Meet Shelley & Pippin

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FullSizeRender (14)We have a little dog named Pippin. He came into my life much like Pilates did…unexpectedly! We weren’t expecting or planning to get another dog after losing our beloved lab of 13 years…maybe we should just be pet-less for a while, I thought. But, a friend posted Pippin’s photo on Facebook with, “Free to a good home”. My husband and I both asked each other, “Did you see that dog’s photo on Facebook? Isn’t he cute?” and then, “Should we go see him?”. Needless to say, we brought him home with us the very day we met him!

He was a bit of a challenge at first. He was a year and a half old when he came into our home and those formative years were spent in a large family and his “puppyhood” was somewhat undisciplined. He needed some attention and re-training for some bad habits and just a lot of love, consistency, and patience to build his confidence that we would kindly teach him and give him a new and loving home.

I unexpectedly found Pilates again in 2012, after many years away from it, when driving on Hwy. 965 in North Liberty. Did I see that sign on that building that said “Rivercity Pilates”?  Wow! I thought…so close to home and I remember loving Pilates! But, I was undisciplined, hadn’t been exercising, and my confidence in starting something new was very low…and like Pippin, I had some bad habits! I’d have to start at the beginning, meet new people…would they be patient with me and would I feel at home there? I was going to be a challenge…just like Pippin!

I went home and Googled Rivercity Pilates and really liked what I saw on the website. I got up my courage and made the call to schedule my complimentary Private Pilates session with Carey. I was nervous, but excited. I felt undisciplined and lacked confidence, but Carey was very patient with me. I kept going pretty regularly and I became stronger and more confident. I had rediscovered a form of mind-body exercise that I loved and gradually, (like Pippin new to our home), I became more comfortable and more at home at the studio, and more importantly, in my body! A year later when I couldn’t come to the studio for almost 9 months I missed it so much and couldn’t wait to get back to a regular Pilates practice. Now, I’m really “at home” with Pilates and anxious to keep learning more.

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Shelley and Carey

Hopefully, my Pilates practice is maturing from “puppyhood” to the next level that is within my own abilities and strength, but with a gradual increase in knowledge of the methods and sequence of movements and how they feel in my body. Just like Pippin, I’ve learned to be more comfortable and feel at home…him with us, and me with Pilates.

Unexpected? Maybe not! Pilates coming into my life like Pippin coming into our family? Yes, I think they were both meant to be.

So, what’s next for me? Pilates Teacher Training starts tomorrow! Can’t wait for my next unexpected journey!

I have to do a performance test??

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As part of our instructor training programs participants complete a performance test.  I always tell everyone there is no failing this test!  The purpose of this test is that you can do the Pilates work in your body.  I don’t care if it’s not perfect or the most super advanced version – I want to know that you know your body and have an established practice that you can adjust to your body!  After the test(which is really just you practicing Pilates) we may talk about why you did an exercise a certain way or how what you did was different from the traditional exercise as Joseph Pilates taught it.

Like all the tests in our program this test is designed to be a learning experience.  It is designed to encourage you to keep up with your own personal practice so you can continue learning and growing and progressing!!

[tweetthis remove_hidden_hashtags=”true”]Does a #test to become a #Pilates #Instructor Scare You? It Shouldn’t! [/tweetthis]

The video above highlights Cassie Cumings-Peterson doing her full Pilates Mat work as she completed our comprehensive training program.  After Cassie completed our comprehensive program she went on to take the Pilates Method Alliance Certifying test to become a certified Pilates instructor!

You can find Cassie at Northwoods Pilates and Wellness in Ankeny, Iowa sharing her love of Pilates!!

Why Pilates instructors should touch their clients…

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IMG_6734As a Pilates instructor I use touch on a daily basis as a way to help clients move better, learn new movements and to just remind them what muscles to use or not use.  I do it so often that I usually don’t even think about it.

I had a moment the other day ago that reminded me how simply powerful touch can be.  Ironically this moment happened in the middle of an instructor training workshop day where I  had just been talking to new trainees about using touch as cueing in their Pilates teaching!

My moment started with an unexpected problem with a class that was supposed to be happening at the studio during the same time period I was teaching a workshop in our instructor training program.  We had clients waiting for class but no instructor.  As a studio owner I can tell you that sometimes this happens.  I can also tell you that the perfectionist in me hates it when my business comes across as unprofessional, and we don’t deliver to our clients the best experience possible.  As soon as I realized the problem I went to work on trying to solve it in the most appropriate way possible, checking in with another instructor to sub, apologizing to the clients and trying to make everything right.

Somewhere in the middle of that one of my clients who was taking the workshop came over and simply put her hand on my shoulder.  I obviously wasn’t hiding my frustration of the moment! For that 2 seconds that she did that I could feel my shoulders relax, I had an immediate sense of awareness of my stress level and was able to take a second or two and remind myself that it was really no big deal. Nobody was hurt, everyone was being very understanding and it was simply a mistake that we would get through.  All that from a simple touch.

CareyteachingWhen I’m teaching new Pilates instructors I see and feel their fear of touching someone that maybe they don’t know quite that well.  We spend a fair amount of time going over appropriate cues, asking permission and how to cue so it doesn’t feel awkward.  I encourage them to practice with their practice teaching clients so they get comfortable with touch because so many times it is the most effective cue and is far more effective than just using your words.  When done properly it can put someone at ease, help them engage the correct muscles and make the exercise more effective for them.

Click here to learn more about Pilates instructor training programs at Rivercity Pilates!

 

 

#1 Job Perk

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Can we talk about inspiration? Through my own self discovery process I’ve learned that I am motivated by inspiration (big surprise for those who know me…).  I love to inspire others to live their best lives, inspire others to add more movement to their life, inspire them to be happy, and just to see their full potential.  The beautiful thing about teaching Pilates is that most of the time I get the better end of the deal!  The more I get to develop relationships with clients and help them in their movement journey, the more I’m inspired to work on mine.  Let’s face it – it doesn’t matter what you do for a living,  we could all use a little extra motivation to take care of ourselves and our health!

IMG_4249Case in point?  My morning workout today.  It was a beautiful fall morning and I was super excited to get up and get a morning run in.  When I got home I decided it was way too nice to plop on the floor to do my Pilates, so I threw a mat(actually it was a blanket folded in half…) on the deck and decided to do some mat work.  I decided to do the full advanced Pilates mat work order (similar to what I had just taught the day before in my Return to Life Mat class).  I have to be honest – I don’t often do the entire mat sequence for many reasons.  First of all I often don’t have time to get the whole thing in and second it’s hard!!  Sometimes I start to do the entire sequence and stop part way through or just do my favorite exercises skipping those that are more challenging or I don’t especially like.

But today I was inspired to do every exercise and not let myself skip things.  When I even considered skipping something I reminded myself of my inspiring clients.  I have clients in classes who have been coming since I started the studio over 6 years ago and I could count on one hand the amount of times they’ve missed their regular Pilates class, they are truly dedicated.  I have clients who have have had knees replaced, hips replaced, back surgeries and countless other injuries or obstacles but they continue to come back and do amazing things with their Pilates practices!  I have clients with insanely busy professional and family lives yet they find the time to make their health a priority!  I have clients who really just hate to exercise and/or sweat but they do it anyway!  I didn’t skip an exercise, and as I finished I realized how grateful I am for clients that inspire me and allow me to mentor them in their Pilates practice.  As a Pilates instructor, my inspiration and my #1 job perk, is all the clients that come to Rivercity Pilates.

To all of my amazing, inspiring clients:  Thank you for motivating and inspiring me!!

If you love movement and inspiration and are considering a career teaching Pilates I would love to connect with you!  Contact me today and set up a time to learn more about instructor training programs at Rivercity Pilates.

 

Shelly’s Story: 12 months of Pilates Teacher Training

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IMG_1933Today, as I finished another tally sheet for my teacher training log book, I realized that I have been on the road to becoming a Pilates instructor for just over a year. Wow, how the time has flown! Knowing that I have let other things in my life take priority over Pilates in the past month, I decided to take this opportunity for some self-reflection. So, I set aside my long, ever-present to-do list, and reflected on what I have accomplished in my first year in the Body Precision Comprehensive Teacher Training Program, and where I want to focus my energy in the upcoming months.

Before moving forward, I took a few minutes to look back at why I decided to go through the Body Precision Comprehensive Teacher Training Program….
I decided to go through the program for both personal and professional reasons.  On a personal level, I wanted to learn the method in more depth and refine my own practice.  I enjoy learning on my own, but do best when I am part of a structured program, so the Body Precision Comprehensive Teacher Training Program seemed like the best way for me to take my practice to the next level.

On a professional level, I wanted to learn the method so I could incorporate Pilates principles and exercises in to my work as a physical therapist. Pilates incorporates many principles that are familiar to me as a physical therapist and I think the method will be a good addition to my practice. It was important to me to learn the method in more detail before incorporating it in to my professional practice.

Then I thought about what I have accomplished in the past year…
I completed all of the workshop hours and a little less than half of the observation hours, practice teaching, and lessons required for the comprehensive program. More importantly, I gained a deeper understanding of the Pilates method and learned what most of the exercises feel like in my body, or at least what they feel like right now.   And, most surprisingly, despite adding more “requirements” to my life, I found better balance. Better balance between work and personal life. Better balance in my emotions. Better balance in my body.

What has been my biggest challenge in the past year?…
Time!   When I contemplated starting the teacher training program, I was concerned about the amount of time I would need to dedicate to the program. I have a full-time job, and then some. I had just finished a 4 year graduate program, had a paper to revise, and had a fall class to teach. Did I really have time for Pilates? Maybe I needed to slow down and take a break. Was I really ready to jump in to another commitment? Well, I decided to take the plunge and I am glad I did. Finding time to dedicate to Pilates has been a challenge, however. I try to combat the challenge by scheduling time each week for observation, practice teaching, and my own practice. And when all else fails, I remind myself that even if I get in as many hours as I would like each week, I am still making progress.

Where I want to focus my energy in the upcoming months…
Getting back to scheduling time for me! Fall is a busy time of year for me, much like it is for other people…. It is back-to-school time (I teach a physical therapy class in the fall semester), football season (Go Hawks!), and a busy time of year for work-related conferences. Amidst all of the other demands on my time, I want to get back to making Pilates a priority on my schedule. I always feel great when I walk in the studio… the hard part is putting it on my schedule.  So, for the next few months, I am going to focus on getting Pilates on my schedule at least three days a week!

Shelly
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Keeping Pilates Fresh

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IMG_6149I’ve been teaching Pilates for 15 plus years and the whole journey has been filled with learning and growing (which is part of what I love so much about the profession).   People often ask me how I remain passionate about Pilates or if Pilates gets monotonous for me.

I’ve taken endless hours of continuing education, workshops, conferences and online training.  I’ve taken lessons and classes with a variety of instructors and master instructors.   As much as I love all of those learning opportunities I think the most important teaching tool I use in my teaching is what I like to call “playtime”.

Playtime for me is what some might call my own personal workout time, yet I see it a little differently.  Playtime is where I get to experience the work I teach day in and day out in my own body on any given day.  It’s a time when I get to explore the exercises deeper.  I get to try a variety of different adjustments to the exercise and find which one feels best in my body.

If a client has struggled with an exercise, my playtime is a time where I put myself into my client’s body and imagine what an exercise might feel like in their body.  I call it playtime because its fun and just like a kid playing times flies by and I barely realize that I’m actually “working my body”.

[tweetthis hidden_urls=”http://pic.twitter.com/nXPprcm21N” remove_hidden_hashtags=”true”]#Pilates #workouts should be #FUN! Love what you do! [/tweetthis]

For me having daily “playtime” is essential to my teaching.  It keeps my own body healthy, its refreshes my spirit and inspires my teaching!!  I often start my day with my movement practice but you’ll also catch me playing if I have some time between clients or classes at the studio.