not just pieces of it. You have to consider the body as whole, and that message is getting out there. There's a lot of garbage Pilates or Pilates stew out there, but eventually it will go by the wayside. As the public becomes more aware, the people who know the work will stay in business.
Q: How would you know if you don't fully know the work you're teaching?
A: If you only have six clients a week there's something wrong.
Q: How does Pilates affect you in your life when you're not working?
A: It is a way of life. There's a point where Pilates becomes you and you become Pilates. This is what Joe was asking. All those exercises are exaggerations of what you do in your life, out of the studio. So you learn to use your body correctly-when you get in and out of the car, when you get up to get a beer-this was Joe's goal. Some people reach that point, some never do. But it affects everyone in some way. It controls stress levels, helps you sleep, helps you think.
Q: How has Pilates benefited long-time practitioners?
A: They look 20 and 30 years younger than they are. They're not afraid to go out in bad weather for fear of slipping on the ice. You might get a little rusty but you'll never lose it.
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Pilates and Cancer Care
By Erin Weston-Myers
The teachers from Simply Pilates in Nashville who volunteer to teach Pilates to people affected by cancer all agree: Each class is different, depending on who walks through the door. The three weekly classes, all free, at Gilda's Club Nashville vary depending on the perspective and experience of those who attend. Some students may not be able to do more than a few gentle breathing exercises, while others are ready for a vigorous workout. But the common thread is that each person has a story, and each has something to teach us about strength, courage and recovery.
Roberta LaBour, 50, survived stage-2 breast cancer and now regularly attends classes at Gilda's Club Nashville and Simply Pilates studio. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 43, she immediately started taking estrogen blockers. This sent her body into early menopause, and she began to experience all the symptoms of menopause, including bone density loss and arthritis. She was left feeling very weak and stiff. After a mastectomy, LaBour says, "all I was sent home with was a little list of exercises." With no rehab plan in place, she began taking Pilates to relieve the stiffness she was feeling in her arms and chest where muscles were cut. Pilates helped her isolate the muscles needing the most work or relief that day. She was finally able to complete simple tasks like cutting an apple again. Six years after her mastectomy, LaBour completed a half-marathon. She credits Pilates with restoring confidence in her body and helping her feel healthy again. "It has relieved tension and improved mobility in my shoulder from reconstruction surgery," she adds.
Patti Kendall, 42, a breast-cancer survivor, has been cancer-free for more than five years now. Like LaBour, Kendall has found Pilates relieves the tightness following reconstructive surgery. She has noticed improved focus and mental clarity. Many survivors of breast cancer feel a loss of femininity that can often be restored through Pilates and its ability to build long, lean muscles, Kendall says. "I get an overall workout without feeling like I'm building large muscles."
According to Jennifer McNamara, one of the instructors, physical hurdles aren't the only ones that present themselves in class. One participant who had a partial lobotomy for brain cancer now struggles with her short-term memory. Each Pilates class she attends is like her very first class. One day McNamara noticed she did not have to cue the student during a bridging exercise. After class McNamara pointed this out and the client replied, "My doctor said I'm not supposed to be able to learn new things anymore." Through Pilates, though, she has been able to improve her memory by retaining knowledge of how to complete certain exercises.
Each client presents a host of recovery issues ranging from mental battles to physical ailments. All, however, seem to find strength through practicing Pilates. As the Pilates world grows, the instructors at Simply Pilates hope they can continue to increase these unique clients' body awareness, improve their body images and decrease their pain and stiffness.
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 The Sound of Movement
In the May/June issue of Pilates Style, Brooklyn-based Margi Douglas explores the connection between movement and voice-appropriate for a Pilates teacher who spends her free time performing onstage in cabarets and comedies. "Tension is the enemy of the voice," she tells us. "If we block our breathing, tense our necks and jaws, and rigidly hold our chests, we sound and feel uncomfortable." And this carries through to Pilates-just look at all the students who tense their upper bodies as they're learning to activate the core.
Margi developed a workout that merges voice work, Alexander Technique and Pilates, which we highlight in the magazine. She saved one exercise just for our newsletter subscribers, below.
Modified Tree with Sound
1. From a seated position, upright posture, take hold of the back of one (bent) leg and float the foot up off the floor. Let the other leg lengthen on the floor and strongly flex the heel so the back of the leg helps ground you. Now roll all the way down onto your back, pushing the back of the bent against your hands to help you sequence smoothly through your spine. Stay there, extend bent leg to the ceiling and flex and point the foot three times. Yawn the throat open, letting a yawning sound escape from your mouth, and imagine you are yawning sound through the sole of your foot.
2. Inhale, nod and curl your head forward, and as you make a raspberry sound with your breath and lips, use your hands to climb your leg all the way back up to sitting.
Modification: Keep leg slightly bent.
3. At the top, release your head over the tree leg and breathe into your long, wide back. With your hands, gently rock your passive leg side-to-side as you keep your pelvis grounded. Now invite a hum to emanate from your hip socket all the way out through your lips.
Tip: Our nervous systems are wired so that if we release tension in the hip sockets and pelvic floor, the diaphragm and jaw follow suit. Experiment with the idea of warming and opening the whole chain. You may find the pitch and tenor of your voice deepen.
4: Inhale as you tip your pelvis under and begin to walk down your leg, rolling your spine back down. Half way down, soften in your center and send out a small touch of sound from behind your belly button: "Huh."
Repeat entire sequence three times on each side and then lay in rest position reconnecting with the natural rhythm of your breath to finish.
Tip: Kristin Linklater, master voice and speech teacher in Columbia University's MFA program, developed the "touch of sound" as a vocal technique to help find a true and free connection to the natural voice. When you first try to touch sound it is helpful to lie in fetal position and let go of any holding in your body. Imagine a pool of vibrations floating behind your navel waiting to be released. The touch of one of those vibrations emits a short, pure sound. Make sure not to hold on to the sound or try to produce a big sound. Try to experience pure vibration falling out from the center of your body like a single drop of water. It almost feels like the beginning of laughter.
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 Close-up: Teaser
By Linda Farrell Purpose: To challenge abdominal muscles while targeting balanced muscular action, focus and coordination. Setup (beginner): Lie on your back and bring your legs to a table-top position, bent at right angles at the hips and knees. Knees can be held closer to the chest if needed and can open to hip-width apart if necessary. Lengthened your arms onto the floor alongside your trunk. Setup (advanced): Lie on your back, knees into the chest, and extend your legs straight to a 45- or 60-degree angle to the pelvis. Lengthen the arms up overhead alongside your ears on the floor. Begin the move (beginner): Engage the abs in and up. Inhale and curl your head and neck off the mat; exhale and slowly roll your spine sequentially forward, bringing your trunk toward your legs. Lift your arms up and reach toward your toes. Keep knees bent and hip-width apart. You can use your hands to help climb up your legs and hold the backs of your knees if needed. Inhale and hold for a moment at the top with your weight balanced on the back of your sitting bones. Exhale and start to roll down slowly vertebra by vertebra with intention and control. Use your hands to climb down your legs if needed. Bring your knees into your chest on the return to the floor. Do three reps. Begin the move (advanced): Engage the abs in and up. Inhale and curl your head and neck off the mat, keeping your arms directly over your shoulders; exhale and slowly roll your spine up toward your legs. Inhale into the position, balancing toward the back of your sitting bones, and lengthen up as much as you can from the root of the pelvis to the crown of the head. Create a very tall crescent moon shape by maintaining axial length, keeping the front ribs and abs scooped in and the lower back slightly rounded. You can reach your arms forward in the direction of your toes or keep them up alongside your ears, relaxing the tops of your shoulders. Exhale and slowly roll down sequentially through the spine with the legs straight and pressed together at the same height. When your head is down, bring your knees and arms into your chest. Do three reps. Visualization: Imagine your body light and lifted like a hot air balloon floating in free space. Breathe into the lift of the spine, filling up right into the sides and backs of the ribcage with your breath. Breathing and lengthening up through the crown lessens muscular gripping, improves focus and balance, and prevents collapsing out of the Teaser position. Tips: · Glide your shoulder blades down your back and secure them on your rib cage as the trunk moves to the Teaser position. Do not let the blades hike up or collapse forward or back as your trunk moves. Stabilize the shoulder girdle on your rib cage. · Engage your abs as you roll up to support the low back and prevent anterior rotation of the pelvis. Moving slowly with focus and control will help promote lumbar-pelvic stability. Do not use momentum or undue force to bring the trunk up. · On the hold of Teaser at the top, concentrate on balancing the actions of the abs, back extensors and hip flexors to stabilize the position. Keep the weight on the back of the sitting bones and think of creating a very long crescent moon curve from crown to low back. This will promote overall stability, especially at the lumbar-pelvic region. · Breathe deeply and maintain axial length to prevent gripping and promote stability. · If your arms are overhead, your abs must stabilize the distance between the front ribs and pubis. Your arms must externally rotate, and your shoulder blades must stabilize on the rib cage. Do not let them pull up into the ears; instead, let them widen and glide gently down the back. · When rolling down, move slowly with fluidity and control to sequence the spine back to the floor. Balancing the actions of the abs, hip flexors and back extensors is crucial for a smooth, articulate return and is an exercise in dynamic stability. · Master the beginner's Teaser first. Correct form is more important than trying the advanced Teaser if the body is not yet ready. If you're really struggling, try Teaser from a seated position: Sitting up tall with your knees bent and the weight toward the back of your sitting bones, hold your shins and raise your legs slowly-one at a time if needed-into the Teaser position. Knees can stay bent, and your arms can support the backs of your thighs. Balance for a moment, maintaining stability, and slowly lower the shins back to the start position. _________________________________________________________
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What's in Your Gym Bag?
When Lynda Salerno is traveling between her two NYC studios and the rehab and chiropractic clinic she owns with her fiancé, she carries everything she needs in a beautiful, oversized purse. Of course, that draws criticism from her chiropractor sweetie, but sometimes form comes before function. "I should be using a backpack," Salerno says, "but something needs to look nice while I live in workout clothes." Here's what's accompanies Salerno on all her city adventures.
· Wallet with enough money to buy French vanilla iced coffee and fudge graham Zone bars
· Her iPod, Blackberry and small daily planner-because sometimes nothing beats paper
· A small folder with important papers and banking that needs to be done for the studios that day
· Dog poop bags for her French Bulldog Norman
· Roberto Cavalli brown and hot-pink sunglasses
· Blue and white fingerless gloves to easily grab her subway pass
· CJ Bigelow clear minty lip gloss, hair ties, bobby pins and Bare Minerals blush to brighten up after a long day
· A Theraband, Yamuna Foot Waker, leg warmers and Origins face wash and moisturizer to freshen up on days she also has dance class
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June's Featured Event:
Functional Anatomy for Movement & Injuries
(FAMI) Workshop- Designed exclusively for fitness and movement professionals and held within a medical school, the FAMI Workshop is an intensive 4-day course on anatomy and injuries.
This powerful resource, created by a team of clinical and fitness experts, brings the best of medical education to the movement world. In the gross anatomy lab, fitness professionals get up close and personal with the human body through hands-on experience with cadaver prosections.
FAMI Workshop, held on
June 19-22, 2008 at the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City
For more information on the course, continuing education credits and how to register, visit www.famiworkshop.com
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