Practice What You Teach: Bean Bag Pilates

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If you didn’t think I was a Pilates Nerd already, this post may confirm any suspicions you had!  The workout I was most excited about this week was the one I did on a bean bag!  Yep I’m talking about a bean bag chair! In fact it’s the one that usually sits in our lounge area for clients and staff to sit on.  Let me explain….

I taught my regular Wednesday night Pilates Mat class this week and found myself talking to one of my clients after class about how we could find a better position for her to be able to do the Pilates Mat Side Leg Kick series.  She has a shoulder injury that really bothers her when she’s lying in any sort of side lying position on that shoulder.  I had played around with small pads, small balls and barrels to prop her but nothing really worked.  As I stood chatting with her in our studio lounge area I happen to spot our bean bag chair.  Mid conversation I plopped onto the floor and set myself up in the bean bag chair to do some side leg kicks…..it was perfect!!  I could position it around my shoulder so that I wasn’t putting extra pressure on the shoulder and it propped my head up in a supportive way too!  Even though she was laughing at me at first, my client then got on the floor and tried it out and she was almost as excited about it as me!!

I’m not quite sure why I never thought of using the bean bag as a prop! All of a sudden I was thinking of other clients who also might benefit from the adaptability of the bean bag to give support in a variety of positions.   I couldn’t wait to try it out!! So the next day I played around doing a variety of exercises using the bean bag for support!!  There’s a few pictures above of my play time!

Pilates in the Pool!

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I have a confession…. summer can be a difficult time for me to fit in Pilates workouts. When the weather warms up, I typically add more outdoor activites to my fitness routine. Biking, paddle boarding, and hiking tend to trump my usual weekend schedule at the studio. Add in vacations, social events, and the occasional weekend road trip, and there is little time left for my favorite classes. If I am not planful, my Pilates practice can easily fall by the wayside.

If you are like me and find it difficult to make it to the studio in the summer, consider adding a little Pilates to your favorite outdoor activity! Try a mini-Pilates workout before heading out on your morning run, practice your Pilates breathing before your next bike ride, or try some paddle board Pilates!

I recently decided to fit some Pilates in while enjoying some time at the pool. It was the perfect way to fit a little Pilates in to my day without giving up time at the pool. From a therapeutic standpoint, exercising in the pool offers the benefits of both bouyancy and resistance. But most importantly, it’s fun!

If you have tried Barre classes at Rivercity Pilates, then you already have experience with several options for translating the traditional Pilates matwork to a standing routine. If you are new to trying Pilates in a different environment, consider trying a few of my favorite Pilates exercises in the pool.

  • Chest expansion – inhale as you press your arms back and open your chest, exhale as you bring arms back to the water surface. For an added challenge, grab a pool noodle to use in place of the roll down bar usually used in tower class.
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  • Mermaid – again, grab a pool noodle (or a kickboard) if you have one, but feel free to try this without any props. Inhale as you press down with one hand and elongate in to a side bend. Exhale as you return to upright standing.
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  • Standing leg kicks – think side leg kicks in a standing position. Hold on the edge of the pool or a railing for support, or challenging your balance by standing a few inches away. Try sweeps, battement, developpe, rond de jambe, hot potato, and bicycle. For added challenge, try sidekicks using pool noodles or floats to perform the whole series floating (sorry, no pictures of this experiment!). Add in some single leg pumps from the traditional chair repertoire while you are at it.

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  • Rolling like a ball – this one takes a little experimentation and a pool noddle or two, but it’s a fun one to try! Experiment with placing pool noodles under your knees and possibly around your back. Start with small rocks and gradually increase the range of your movement. Most importantly, have fun!

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Have you tried Pilates in the pool? If so, tell us about your favorite variation.

~Shelley Mockler

 

Do I need to live nearby to join the Pilates teacher training program?

You might be surprised to know that often times trainees in our Pilates teacher training programs travel as far as 3 or more hours just to get to our studio for training.  Pilates is still growing and building in the midwest and there are not a lot of Pilates teacher training programs offered in Iowa.  Did you know that Carey Sadler, director of the Body Precision Teacher Training program at Rivercity Pilates is one of only 5 certified Pilates instructors in the state of Iowa?  Rivercity Pilates offers one of the few comprehensive Pilates teacher training programs in the state.

IMG_7035The Body Precision comprehensive training program allows participants to work through training modules and eventually be eligible to sit for the national certifying exam offered by the Pilates Method Alliance.  If you are considering Pilates teacher training you’ll want to make sure your check out the Pilates Method Alliance website
and learn about the certifying process as this is considered the gold standard in the Pilates world.

The Pilates teacher training programs are a mix of in studio workshop time, trainees taking their own lessons and classes, trainees getting in observation hours of experienced teachers and trainees practice teaching. Workshop hours are always held on the weekends and the rest of the hours can truly be customized to your schedule.  Often times we will work with trainees who are traveling to the studio to help them plan training days where they can come over and get in a private lesson or a class and also stay and get in observation hours before and after their session in order to maximize their time.  Technology is advanced enough these days that we also can use a live video stream to let trainees get observation hours in from a distance. Practice teaching hours do not need to be done at the studio and can really be completed somewhere close and convenient to you.

If you are contemplating learning to teach Pilates but have not done it because of access to a training program in your area please reconsider and give us a call.  We would love to talk to you about how you can fit our program into your schedule and into your life!!

 

Butt-watching at Pilates?

IMG_6675Today’s blog starts with a client story…. A client was doing her her long stretch on the reformer and I cued her to reach through her left heel more and engage her left butt. She adjusted and then when she transitioned to the next exercise (Down Stretch) and was getting set up I said the cue again as I could see that she wasn’t engaging her left gluteus muscles and I wanted her to find the balanced work in this exercise. She laughs and says,”Really? How can you tell that? Are you looking at my butt?” My answer was,”Yes, of course I am. I’m looking at muscle engagement in your whole body as you are are moving which includes your butt!”

After teaching movement for 16 years sometimes I forget that not everybody looks at bodies like I do. Part of teaching the Pilates method of exercise is helping clients figure out what it means to create balance in their body and do balanced movements. By giving cues and instruction to clients on how to work more efficiently and more balanced you help them figure out how to notice and adjust in their own body without you always having to tell them.

If you are contemplating wanting to teach Pilates and this concept seems foreign or maybe complicated…..don’t worry you’ll learn how to do it!  When you go through workshops we’ll look at different bodies doing different exercises and talk about what we see and how we could help that person do the exercise better in their body. You’ll learn about what to look for and really how to become an observer of movement and muscle engagement. As you integrate your own personal practice time, with observation hours and practice teaching hours you’ll have plenty of chances to look at bodies and figure out how to hone this skill of observing and then cueing to create balance! I promise by the end of the program you won’t think twice about looking at someone’s butt while they are moving!!

Practice What You Teach: Pilates on the Water

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What could be better than beautiful summer weather, getting out in nature and movement?  Twice this week I got to go play at the lake and do some stand up paddle boarding! The paddle boards are a fun way to cruise around the lake, but also stable enough you can pretty much do the entire Pilates Mat sequence on them!  The added instability is great for fine tuning your form and having to use your center to balance!  During our monthly Life Inspired gathering this week we played around doing both Pilates and Yoga on the boards and it was a blast!  Here’s a few pictures from the evening!

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Balance, balance, balance…

Saw with our paddle as a group
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Check out Dick’s great plank (only 9 weeks
after shoulder replacement surgery!!)		 Right before I fell in as Julie was guiding
me through a yoga pose
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Nancy was doing Pilates and Yoga in the canoe!! Rolling Like a Ball!! My favorite!
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Roll Ups with a beautiful
view of the sky!		 Mountain Pose is a lot more
work on a paddle board!

 

Inspiration of the Month Gary Stetzel

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Inspiration of the Month
Gary Stetzel
July 2016 

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?  I started Pilates in January 2015.  I wanted to improve my health and do an activity with my wife.

How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?   I try to do 2-3 sessions per week. I have been doing Private Pilates sessions with my wife. It is a good couples activity. 

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates?  I have noticed that I am more trim. In fact, I just took some clothes to alterations to reduce the waist size. I am more flexible and have more stamina biking and hiking.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?  I like the leg spring exercises on the Tower equipment the best.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?  I would say give it a try. I think men perceive that this is more for women and that is not the case. You will notice the improvements in your waist size and stamina!