Meet the Instructor Monday — Shannon

, ,

Shannon Ottoson teaches Pilates mat and equipment classes at Rivercity Pilates.

Twitter:    I recently joined Twitter and am working on learning to use it.   My handle is @sotto586.   Tweet me and I will figure out how to reply!

Where are you from?   I grew up in Des Moines with my 4 siblings and I moved to North Liberty in ’99, to work in Cedar Rapids as a mental health nurse.

Favorite food to prepare? I’m not a cook at all! My favorite thing to make myself is my daily Isagenix shake, really!!

Favorite sport or sports team?  I love baseball, I grew up with it, I understand the game, and it is played during the warm months! My favorite team is my son’s team. :)

Why did you choose to practice Pilates?  I started mat pilates in 2001, after my son was born. I had read an article about it and it sounded different. I was hooked after my first class!  The work is so subtle, so deep, and so evolving. It never gets old or easy, and it requires a presence of mind that I really enjoy.

Why did you become an instructor?  I fell in-love with how I felt physically and mentally after I started a regular Pilates practice, and I couldn’t stop talking about it! I felt it was something that has to be experienced, and I truly wanted everyone to feel as supple and as “inside” their bodies as I felt.

Is there something about you that would surprise the students that have attended your classes?  I doubt it, I’m pretty much an open book! I’m really struggling with this one, I’m pretty boring!

What is your favorite song/ group/ genre of music? I grew up on John Denver and love him! For listening I am loving Dave Matthews, and for working out I have been listening to current pop music and it’s like a guilty pleasure!

Pilates gets personal!!!!

, , ,

I’m guessing you’ve never been at the gym doing bicep curls and had your trainer ask you,” How did that exercise feel in your body?”  As a Pilates instructor this is a question I often ask my clients as we work together.  You see,  learning the method of Pilates in your body isn’t just doing the exercises that your told to do, but it’s a process learning about your own body and how to move it as efficiently as possible on any given day.

The learning process that happens is really a 2 way street between instructors and clients.   When I ask a client how something felt I am doinIMG_7081g a couple of things.  First I am asking them to be aware enough of what they are doing to be able to describe how something felt in their body.  Second I want to get a sense of what a movement felt like to them because that’s the best way for me to help them learn that movement and other movements I’ll be introducing to them.

There is no right or wrong way to answer the question as I’m really just wanting to connect with a client so I can help them learn how to move better. There’s so much more to a mind body movement practice like Pilates  than just repeating an exercise and as an instructor I love to connect with clients and help them develop their practice in their bodies and life.

Interested in exploring a mind body practice like Pilates?  At Rivercity Pilates we offer a variety of classes and instructors and would love to help you develop your movement practice.  Try us out today by scheduling a complimentary private session with one of our Pilates or Yoga instructors.   If you prefer to attend a small group class to try Pilates your first class is complimentary.   For more information on what to expect in your first session, click here!

 

 

My First Yoga Class @ RCP (Part 2)

, ,

This blog is the 2nd part of my yoga blog, which describes my first yoga experience at Rivercity Pilates.    If you haven’t read it, here’s a link.

With about 30 minutes left in class, I started watching the clock and my focus wandered. Why? Because I was sweating so much I was afraid there would be a puddle around me soon! Now that would be embarrassing.  I was wondering if I was working hard, or too hard.    I wasn’t breathing hard.   I couldn’t feel my heart beating too fast, yet I was sweating like I was sitting in a sauna!   Then I looked at the bright side. If sweat is detoxing I am getting rid of everything! I will feel great tomorrow! Wait, Will I feel great? Or am I working muscles that are going to hurt tomorrow?

There was a series where we went from plank, to downward dog, and then you lift your leg behind you and bring it forward to a lunge position. Every time my leg went up there was a thud when it hit the barre. I am guessing that everyone in the room wondered who was kicking the wall. When your foot comes back down, it’s supposed to be underneath your shoulders in a lunge. When my foot came back down, it was in the middle of the mat. Shara said if you need to move your foot with your hand, go ahead. That’s what I did. As a newbie, I clearly haven’t mastered these yoga-mat sized steps and deep lunges or even where to position my mat when class starts! !

The next series added a pose that I couldn’t seem to do. Shara gave an option of putting your knee on the mat, and sure enough, I could do that! And when I took a quick glance around, I wasn’t the only one with my knee down! I was keeping up! What a terrific feeling.   As a newbie, I wasn’t the only person doing the modification.

The clock kept moving and finally Shara said, one more time before we cool down. Ok. Whoosh.   Reflief.  I thought I could make it through one more series. I totally loved the cool down time. Who doesn’t love laying on their back and breathing during a fitness class! Again, I didn’t really hear the music. I was incredibly focused on Sharas voice, leading us through the rest of the class. (and for someone who is a constant multi-tasker that is a huge achievement). It also gave my body some time to come back to normal. After class, I pretty much bolted. I wasn’t sure how I looked after all that sweating, and I was very scared that I wouldn’t be able to walk the next day from all that quad work. I was scheduled for sunrise Pilates equipment class the next day, and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to call in and say that yoga broke me!

I will tell you honestly that the night after my first yoga class, I got the best night of sleep i have gotten for years. I slept soundly and woke up refreshed! I was awake 5 minutes before my alarm went off and my legs felt fine. I had wondered during class if my back would hurt, because it seemed that I was moving a bit differently than I do in Pilates, but my back was fine. I wondered if soreness would come later in the day, but it didn’t. I took 2 Pilates classes and 1 yoga class in 25 hours, and I felt great along with a huge sense of accomplishment!

Now the big question. Will I take another yoga class? I honestly think that I will. I want to take another class from Shara now that I know what to expect. I also want to take classes from the other instructors and experience them.  I am hoping I’m past my — “I have to put my mat by the door so i can run if I need to” feelings!    Have you read Carey’s blog, “My Pilates practice taught me to love yoga“?   I don’t know if that’s true for me yet, but my first yoga class did convince me that maybe I should add one yoga class a week to my workout schedule!   If you see me in class, please know that I’m still feeling awkward and trying to get comfortable with yoga.   I won’t be watching to see if you are awkward, because I will be way to focused on my “intention” and trying to do every exercise.   Hope to see you in class!

Becky Monroe
Rivercity Pilates Student
901_ERD_7633 (13)

Pilates Instructor Myth Buster: You get to work out all day long!

,

When I meet someone new and our conversation leads into what I do for a living I often get comments like, “Awesome- you get paid to workout all day!”.  When someone asks me how many hours I teach each week and I answer 30 to 40 I usually get a jaw dropping expression.  Not because they are impressed with my work ethic but because the average person thinks that means that I am working out and exercising 30 to 40 hours a week!  (Could you imagine??)  Today I would love to give you a little more insight into my profession as a Pilates instructor!IMG_7074

First let me tell you I absolutely, positively LOVE what I do!  Just ask my husband who often marvels at the fact that I will spend 8-10 hours at the studio and then come home and do some light reading about Pilates, anatomy or the body because I enjoy it:).  Someone said “If you find a job you love you’ll never work work a day in your life.”  In many ways I am a true believer of this because I find that I enjoy what I do so much that it doesn’t feel like “work”…..but at the same time when I’m talking to someone who might be considering a career in Pilates I want them to know that just because it’s fun doesn’t mean you won’t have to put the hours in to teach, prepare, continue learning and growing, etc.

The myth I want to talk about today is what I spend my time doing.  When I say I am teaching 30 to 40 hour a week that means I am scheduled with clients either privately or in a small group class for those 30-40 hours a week.  My client time is spent taking clients of all levels through a Pilates workout that is appropriate for their body.   Yes on occasion I show them an exercise to help teach it to them but for the most part I am not doing exercises and working out with my clients.

My job is to use various teaching methods to help them learn the Pilates method of exercise, keep them safe and keep them progressing toward their goals.  My teaching time is truly dedicated to my clients.  Teaching Pilates isn’t a job you can check out of when you’re not feeling like it. As an instructor you are giving your time, energy, and knowledge to your clients for the time you are with them.  This is something that I truly love but let me tell you that it can be intense some days.  I’ve learned over the years that I absolutely have to take time to recharge myself when I’m not working, otherwise it can be a challenge to bring everything to the table when I teach.

My teaching hours don’t include the time I spend prepping for sessions, writing in client charts after sessions and as a business owner the hours I spend trying to run a successful business(that’s a whole other blog!!).  And in case you are wondering I have to schedule time to workout just like everyone else!  Usually for me this is a early morning Pilates workout and a walk, run or bike ride somewhere in my day.

Want to learn more about exploring a career teaching Pilates?  I would love to talk and share with you more about our Pilates instructor training programs!

Carey
@careysadler

IMG_6149

Meet the Instructor: Courtney

IMG_6272Hi!   It’s Meet the Instructor Monday, and we’d like you to meet Courtney Fleming.   Courtney began teaching Yoga at RCP earlier this summer.

When I participate in Courtney’s classes, I leave Courtney’s class with a better sense of my body.  Her gentle cuing allows me to explore each pose and fine tune what my body needs that day.  We hope you have a chance to attend one of her classes soon!  Read on to see Courtney’s answers to our questions!

 

Where are you from?   How did you end up in North Liberty?
I am originally from Southeast Iowa, but I moved to North Liberty during high school with my family. I decided to attend the University of Iowa, which is why I am still in the area.

What is your favorite restaurant?  My favorite restaurant is P.F. Changs. (It’s a bummer that there isn’t one in Iowa City!)

Why did you choose to practice Yoga?  How long have you been a yogi?  I can’t remember when I began practicing yoga, but I actively started practicing in 2011. I decided to use yoga to cross train with my dancing. It has really helped with preventing any injuries I may obtain.

1 thing on your bucket list that you could share with us….Before I die, I would really like to go to Spain.

Why did you become an instructor?   I became an instructor to share my knowledge and love for yoga. I also want people to feel better about themselves and their bodies.

Has yoga changed you/your lifestyle?   On an emotional note, yoga has changed my perception of how I treat myself, others, and the environment. Yoga has helped me become more mindful and aware of the things going on around me. On a physical note, yoga has helped me increase strength in all parts of my body, as well as helping with preventing injuries.

Music?   What is your favorite song / group /genre of music?  I don’t have a favorite IMG_6164song, because it changes constantly. If I had to choose, I would say my favorite singer/songwriter would be Ed Sheeran.

Tell us something that would surprise the students who have been in your classes… Something that may surprise my students is that my yoga classes tend to be a yoga class and anatomy class in one. I think it is important for my students to understand their body and how it works. This will allow my students to get as much as they can out of a class. Also, it gives them the tools to stay safe and comfortable in my classes and any other classes they may take.

 

 

 

 

My First Yoga Class @ Rivercity PIlates!

,

My first and until last week, my only experience at yoga was at one of those big box gyms. You know, the kind you join for $30 or $40 a month? I wanted to de-stress, I wanted to be more flexible, and I had read that yoga helps with that. I went once. It was years ago. I remember thinking, when is this going to be over. I thought that for an hour. It was get to a pose, wait a couple of minutes, new pose. Every time we were holding a pose, the instructor was quiet, I was waiting to figure out what came next and all the stress came back from work, and by the end of class I had a list of 20+ things to do in my head.

Shara O'Burg Power, Yoga Instructor @ Rivercity Pilates

Shara O’Burg Power, Yoga Instructor @ Rivercity Pilates

I told Carey that story one night, and the next day she invited me to a yoga class at Rivercity Pilates and asked me to blog about it. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had seen Shara’s picture on the website, and I was totally intimidated. I put on some workout clothes and put a scrunchie on my wrist. I didn’t really think I would need a pony tail, because isn’t yoga about sitting in weird poses and stuff? Surely I wouldn’t sweat in my first class.

When I met Shara, she was positive and bubbly and easy to talk too, but still i wondered if I would be breaking my neck trying to stand on my head in class or feeling foolish because I would be the only one who couldn’t stand on my head.

We went into the class and I strategically took a place right by the door. You never know when you might need to make a quick exit. Shara put on some music, and I thought, this might be ok. It wasn’t country music that I prefer, but it wasn’t that chants snake dancing stuff either. Then more people came in. A yoga instructor, a Pilates instructor, and a physical therapist and two more folks I hadn’t met. Ok, I wanted to head out the door. But, I didn’t want to be called a quitter! Then she dimmed the lights and switched the music to “yoga music” or as I call it “snake charmer music”. I wasn’t very comfortable with the music. Why don’t they use some Luke Bryan?

We started standing, and Shara told us to close our eyes. Ok, I can do that.   That worked fine until she started giving instructions using words I didn’t know. I had to peek thru my eyelids to see what to do.  No one seemed to mind that I was peeking.   She said if we had an “intention” for the class to think about that. I made my yoga mantra. “Please let me make it thru the class without falling over in a pile”. That was pretty much the last non-yoga thought I had for one hour. After about 5 minutes, I was totally focused on trying to keep up with the movements, and even the snake charmer music was so much in the background, that it didn’t bother me.

Shara led us in a series of exercise that flowed from one to another. (No two minute hold the pose moments for my mind to wander). My quads began to scream at me. Shara was calm and encouraging, and her excitement was infectious as she talked us thorough the subtleties of the pose to ensure everyone had the best experience. You know when fitness instructors tell you that they are working large muscles first to get your heart pumping? My heart was definitely pumping and the sweat started to roll! This was a workout!  Who knew that yoga would make you sweat so much?

My neck was so hot, I wanted to put my hair in a pony tail, but my hands were always busy with the exercises. From downward dog to plank to half way up to standing, there was always something for my hands to do and there wasn’t a minute to get my hair in a pony tail! I had to listen so I knew what to do next. I figure I was a few seconds behind all the yoga regulars that practice yoga regularly, but it wasn’t as awkward (or embarrassing) as I had anticipated. The lights were dim, Shara was coaching and guiding as she worked along with us thru the exercises, and she was so terrific at describing body position (what to squeeze when) and so positive when she saw any student make a correction and get that extra oomph out of each move, that dare I say – I actually thought I might like this thing called yoga despite all the sweat.

Did I make it thru the whole hour?  Stay tuned for Part 2 of my first yoga class!

Becky Monroe
Rivercity Pilates Student
901_ERD_7633 (13)