Tag Archive for: Pilates Cedar Rapids Iowa
The shape of the OOV is engineered to match the natural spinal curves of your body. (that’s why it looks so silly!)
The OOV can be used in a variety of positions to help us do movements and exercises. The most common position is to lay with your back positioned on the OOV. The shape and the material the OOV is made of help create a lengthening or traction of the spine as you lay on it. After laying on the OOV and doing exercises on it and then coming off, many clients experience an amazing feeling in their back. For me, when I lay on the mat after getting off the OOV it feels like my back has lengthened out and is more connected to the mat underneath of me (which feels fabulous!).
The OOV is designed to help you activate and strengthen core muscles and is a great compliment to traditional Pilates exercises that Joseph Pilates created. The shape of the OOV makes it “wobbly” and that means when you are using it your body has to figure out how to use your muscles to stabilize your body to be able to practice movements while utilizing it. So pretty much everything we do on the OOV is balance training(woohoo!).
The OOV is commonly used in private Pilates sessions and in our small group equipment sessions. Since each session you take at the studio (private session or small group session) is designed uniquely for each person coming in, any day could be an OOV day. But of course you can always request to work on it by simply letting your teacher know!
Have questions about the OOV? Simply email me! Want to schedule a private session to try out the OOV or join one of our small group Pilates equipment sessions? I can help you schedule that too!
Small Group Yoga with Shuva
Wednesdays at 5:15pm
I am so excited to have Shuva Rahim teaching at the studio! When I moved to the area over 14 years ago and opened up Rivercity Pilates I met Shuva in a women’s small business group I had joined. At the time Shuva was growing her photography business and we were both trying to figure out what it took to run a small business!
Shuva has been a friend and supporter of my business since the beginning. She starting practicing Pilates with me at the original Rivercity Pilates location, she was our photographer for the very first photo shoot at the studio, she took some of my favorite family photos over the years and she is truly just a great human who I am honored to call a friend. Be sure to check out the photo collage I put together highlighting some of our memories together over the years!
Shuva describes herself as a newish Yoga teacher (she finished her RYT 200 training in August 2022) who wants to share her love of Yoga with the world. She shares her love of Yoga with others by teaching and writing! Be sure to check out Shuva’s blog here.
Shuva is excited to be teaching a Friday night flow small group Yoga session designed to help you build strength, flexibility and kick off your weekend feeling amazing! This small group yoga session will be limited to 5 participants and will happen Wednesdays at 5:15 pm.
The Yoga flow session will focus on aligning breath with movement and learning to transition from one pose to the next. (If you are familiar with yoga you’ll recognize that this follows the principles of Vinyasa Yoga) Shuva will help you find adaptations and variations of poses that are perfect for your body.
Shuva’s small group sessions are designed for ALL bodies and you’ll be comfortable in this small group setting if you are a brand new to Yoga beginner or if you have Yoga experience.
Try a Wednesday night session for FREE in November by emailing us and letting us know which day you want to try the session!
Do you have 1 hour a week you could dedicate to yourself?
We live in a society that has conditioned us to think that if we can’t be at the gym 5 days a week, commit to 3 Pilates sessions a week or practice Yoga daily then it’s probably just not worth it.. This is the biggest lie you could tell yourself!
In fact as a movement teacher for 25 years I can tell you that I would much rather see someone start adding in 1 movement session a week versus 3 or 4 because the people that add in a once a week session usually create a habit of movement in their life that they actually stick with.
Probably the biggest “secret” to success when it comes to movement and exercise to create results(like improved strength, less pain, more ease in your movements..) is consistency!!
If you are waiting to start moving more until you have time for 2, 3 or 4 sessions a week it could be a year or two from now before you actually start!!
I promise that one session a week will help you build strength, mobility and just plain feel better in your body! I am so confident in that statement that if you decide to add a weekly session in and after 10 sessions you don’t feel better in your body...we’ll refund all of your sessions!
If you are brand new to Pilates or it’s been awhile since you’ve practiced be sure to check out our complimentary intro session!! We would love for you to experience what a regular Pilates practice can do for your body and your life!
If you’ve been curious about exploring Pilates in your body…this is the perfect chance to try it out by signing up for a FREE introductory session! Click here to schedule a time that works for you!
Are you new to Pilates? Here’s a quick description of the Pilates method of movement:
Pilates is a mind-body exercise developed in the 20th century by Joseph Pilates. He and his wife Clara taught students this unique method of exercise. They called it ‘contrology,’ which teaches and encourages controlling your muscles with your mind by focusing attention on core postural muscles that provide spinal support and help keep the body balanced. Pilates’ exercises were developed to teach breath awareness, spine alignment, and abdominal muscle strength.
We love to introduce people to Pilates! These sessions are geared for anyone who wants to learn more about what Pilates is all about! We’ll start the session with a general talk about what Pilates is and the different ways to practice it. After that we’ll get you moving so you can experience the method in your body. We’ll review the fundamental concepts and ideas we use in Pilates and encourage you to try some Pilates exercises. You will get to try out some exercises on the Pilates equipment!
In your session your teacher will show you how to adapt each movement to your body to make it most effective for you. It will be a fun, informative session that let you explore the Pilates method in your body.
Do you take any Pilates or movement props with you when you travel? I love hearing about what clients decide to take with them on the road. Email me and let me know what you’ve taken with you when you travel!
Some of the most popular items I hear clients talking about taking with them this summer have been their resistance band and their massage therapy balls! The resistance band is small, lightweight and takes up no room at all! It allows you to do supported stretches, practice your Pilates Mat exercises with support and feedback and can be used for general strength exercises.
The massage therapy balls are great for rolling your tired feet (extra walking on your trip?) and can easily be used while sitting in an airplane, in a car or at a hotel up against a wall to give tight, tense muscles some relief.
If you are new to Pilates you might be thinking…. Oh I don’t exercise when I’m on vacation…that’s my me time! Or maybe you can’t imagine wanting to take Pilates with you on the road? I get it…
Here’s the thing you need to know:
The people who take their Pilates with them on the road aren’t doing it because they feel the need to not miss a one hour workout, they are doing it because they have discovered that by doing some simple movements in their life even when they travel they can keep their body happy and feeling great so that nothing slows them down in enjoying their life!
Practicing Pilates has taught them that paying attention to their body and using movement as a tool in their life is something they actually want to do all the time, not just when they are at an exercise session!
If you are new to our community and are intrigued by this idea of wanting to move more in your life…email me and I can help you set up a complimentary private session to introduce you to Pilates!
Have a great week and as always reach out if you have any questions about Pilates movement, studio offerings or anything else!
