RCP-02

Joseph Pilates knew the importance and power of our own thoughts. One of the fundamental ideas throughout the Pilates work is concentration.

Concentration refers to simply paying attention to what you are doing and how it feels in your body.

This means when your mind starts to wander and you begin to think about what you’re making for dinner tonight during your Hundreds exercise , bring your focus back to the exercise and the sensations in your body.

It sounds simple yet I believe that concentrating during Pilates is one of the hardest aspects of the work. We are all so busy and have so many things packed into our lives that it is hard to spend a whole session focusing on ourselves and our bodies. It is also one of the most beneficial aspects of Pilates, as it allows us to quiet our minds and relieve the stress of our day to day lives.

During your next session or class, try to work on your concentration and let us know how it changes your workout. When your mind wanders (and it will, probably a lot!), just remind yourself to come back to the present moment and focus on the task at hand. Know that whatever else is on your mind will wait until after your session and that by this practice of concentration you are truly giving your body a gift of health!

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img_4474I was traveling this week and so besides getting my workouts in at home and the studio I got to practice a little travel Pilates. Travel Pilates for me is a combination of anything and everything I do in the form of movement to keep my body feeling healthy and happy when I travel. Here’s just a few of the things I do:

1. Airport Pilates : I know that sitting on a plane for almost 3 hours is not always my body’s favorite thing so I try to get my body moving and stretching before I have to sit in those every so comfortable little seats! I try to walk around just to be moving and then while I’m sitting at the gate waiting to board I sneak in things like:

  • Seating Hamstring stretches (I stretch my legs straight in front of me and hinge forward at the waist with a flat back)
  • Seated spine movements(like cat but sitting up!)
  • Neck stretches
  • Seated Mermaid stretches

2. Airplane Pilates: Once I get on the plane my space is of course limited a little more, but I still try to sneak some movement in. Here are some of my favorites:

  • Shoulder Rolls
  • Seated spine movements again!
  • Foot/Ankle circles
  • Using my Yoga Tune Up therapy balls to sit on or lean against
  • Wiggling and adjusting my posture!

3. Anywhere Mat Pilates: When I travel I try to sneak some Pilates Mat work in whenever I can. This trip I found myself sneaking in some Mat work while I laid on my pool chair soaking in some sun and watching my daughter play in the pool! I also like to just throw a towel on the floor or even lay on the hotel bed and sneak in some of my favorite exercises.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPfVPswgz89/?taken-by=rivercitypilates

I love that I can take my Pilates practice with me wherever I go by just getting a little creative! I consider my Pilates practice part of my self care plan that keeps me and my body healthy and happy even when I’m traveling!!

book-3Let’s start with the hospital question. I’m not sure how many times it has happened over the last 15 months that Kelly just never told me she had spent the previous night or day at the ER, the hospital or all day at doctor’s appointments before our session. The first few times when it happened I was in complete disbelief when I found out later. I haven’t been in the hospital for myself since my eight year old was born…. so to think that someone would spend a night in the ER and then come to their Pilates session and not even mention it to their Pilates instructor… was kind of unbelievable to me. It drives me a little crazy when someone forgets to write on their health intake form about the arm they broke 8 years ago….so forgetting to tell me you were in the hospital yesterday or even 2 or 3 days ago seems inconceivable.  Could someone possibly think that my planning of what we were going to do in a Pilates session wouldn’t be at all affected by a hospital trip?!

I’m what someone might call an intuitive teacher. So usually I make decisions about what my client’s session will be like as I’m working with them.  I pay attention to how they are moving when they walk in the door, how their body moves as we warm up and always adjust as I go.  So looking back on the days when Kelly “forgot to tell me”  I’m always hopeful that my intuition served me well and I didn’t do anything that left Kelly feeling worse!

Needless to say, I always start my sessions with Kelly with a quick check in question, “Have you been in the hospital or saw the doctor since I last saw you?”  It’s a little bit of a joke between us now and of course she knows me well enough that she is pretty good about keeping me updated on those things (like hospital visits) that could affect her movement!

The more I get to really know Kelly…. I finally am starting to get it.  I am starting to understand better why she might not even have thought to tell me or maybe just didn’t want to tell me about her hospital time. It’s a great lesson for me as a teacher in empathy and the value of truly getting to know someone so you can start to see things from their perspective.

Hospital time and doctor time is pretty much part of Kelly’s life. She’s in pain every day.  As much as she tries to just live a “normal” life, she can’t.  The effects of the Crohn’s are always there.  She doesn’t really know what it feels like to not be in pain or to not have to worry about her health.  Her amazing positive attitude and her drive to succeed in everything she does goes along way in hiding her struggles with Crohn’s, but it is always there.

What Kelly probably wants more than anything is to just be able to move, workout and live life without having to deal with all the crap that goes along with dealing with Crohn’s.  And I can’t blame her for trying to just keep going, thinking that maybe if she ignores it all it will just get better or go away.  As her teacher I try to remind Kelly that part of “our work” in life is to learn to deal with what we are given and make the best of it.  When it comes to her movement practice that means that she has to pay attention to her body, acknowledge how it’s feeling on any given day and she needs to think of movement as a tool to make her life better and not just a workout.  That’s all a lot easier said than done, and I know that.  So I’ll just continue to remind her and we’ll practice in our sessions incorporating these ideas into everything we do!

Be sure to check in to our next blog where I talk about the second question I always ask Kelly at the start of each session: “How much running and biking have you done since I saw you last?”

 

 

Upcoming Workshops:
Pilates Cadillac Teacher Training
Two workshops – 12 hours $450

Saturday February 18th  12 pm to 6pm
Saturday, February 25th 12 pm to 6 pm

Prerequisite: Completion of Module 1 (Pilates Mat training)

  • Complementing the Pilates Mat & Reformer is the repertoire of the Cadillac/Pole System. This adds an array of exercises to give the teacher additional tools to use when working with clients. We will look on proper technique, modifications for client issues and compensations, safety, teacher spotting and anatomy as it relates to the exercises
  • This workshop will give you the tools to teach Cadillac/ Tower System individually as well as in a small class setting
  • Training Manual: $25
The highly regarded Body Precision Teaching Training Programs specializes in teaching the classical Pilates method of exercise to any body.
For more information, click here or schedule a time to talk in person with Carey about training opportunities.
Contact us at: rcpilates1@gmail.com or 319.665-2499.

friendilatesOne week into Friend-ilates and my challenge to myself to attend more classes and I’ve gotten 1 class in…and my rock star partner has gotten 4.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed in myself, but I’ve decided I’m not going to go down that road.  I’m going to look at the success I had throughout the week, evaluate why I didn’t get more sessions/classes in and keep at it!

I actually had two different times last week when I was planning on taking a class at the studio and at the last minute something came up at the studio that I needed to take care of.  As a business owner, this type of situation is not new to me and I really don’t mind.  I love owning a business, getting to do what I love and getting to work with amazing staff and clients every day. I know that along with all those perks there are the occasional “unexpected moments” that have to be dealt with.

From a personal standpoint though I realized this week that I need a back up plan.  My goal was to get in 3 classes or sessions each week, to be a student 3 times.  When my original plan didn’t work, I kind of just forgot about getting those sessions in as they were not in my schedule and life got busy!

pilatesanytimeSo this week I am creating a better plan, which includes back ups to traditional classes at the studio! I am putting in my schedule classes on Pilates Anytime.  I love Pilates Anytime because I can take a class anytime that works in my schedule.    But clearly I need to schedule it or it doesn’t get done.  I also scheduled myself for group classes at the studio, hoping that between the two I will get all of my img_0436“being a student” time in!!

I would love to hear what you do to ensure you are getting your movement time in?  Do you have a back  up plan for when things don’t work out like scheduled?

 

 

 

 

Image result for joseph pilates tribute images
Movie Night!
 Friday, January 27th      6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Life Inspired is what we call our “night out at the studio”.   Sometimes we exercise, sometimes we chat, sometimes we watch a movie — and sometimes we do all of the above!    Life Inspired is free to the community (you don’t have to be a Rivercity Pilates student to attend) but we do ask that you sign up so that we’ll have enough popcorn and chocolate!
Join us for an inspiring movie night!  We will be watching,
A Tribute to Joseph Pilates
 (…including popcorn, wine and chocolate….)!
Joseph Pilates Tribute – trailer CLICK HERE        (2 minute trailer)
Sign up online: Click here
 Call the studio at 319-665-2499 or sign up at the front desk.
It’s okay to just show up too!
This is a free event and you’re welcome to bring a friend!