A “slept wrong” morning & Pilates magic…

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Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and immediately know that you “slept wrong” ?  By “slept wrong” I mean you wake up to immediately find that the muscles in your back or neck hurt and it hurts to move? I had one of those days this week.  It was an early morning for me as I had 5:30 am clients, and when my alarm went off at 4 something I immediately knew I had “slept funny”.  The muscles around my right shoulder blade were kind of screaming at me and it hurt and ached when I did even a shoulder roll.  I wasn’t too concerned as I just assumed that it was caused from how I slept and that eventually it would go away.

I played with moving my shoulder and arm as I got ready to go into the studio and it was feeling slightly better when I went in, but it was definitely still there and not feeling great.  After getting to the studio I decided that I was going to do some Reformer work with my morning clients.  As I often do before I teach I decided I just wanted to jump on and do a little of the work I was going to teach.  This always helps me connect with the work and just get my brain ready for teaching(especially at 5 in the morning!)  I wasn’t sure how any of this was going to feel on my shoulder, but decided to try it anyway.

So I did my Footwork, my Hundreds, and then when I got to the Short Spine exercise something amazing happened.   I could feel the pain in my upper back and around my shoulder blade going away a little more each time as I rolled down through my spine.  I know the power of movement to balance and even heal the body, but I am still utterly amazed every time it happens in my own body!  I think I did about 15 or 20 Short Spines that day because it felt so good. I was loving just the time to really feel how the exercise and the support of the equipment allowed me to articulate through my whole spine and lengthen out all those tight muscles that had been causing me pain!

If you aren’t familiar with the Short Spine exercise on the Reformer I included a quick video of it below.  Although it looks intimidating at first most clients end up LOVING this exercise as it really supports your body and allows you to move through your back in a way that decompresses your spine, lengthens your muscles and feels pretty amazing!

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Start with Why..

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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!!

 

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Perspectives & Pilates Pants

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Book-15As you may know, I’ve been making an effort to take more classes at the studio versus just working out on my own. As a teacher there are so many benefits to getting to be a student more and I think one of my favorites is perspectives.  I find myself just noticing how what the teacher is saying and doing effects how I’m moving.  I’m aware of how those extra little motivating words and words of praise make me work a little bit harder (much more than if I were just working out on my own). I notice how I push myself to do those last few reps even though I really don’t want to!

I’ve also been noticing my pants! When it’s just me working out,  I don’t have to worry about mooning my neighbor during roll ups because the waist of my Pilates pants is sliding down. When it’s just me I could care less if my shirt flips up and my belly shows.  But I have caught myself so many times in a class setting adjusting my clothing because I don’t want to offend anyone in class!  I’ve definitely become more aware of my clothing selection on days I’m taking a group class.  It’s reminded me that having a good high waisted pair of comfortable workout pants and a shirt that covers everything…. can really help me pay attention to my movement practice more!    And yes it’s helping me justify any money I spend to find Pilates clothes that aren’t just cute but comfortable and functional too!!

Really though, it reminds me that it’s important to be comfortable when you are working out.  When you are distracted by anything, including what you are wearing, you’re not spending as much time focused on the important things!!

 

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Travel Pilates

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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!!

Practice What You Teach: Pilates Back up Plan

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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?

 

 

 

 

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Friend-ilates

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img_4942One of my goals for the year was to be a student at least twice a month.   As I am finishing up the week I realized that I already snuck in a Yoga class and a Pilates mat class and I’m feeling like maybe I was a little cautious in my goal setting.  I like to be realistic when I set a goal but I have to admit I’m feeling like I could have set the bar a little higher. Soooo….

I’m jumping right into this next week by making what feels like a huge commitment for me!  I’m partnering up with my friend and fellow Rivercity Pilates staff member Shelley O for Friend-ilates!  Friend-ilates is a studio promotion where we are encouraging friends to partner up for accountability and a chance to win some great prizes! Our goal is  40 classes or sessions total between the two of us before the end of February.  That’s 20 times of “being a student” for me in less than 2 months.   Have I mentioned how little I actually take a class or session (rarely!) and how often I just workout on my own (usually!).

I do love a challenge and I kind of love how out of reach the goal seems to me! I feel like those moments in life when we push ourselves to do more than we even imagine what we could do are the moments we grow the most.  So here go!  Be sure to check in next week and see how it’s going and definitely ask me about it when you see me at the studio!!