Am I physically ready to become a Pilates teacher?

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Our 2015 Pilates Teacher Trainees!

The number 1 most common question I get from people as they are considering becoming a Pilates teacher is:  Am I physically ready to go through the program?   This may be code for, “Do I need to lose weight to become a Pilates teacher?”

My answer to this question usually starts with some more questions for them. Do you enjoy doing Pilates? Are you willing to put the time in it takes to continue learning Pilates in your own body?

The beautiful thing about our teacher training program is that you are required to have a Pilates practice in your own body.  You are required to log in hours of personal practice, private lessons with professional Pilates teachers, and group classes.  It honestly doesn’t matter where you are starting in your own body and it doesn’t matter if you have some things going on in your body that affect your movements.  If you commit to going through the program, by the time you are done you will have a consistent Pilates practice in your life and you will learn the knowledge and skills you need to help others create a practice in their own life.

So much more important than your starting place of your own Pilates practice, is your willingness to commit to getting all the program hours completed.

Are you thinking about becoming a Pilates teacher?  Does the idea of creating a regular Pilates practice in your life excite you?  Do you want to be able to help others create a Pilates practice in their life?  We would love to talk to you in more detail about our upcoming Pilates Mat Training program starting this September!!  Contact us today to set up a time to talk to Carey about the program details.

 

Meet the Instructor: Dominque

Dominque teaches hatha yoga at 8am on Saturdays!  

Tell us about yourself / your family. 
I am the oldest of three, the only girl. Grew up playing sports and going on lots of camping trips. I grew up in the Northwest, so I am used to the rain, pine trees, and people who commute to work by bicycle. I love the ocean, not the white sandy beaches most people imagine, but the rocky cliffs of the Oregon coast, full of tide pools, sea lion coves and often shadowed by overcast weather. I broke a lot of bones as a kid, some were the fault of my younger brother (I’m terribly competitive) and others were the fault of my own wildness. Dad taught me to be tough, I remember walking home from the park near my house after a spill, and then being in a foot cast the next day. My mother and I look the same, especially when I’m home for the holidays and raid her closet. I moved away from home rather young because of ballet, but we’ve always been a close family. We have a lot of matching pajama sets, its our traditional Christmas eve gift. Last years theme was polar bears, the year before that I think was red and green plaid- makes for a very organized Christmas morning family photo. 

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Confident. Self-critical. Passionate. Adventurous. Artistic.

When/Why did you start practicing Yoga?
I began my yoga journey my first year at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s professional training program, as we had yoga classes bi-weekly as cross training. My first year in the program I had issues with a reoccurring injury and self-confidence, but I was lucky enough to have a phenomenal yoga teacher who recognized my struggle and nurtured me. I began to take yoga daily and it provided the balance I needed in my life.

Favorite restaurant:
Barley & Rye, it’s a farm to table restaurant in the quad cities

If money were no object, what would you do all day?
Dance!!

Why did you become a Yoga teacher?
I wanted to share something that I know works with others

Describe why you love Yoga in three words.
It feels good.  

Would you rather hike or bike?  
Hike

If you could live anywhere in the world — where would you want to live?
New Zealand

What are your favorite ways to incorporate movement into your life in addition to Yoga?
Dancing! Also, anything outside, I often take my yoga mat to the park, I love biking, hiking, I recently went kayaking for the first time in the Adirondacks, that was pretty neat

Do you have a guilty pleasure?    Something that is generally looked upon as wrong — but you keep doing it?
I eat peanut butter straight from the jar!

 

 

Rivercity Pilates truly is “Couch Potato” Friendly

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Has it been awhile since you’ve taken an exercise class or worked out?  Would you consider yourself a “couch potato”? Does the thought of starting back to exercise scare you?  Do you worry about making a fool of yourself in class or feeling out of place?  One of the most common things we hear from new clients is,” I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner!”.  And so if you are one of those people who has been contemplating coming in, but just hasn’t made the leap…this blog is for you!!

We understand there are a lot of “roadblocks” that keep people from scheduling that first session or class and so we made up a quick list of our top 5 reasons why we would consider Rivercity Pilates Couch Potato friendly(ie debunking those excuses you are telling yourself about why you haven’t come in yet!) .

  1. A Complimentary private session.  We know that starting a new exercise method and even just walking into the doors of a new “exercise” place can be scary! This is the number one reason we offer a complimentary private session for new clients.  We really believe that movement is for everyone and we find the best way to get started at a new place is with some time talking and working with a teacher who is focused on your individual needs.  If you’ve never worked one on one with a professional movement instructor you are in for a treat!  You’ll leave this session feeling welcome at the studio, having a better understanding of what the studio offers, have a better understanding of your own body and excited about the possibilities of movement in your life!
  2. A positive, encouraging atmosphere. Are you looking for people to connect with who want to lift you up, support you and help you reach your health goals without feeling like you are out of place or don’t belong?   At Rivercity Pilates it’s our mission to make everyone feel welcome and create an environment where you can be yourself, enjoy your movement time and walk out of our doors feeling better than when you walked in!
  3. Beginners don’t feel like beginners….really!!   You’ll never feel out of place or like a failure because you can’t do an exercise a teacher is instructing.  Our teachers automatically give variations and modifications to all exercises for where ever you are in your body.
  4. We work around injuries, aches and pains and even hip and knee replacements.  Have a chronic sore back, knees that ache or maybe a hip replacement?  Great!! We love to show our clients that you can still do safe, effective movement even when you have “stuff” going on in your body!  And I guarantee if you are in a group class you won’t feel singled out or weird because of it!
  5. Variety.  When you are trying to create a regular movement practice in your life we think it’s nice to be able try lots of different things to see what you enjoy the most!  We have a wide variety of Pilates, Yoga, Barre and Zumba on our schedule that gives you the chance to create a custom schedule based on your favorite classes.

Ready to take the leap?  We would love to help you schedule your first complimentary private session or class!  Have a question before you come in?  Simply email or call us and we would love to answer it!

 

Zumba and Pilates? Why do we offer Zumba at Rivercity Pilates?

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Picture of people doing zumba at Rivercity PilatesHave you heard of Zumba?  Zumba totes itself as “Pretty much the most awesome workout ever. Dance to great music, with great people, and burn a ton of calories without even realizing it”.   It’s a total workout, combining all elements of fitness – cardio, muscle conditioning, balance and flexibility.

As a Pilates and Yoga studio we focus on being a place where our clients can come in and have a great movement experience that leaves them walking out of our doors feeling better in their bodies then when they came in.  So when we were looking to grow our offerings and offer some cardio based classes in our studio… Zumba seemed like the perfect fit! Here’s our top 5 reasons why we love ZUMBA and are hoping you do too!!

  1. It’s Beginner Friendly! Never been to Zumba before? Don’t worry! Zumba is taught for the beginner in mind and it doesn’t matter if this is your 1st or 100th Zumba class.
  2. It’s never boring!  We all know that cardio can be boring some days.  Even though we know how good it is for our bodies and minds…It’s hard to motivate yourself to get that walk or jog in, it’s a challenge to jump on your bike or even toss in a DVD to do a workout.  The great thing about Zumba class is that it’s fun and before you know it you’ve been moving and dancing for 50 minutes, burning lots of calories and having fun at the same time!
  3. The Music!   The heart pumping Latin music will leave you feeling energized!!  It’s been proven that music can change your mood and make you feel better in your body and we agree!!
  4. It does not have to be perfect!  If you are someone who feels uncoordinated in a step class or always get those dance steps mixed up….it doesn’t matter.  You’ll find with Zumba that you can easily follow along even if dancing isn’t your best skill!  You’ll be encouraged to move at your own pace, do what you can and just keep moving to the music!
  5. The People!   Exercise with other people who are learning Zumba and getting their cardio in at Rivercity Pilates.   We laugh, we sweat, and most of all – we get healthier!

Are you looking for some fun cardio to spice up your workout routine? Then Zumba is just for you!

Check out our Zumba class schedule and click here to sign up for a class today!

  • Mondays at at 11:00 am
  • Wednesdays at 9 :00 am
  • Fridays at 8:00 am
  • Sundays at 9 am

 

 

Why do you always start with my feet?

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One of my newer private clients asked me the other day ago,” Why do you always have me do these exercises with my feet at the beginning of our session?”  The exercises I was having her do can be seen in the video below and use a small ball to roll your feet out.  She liked the exercises and was even doing them at home, and more than anything was curious about why I always had her do them.

My answer: Your feet, and the tissues and muscles in your feet have a direct effect on how the rest of your body moves! By starting with the feet we are giving the rest of your body the best possible prep to move it’s best and get the most out of your session.  As an example I had her do the ball exercises on one foot first.  Then she did a slow standing roll down to check in with how the backs of her legs felt.  She was amazed at how just by rolling out her foot, her muscles in the back of her leg on that side felt looser and less stiff!  If you haven’t tried this yet…go do it now!!

If you’ve never really thought about your feet in terms of how they impact how the rest of your body feels….it’s worth a little examination!  Join me for my Healthy Feet Workshop On Saturday, August 26th at 10:30 a.m. and learn why you should pay attention to your feet and walk away with lots of simple exercises and movements you can use to keep your feet healthy and happy!!