Tag Archive for: Pilates Iowa City

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!

#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!!

 

How can Pilates help me relieve stress in my life?

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Joseph Pilates knew the importance and power of our own thoughts. One of the fundamental ideas throughout the Pilates work is concentration.

Concentration refers to simply paying attention to what you are doing and how it feels in your body.

This means when your mind starts to wander and you begin to think about what you’re making for dinner tonight during your Hundreds exercise , bring your focus back to the exercise and the sensations in your body.

It sounds simple yet I believe that concentrating during Pilates is one of the hardest aspects of the work. We are all so busy and have so many things packed into our lives that it is hard to spend a whole session focusing on ourselves and our bodies. It is also one of the most beneficial aspects of Pilates, as it allows us to quiet our minds and relieve the stress of our day to day lives.

During your next session or class, try to work on your concentration and let us know how it changes your workout. When your mind wanders (and it will, probably a lot!), just remind yourself to come back to the present moment and focus on the task at hand. Know that whatever else is on your mind will wait until after your session and that by this practice of concentration you are truly giving your body a gift of health!

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