Am I physically ready to become a Pilates teacher?

, ,

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.

 

Why do you always start with my feet?

,

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!!

 

Who loves to learn new things? (me, me me!!!)

, ,

One of the things I love about my own Pilates practice is that I’m always learning.  I’m learning how to move better in my body, I’m learning to listen to my body, I learning about the anatomy of how my body works and how I can use that knowledge to feel and move better, I’m learning to use alignment to help my body function better and I’m learning why various movements are so good for me.  I think it just motivates me to keep moving, playing and progressing in my Pilates practice and in life….the more I know.  I often get similar feedback from clients at the studio and I truly believe this “education” part of moving is what makes Pilates, Yoga and any movement in your life much more than just a workout.

As a studio we decided that we wanted to be able to keep this learning and educating portion of your exercise sessions front and center so that you too would be more motivated to stick with it, more motivated to learn how to do the exercises best in your body and keep excited about your movement practice.  So we’ve planned out a whole year of learning for you!  Each month we’ll have a different topic or idea that is relevant to movement that we’ll be exploring.  We’ll blog about the topic so if you love to learn by reading…you can get some extra knowledge and then your movement teachers will tie in the value of each topic into your class times and session times at the studio.

This August, the first month, we are going to be exploring breath.  Breath is an integral part of any mind body movement practice and we’re going to be exploring why!  We’ll look at how we breath and the muscle activation, we’ll explore how breathing helps us move better, and we’ll give you practical tips on how you can improve your breathing in the studio and in your daily life.  We’re pretty excited about getting the chance to explore breath and other movement ideas in more depth and we hope you are too!!  Get ready to learn, play, and be inspired to do more in your body!!

Summer Movement Challenge Continues till August 31!! 

The studio chart is full with client names participating in our summer movement challenge!  We had to add an extension to it! We of course love it when you get to the studio to get your favorite classes and sessions in, but we are also challenging you to enjoy the summer weather and take some of your movement time outdoors!!  It’s not too late to get started. The challenge doesn’t end till August 31!

Do you feel a little awkward getting on and off the #Pilates reformer?

,

picture of pilates reformer.If you’ve been on the Pilates Reformer you know it is an amazing piece of Pilates equipment. It is supportive, yet challenges you and it really helps your body do so many different movements that create strength, flexibility and balance in your body. You also probably know that it’s not always easy to maneuver on the reformer. And by maneuver I mean get into position for an exercise and transition to the next exercise. It often can make the most fit person feel clumsy and awkward as they are trying to figure out how to best get on or off the Reformer or practice their transition between exercises. So don’t feel bad if you too have felt this way!

In fact, as a teacher I encourage my clients to celebrate this awkwardness, celebrate the way you have to think about and strategize about the way to best get up or down from the reformer, celebrate how you have to focus to maintain your balance and not fall as you try to gracefully stand up while leaning on the moving carriage. Why celebrate? Celebrate because transitions on the reformer teach our body to transition in life. They challenge our bodies in sometimes unexpected ways…which is what I like to think of as great training for life.

What do you want to be able to do in life? Reach down and pull weeds in your garden? Sit down on the floor with your kids or grandkids and then be able to somewhat gracefully get back up? Catch yourself when you step on an unexpected object that causes you to lose your balance. Learning to get on and off the reformer with control and grace will help you maintain your mobility, flexibility and strength and will help you train for those life skills!!

So next time you are feeling a little awkward transitioning on the reformer change your thought process. Think of the transition as part of the exercise that you are practicing. Just like it takes practice (lots of it) to be able to do your Teaser, it takes practice to learn how to transition between exercises. Remind yourself there is value in being able to transition between movements and even in awkward positions. Remind yourself that every time you practice those type of movements in the controlled, safe environment at the studio you are better training your body to avoid injuries in your daily life activities. You are keeping your body agile, training your balance and training body to move better in any situation!

Could an exercise studio really become one of your favorite places?

, , ,

As a Pilates teacher and movement nut I can tell you I love to talk about mindful movement and the benefits of Pilates in your life.  But I can tell you as a studio owner the reason so many clients tell me they love our studio has nothing to do with the quality of our teaching (and our teachers are fabulous!… I have some of the best trained, most amazing movement teachers around on staff.) The number one compliment I get from clients is about the amazing community that exists within our studio walls.  That’s right…the community, the tribe of people who consider Rivercity Pilates one of their home away from home places.

You see, very few people actually enjoy exercising (surprise right?).  But most of us know how important regular movement and exercise is to living a long, happy life and so we try to incorporate it into our life.  So even though I know our clients appreciate our highly trained, knowledgeable instructors, I truly think the the reason they keep coming back and the reason they are so successful at consistently adding movement into their life is because of their RCP tribe.  Their Rivercity Pilates tribe gives them support, connects them to others, and makes them laugh every time they are here.  Their Rivercity Pilates tribe makes exercising fun!! 

We all need a tribe or two in our life.  We need people outside of our immediate family and friends who share similar interests, are going through similar things and who are just fun to hang out with.  And what could be better than a tribe who is just like you…just trying to live your best life by balancing out healthy habits like exercise while  juggling families, juggling careers and just trying to enjoy life.  

Personally, our tribe, our community at Rivercity Pilates is probably the thing I’m most proud of when it comes to my business.  I absolutely love to come to work and get to check in with clients and see how their week is going, I love that I get a chance to really know clients which in turn helps me to better help them reach their health and fitness goals.  I love how friendly everyone is to each other and how supportive everyone is.  I love that clients chat and laugh with each other throughout class.  I love to see class participants catching up with each other before and after class.  

Are you looking for a tribe? Are you one of those people that knows they need to exercise and move more but sometimes just can’t motivate yourself to do it? We would love to introduce you to the Rivercity Pilates tribe!!  Get started by scheduling a one on one session with one of our amazing teachers or start with a complimentary group class.  We would love to meet you!!