There is a comment I still hear regularly:“Wow. There is so much to think about.”And every time I hear it, I think: “Yes. Now we are beginning to understand what practicing Pilates asks of us.” :)You most likely know by now that Pilates isn't supposed to be a workout you perform while your mind i...
Joseph Pilates wrote in his book:
“Ideally, our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably, our will should not be dominated by the reflex actions of our muscles.”
Let’s think about what that means.
Here are two thoughts I had:
Being strong is not the same as knowing how to use your strength.
Being...
To Do Pilates Is to Constantly Explore Your Range of Motion (ROM)
In Pilates, every movement is an opportunity to explore your range of motion (ROM) - which is the amount of movement available at a joint in a particular direction.
However, movement for movement's sake is not the goal.
Instead, ...
As you are reading this newsletter, you are probably sitting.
Before you read another sentence, don't change anything.
Just ask yourself one question:
How is my pelvis positioned right now?
Is there a noticeable arch in your lower back?
Does it feel like you are sitting more on your tailbone or c...
Learning Pilates is much like learning any skill you hope to understand, enjoy, and practice for many years.
By now, you already know that it doesn't happen all at once.
You don't simply "do" Pilates.
You study it. 🙂
As you practice, you gradually develop the skills that allow you to perform each...
When I first started teaching Pilates, I noticed a pattern.Nearly every client would ask me the same question:"What is this exercise for?"If we were doing Single Leg Circles, they wanted to know if it was strengthening their legs.If we were doing Arm Circles on the Reformer, they wanted to know i...
Strength training is important.
But I meet many people who have tried to become stronger and ended up getting hurt. They start lifting weights, something begins to hurt, they stop, and conclude that strength training simply isn't for them.
Can you relate?
From my experience, oftentimes the proble...
One of the questions I hear from time to time is:
"Why do my wrists hurt during this exercise?"
Sometimes the wrists are the problem. But often, they are simply giving us valuable information that the body isn't organizing the movement as efficiently as it could.
Whether you are practicing on the...
Last week, I wrote about an exercise called Bicep Curls on the Reformer and how its purpose isn't really about strengthening the biceps at all.
The movement of the arms is the action, but shoulder girdle stability is the skill being practiced.
This week, let's look at Frog.
While teaching it to a...
A recent exchange on social media reminded me of something I have observed repeatedly over nearly three decades of teaching the Pilates method.
People often assume they understand an exercise because they recognize its name.
I recently shared a short video demonstrating what I referred to as Bice...
First a fun fact: What you and I call Pilates, he called Contrology.
He outlined the art and science of Contrology in his two books: "Return to Life Through Contrology" and "Your Health". He wrote them last year…
Just kidding 😊
He wrote them about 80 years ago, yet many of his observations sound ...
Have you ever walked out of your Pilates lesson feeling like you uncovered a golden nugget of knowledge? Maybe it was a phrase your teacher used that resonated with you, imagery that helped you understand a new movement you were learning, or connect to muscles you did not know you had.
I certainl...
