A Love Letter from your Pilates Teacher!

I wrote this letter originally 3 years ago.  Every year I say to myself I should rewrite my love letter to my clients.  Then I read it and think, I don’t think I need to rewrite it. The words I originally wrote still portray how I feel really well!  So here it is!  Happy Valentines to all of my amazing, wonderful clients over the years who have let me be part of their movement practice, part of their life!

Dear Devoted Pilates Client,

1.  You are amazing!  I am amazed and inspired daily by your devotion to your Pilates practice!  I know, as much as you love your Pilates sessions, that it is not always easy to get to the studio.  Life happens and there are a million excuses you could use to not come in- but you do.  Your devotion inspires me in my daily life.  Thank You!

2. You are making amazing progress in your Pilates practice and in your life every time you practice.  As instructors we are often giving you feedback on how to improve your practice because that’s part of our job.  I probably don’t spend enough time telling you how far you’ve come and how great you’re doing.  One of the wonderful parts of my job is that I get to see people create positive changes in their bodies on a daily basis. Keep it up!

3.   I love to celebrate the little milestones with you!   Can you pick something off the floor without your back hurting?  Can you sit comfortably on the floor with your kids or grandchildren?  Are you sitting taller at your desk or has your posture improved?  I love to hear about and celebrate these moments with you.  I practice and teach Pilates so that I can help others live life to the fullest and it makes me happy when I hear your success stories!

4.  Please don’t feel bad about speaking up and telling me something doesn’t feel good in your body.  I know that not every exercise or movement is right for every body and it does not bother me at all if you tell me that something hurts or doesn’t feel right. In fact- I LOVE the opportunity to find something that does work for you.  Changing, modifying and creating exercises designed specifically for your body is what I am trained to do and I LOVE to do it!  It makes me cringe to have a client work through the pain.  I believe and know that exercise does not have to hurt to be super effective.  If you are in pain, then you are not getting the benefits of the exercise and you might be doing more harm than good to your body.

5. Thank you for choosing me to share your Pilates journey with you!  Working with amazing, nice, thoughtful clients makes me happy!  I know there are lots of choices when it comes to teachers and I truly value you as a dedicated client.

With Love,

Your Pilates Teacher

Valentines Pilates: Susan & Mike

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757c68fa-ddf2-4334-88b7-6e5e7410fb71This is the second post in our Valentine series about couples who practice Pilates together at Rivercity Pilates.  On Friday evening, February 17 at 6:30pm – our monthly “Life Inspired Get Together” will be free Pilates and Yoga session for couples!

How did you start doing Pilates together?  
Susan:  My sister and I were already going weekly and he’s off work Friday mornings.
Mike:  Couple of years ago

When you are out with friends/family, who is more likely to talk about their Pilates experience?
Susan:  Me
Mike:  Susan

Are you competitive with each other?
Susan.  I don’t think we’re competitive but I comment too much on his less than ideal form.
Mike.  in most things

fullsizerender28Do you keep each other accountable?
Susan:  Not really.
Mike:  She nags, I obey

How does it help you to exercise with your partner?
Susan:  We don’t otherwise exercise together. We have always walked together.
Mike:  otherwise I wouldn’t do it

How has Pilates influenced your overall health?
Susan:  Unquestionably, Pilates has improved my health overall.
Mike:  improved balance and posture

What is your favorite Pilates exercise?
Susan:  anything with the roller
Mike:  favorite is upside down push up

 Least favorite?
Susan:  Anything with the chair
Mike:  Anything with bands, balls, “magic” circles
What do you want to tell other couples about your Pilates experience?
Susan:  That we have a lot of laughs in there. The vibe is good.
Mike:  It’s not that bad
What 3 words would you use to describe your Pilates Sessions?
Susan:  Welcoming. Positive. Fun.
Mike:  Fifty minutes long

 

 

 

 

Valentine Pilates: Gwen & Gary

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757c68fa-ddf2-4334-88b7-6e5e7410fb71This is the first post in our Valentine series about couples who practice Pilates together at Rivercity Pilates.  On Friday evening – our monthly “Life Inspired Get Together” will be free Pilates and Yoga session for couples!    


How did you get started doing Pilates together?
Gwen started then wrangled Gary…….behind every great man is a motivating woman!????

When you are out with friends/family, who is more likely to talk about their Pilates experience?
Gary discusses Pilates more than Gwen. He talks to others about how it has been a benefit especially with his ankle and diabetes.  Gwen talks about it but not to the degree Gary does in social settings. 

Are you competitive with each other? In is a friendly teaser sort of way.  No pun intended!????
gwen-and-gary-iom-feb-2017Do you keep each other accountable?
YES, the couple that does pilates together stays together!

How does it help you to exercise with your partner?
It is demonstration of our commitment to health and love. 

How has Pilates influenced your overall health?
Absolutely!!!! It also helps us to have our pilates coaches.  We think Joe would be proud. 

What is your favorite Pilates exercise?  
Tower

Least favorite?
Anything abs

What do you want to tell other couples about your Pilates experience?
This is a great way to date, flirt and be healthy.  We have a lot of fun.  

What 3 words would you use to describe your Pilates Sessions?
Tease me baby! ????

Should I take Pilates Private Sessions or Group Classes?

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The Pilates method of exercise is based on learning specific principles of breath, control, precision, flowing movement, centering, and concentration.   Learning the method is truly a process that is continually challenging you to connect to your body so you can learn to breathe more efficiently, move from your center, and create uniform development or balance in your body.

Every body and every personality learns differently and the best process for you to learn will be unique to you. There really is no right or wrong way.

We suggest starting your Pilates journey with 3-6 private sessions.  By starting your learning process with private sessions you have a chamermaid adjustmentsnce to learn the basic ideas and principles in a way that is very specific to your body.   These private sessions will give you a chance to learn the Pilates fundamentals such as how to breathe during your exercises, how to engage your deep abdominal muscles, and how to stabilize your hips and shoulders.

These sessions will also give you a chance to create body awareness about how your body moves, where your individual imbalances may be, and give you an idea of places you can focus and work on as you continue your Pilates practice.

After your introductory private sessions, how you continue your Pilates training is really up to you.

Private sessions offer complete one-on-one attention from your instructor and allow you to move and learn at your own specific pace.  Individual sessions are also great for fine tuning and making adjustments to your movements that are specific to you.

Semi-private sessions are a great way to work out with a friend and still get the individualized attention of a private session.

Small group classes are a fun, effective way to do a Pilates workout while still getting great adjustments IMG_2412and feedback from your instructor.

Some clients take just private or semi-private sessions, some take just classes, and many do both!  We suggest trying them all so you can find out what you enjoy the most.

Consistency is the key in creating an effective Pilates practice in your life, so try to find some regular times that you can put into your weekly schedule.

Do your neck and shoulders hurt after a day at work?

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Our reliance on computers has everyone worrying about the problems that extended sitting and computers cause on our bodies.    Try this mini-workout to give your shoulders and chest a stretch after a long day at work!

 

Carey Sadler, owner of Rivercity Pilates in North Liberty, IA demonstrates a simple exercise you can do to stretch the shoulder and chest with a medium weight Theraband.

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Start with Why..

chantill2I got to take a little Pilates road trip this weekend and it was so great!! There is nothing better than getting to connect with other Pilates teachers, getting to visit a different Pilates studio and of course getting to be a student and get some learning time in!  I was going to write about all of my takeaways from the weekend, but honestly I have so many that I think they might bore you unless you’re a Pilates, movement geek like me! So instead I decided to share just my favorite takeaway in a little more detail!

It all started with the workshop presenter Chantill asking the group to take a few moments to write down 2 or 3 things you want your clients to walk away from their session with.  And then we shared.  It was pretty inspiring to listen to a room full of about 20 teachers share their vision for what they wanted their clients to walk away with.  As you can probably imagine, the answers were all unique to each person and as each person spoke you could feel the passion in their description.  Just a few of the things mentioned were:

  • Having a positive movement experience
  • Learning to trust their body and themselves
  • Better body awareness and posture
  • Less pain and more ease of movement
  • Using movement to improve their quality of life

As we all finished, Chantill made an observation:  Nobody mentioned they wanted their client to properly do Pilates, or even mentioned Pilates…  hmmmm…. At the end of the day everyone’s goals had to do with improving the lives of their clients and how their clients felt after their session.  Of course Pilates is a tool that we all use to do that but when we looked at everyone’s why of teaching Pilates- it was much bigger than Pilates.

Chantill’s workshop was titled Pilates Rules and Why to Break Them.  She needed to start the session getting teachers comfortable about knowing what their goals were in teaching and giving them a good reason to be willing and open to question how they they teach.  Mission accomplished with this exercise!

As a teacher this exercise was a powerful reminder of why I do what I do and the importance of keeping that why front and center when I’m teaching as well as in other aspects in my life.  Whether I’m practicing Pilates, being a mom or running my business this concept of remembering my why and what I want to accomplish is pretty important.    It reminded me that there are lots of different ways to accomplish any one thing and one of the best things you can do is be open to the way that works the best on any given day for any given situation.

Want to learn more about Chantill and all of her amazing learning opportunities for Pilates teachers?  Check her out here!!   Like the Skillful Teaching Facebook page here!

And if you are in the Chicago area or visiting check out the beautiful Village Pilates Studio in Oak Park.  It’s a beautiful studio and everyone was super friendly and nice!!