Tag Archive for: Pilates Coralville iowa

Valentines Pilates: Susan & Mike

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757c68fa-ddf2-4334-88b7-6e5e7410fb71This is the second post in our Valentine series about couples who practice Pilates together at Rivercity Pilates.  On Friday evening, February 17 at 6:30pm – our monthly “Life Inspired Get Together” will be free Pilates and Yoga session for couples!

How did you start doing Pilates together?  
Susan:  My sister and I were already going weekly and he’s off work Friday mornings.
Mike:  Couple of years ago

When you are out with friends/family, who is more likely to talk about their Pilates experience?
Susan:  Me
Mike:  Susan

Are you competitive with each other?
Susan.  I don’t think we’re competitive but I comment too much on his less than ideal form.
Mike.  in most things

fullsizerender28Do you keep each other accountable?
Susan:  Not really.
Mike:  She nags, I obey

How does it help you to exercise with your partner?
Susan:  We don’t otherwise exercise together. We have always walked together.
Mike:  otherwise I wouldn’t do it

How has Pilates influenced your overall health?
Susan:  Unquestionably, Pilates has improved my health overall.
Mike:  improved balance and posture

What is your favorite Pilates exercise?
Susan:  anything with the roller
Mike:  favorite is upside down push up

 Least favorite?
Susan:  Anything with the chair
Mike:  Anything with bands, balls, “magic” circles
What do you want to tell other couples about your Pilates experience?
Susan:  That we have a lot of laughs in there. The vibe is good.
Mike:  It’s not that bad
What 3 words would you use to describe your Pilates Sessions?
Susan:  Welcoming. Positive. Fun.
Mike:  Fifty minutes long

 

 

 

 

Should I take Pilates Private Sessions or Group Classes?

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The Pilates method of exercise is based on learning specific principles of breath, control, precision, flowing movement, centering, and concentration.   Learning the method is truly a process that is continually challenging you to connect to your body so you can learn to breathe more efficiently, move from your center, and create uniform development or balance in your body.

Every body and every personality learns differently and the best process for you to learn will be unique to you. There really is no right or wrong way.

We suggest starting your Pilates journey with 3-6 private sessions.  By starting your learning process with private sessions you have a chamermaid adjustmentsnce to learn the basic ideas and principles in a way that is very specific to your body.   These private sessions will give you a chance to learn the Pilates fundamentals such as how to breathe during your exercises, how to engage your deep abdominal muscles, and how to stabilize your hips and shoulders.

These sessions will also give you a chance to create body awareness about how your body moves, where your individual imbalances may be, and give you an idea of places you can focus and work on as you continue your Pilates practice.

After your introductory private sessions, how you continue your Pilates training is really up to you.

Private sessions offer complete one-on-one attention from your instructor and allow you to move and learn at your own specific pace.  Individual sessions are also great for fine tuning and making adjustments to your movements that are specific to you.

Semi-private sessions are a great way to work out with a friend and still get the individualized attention of a private session.

Small group classes are a fun, effective way to do a Pilates workout while still getting great adjustments IMG_2412and feedback from your instructor.

Some clients take just private or semi-private sessions, some take just classes, and many do both!  We suggest trying them all so you can find out what you enjoy the most.

Consistency is the key in creating an effective Pilates practice in your life, so try to find some regular times that you can put into your weekly schedule.

Do your neck and shoulders hurt after a day at work?

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Our reliance on computers has everyone worrying about the problems that extended sitting and computers cause on our bodies.    Try this mini-workout to give your shoulders and chest a stretch after a long day at work!

 

Carey Sadler, owner of Rivercity Pilates in North Liberty, IA demonstrates a simple exercise you can do to stretch the shoulder and chest with a medium weight Theraband.

#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Start with Why..

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!!

 

Pilates can help with your golf game!

Tiger Woods, Rocco Mediare, Phil Mickelson, Carin Coch, Annika Sorenstan, Camilo Vilegas, Richard Beem, Butch Harmon, Betsy King, David Duval, and Kelli Kuehne all do Pilates to improve their golf game.

What can Pilates do for your golf game?

1. Pilates will strengthen your core muscles.  The overall core strength gained from Pilates can help improve your swing by increasing your ability to stabilize your body as well as being able to initiate movement from those core muscles.

2.  Pilates will increase your flexibility. When you have more mobility in spine and  more flexibility in your muscles you can easily get more rotation. More rotation in your body makes for a more efficient, powerful golf swing.

3.  Pilates will improve your concentration.  Concentration is one of the founding principles of Pilates and every movement requires you to concentrate on exactly what your body is doing.  Concentration, like any other skill will improve the more you practice it.  Your improved concentration will allow you to fine tune your golf swings and make the most out of your game.

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4.   Pilates will balance your body and help you prevent injuries.  The Pilates method of exercise promotes uniform development of all the muscles in the body.  By creating balance in your musculature you can prevent overuse injuries which can be very common for serious golfers.

Learn more about the benefits of Pilates by scheduling your complimentary private Pilates session today!

Practice Your Pilates breathing!

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Joseph Pilates stated, “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.”

Proper breathing is the cornerstone of the Pilates method of exercise.

The Pilates breathing technique promotes learning how to use the full capacity of our breath by emphasizing a complete inhale and a complete exhale. There is also a focus on maintaining the engagement of the abdominal muscles throughout both the inhale and exhale which allows the body to strengthen the core muscles and create movement from the center of the body.

It is not an easy task to focus on proper breathing technique while executing the Pilates exercises and still keeping a whole body awareness of our alignment and form. Just remember that Pilates is a movement practice and every time you practice it will get easier and easier, and your body will naturally start to incorporate the breath and movements!

Today’s video will give you some reminders of how to execute the Pilates breath and give you some tips to practice. When learning or fine tuning this breath it may help you to just practice the breathing by itself without the added coordination of trying to perform specific exercises while breathing.

If you enjoyed the video be sure to click like and share it with your friends!