Tag Archive for: Pilates North Liberty Iowa

#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!

If you enjoyed this post be sure to click like and share the knowledge with your friends and family!

#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!!

Crohn’s, Pilates & Life : Have you been to the hospital since I saw you last?

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book-3Let’s start with the hospital question. I’m not sure how many times it has happened over the last 15 months that Kelly just never told me she had spent the previous night or day at the ER, the hospital or all day at doctor’s appointments before our session. The first few times when it happened I was in complete disbelief when I found out later. I haven’t been in the hospital for myself since my eight year old was born…. so to think that someone would spend a night in the ER and then come to their Pilates session and not even mention it to their Pilates instructor… was kind of unbelievable to me. It drives me a little crazy when someone forgets to write on their health intake form about the arm they broke 8 years ago….so forgetting to tell me you were in the hospital yesterday or even 2 or 3 days ago seems inconceivable.  Could someone possibly think that my planning of what we were going to do in a Pilates session wouldn’t be at all affected by a hospital trip?!

I’m what someone might call an intuitive teacher. So usually I make decisions about what my client’s session will be like as I’m working with them.  I pay attention to how they are moving when they walk in the door, how their body moves as we warm up and always adjust as I go.  So looking back on the days when Kelly “forgot to tell me”  I’m always hopeful that my intuition served me well and I didn’t do anything that left Kelly feeling worse!

Needless to say, I always start my sessions with Kelly with a quick check in question, “Have you been in the hospital or saw the doctor since I last saw you?”  It’s a little bit of a joke between us now and of course she knows me well enough that she is pretty good about keeping me updated on those things (like hospital visits) that could affect her movement!

The more I get to really know Kelly…. I finally am starting to get it.  I am starting to understand better why she might not even have thought to tell me or maybe just didn’t want to tell me about her hospital time. It’s a great lesson for me as a teacher in empathy and the value of truly getting to know someone so you can start to see things from their perspective.

Hospital time and doctor time is pretty much part of Kelly’s life. She’s in pain every day.  As much as she tries to just live a “normal” life, she can’t.  The effects of the Crohn’s are always there.  She doesn’t really know what it feels like to not be in pain or to not have to worry about her health.  Her amazing positive attitude and her drive to succeed in everything she does goes along way in hiding her struggles with Crohn’s, but it is always there.

What Kelly probably wants more than anything is to just be able to move, workout and live life without having to deal with all the crap that goes along with dealing with Crohn’s.  And I can’t blame her for trying to just keep going, thinking that maybe if she ignores it all it will just get better or go away.  As her teacher I try to remind Kelly that part of “our work” in life is to learn to deal with what we are given and make the best of it.  When it comes to her movement practice that means that she has to pay attention to her body, acknowledge how it’s feeling on any given day and she needs to think of movement as a tool to make her life better and not just a workout.  That’s all a lot easier said than done, and I know that.  So I’ll just continue to remind her and we’ll practice in our sessions incorporating these ideas into everything we do!

Be sure to check in to our next blog where I talk about the second question I always ask Kelly at the start of each session: “How much running and biking have you done since I saw you last?”

 

 

Pilates Magic Circle Mini-Workout

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Introducing the core, inner thigh, and back of the arms Pilates Magic Circle Mini-Workout!


If you’re looking for a quick core-strengthening, arm-toning, inner-thigh workout . . . this is it! This magic circle mini-workout is a great workout to do at home in between your classes or as an addition to your at home workout. Try it twice a week and be sure to let us know what you think!

Need a Pilates Magic Circle? Stop by the studio and pick one up at our Inspiration Boutique!

The Inspiration Boutique is our studio retail store. We have a line of fashionable, functional workout clothes (including Lucy, Glyder and Rivercity Pilates gear) and an assortment of small at home workout equipment including the Magic Circle, foam rollers, and various balls and props.

Practice What You Teach: 2017 Goals

img_1626As we head into 2017 I’ve been thinking about my movement practice and contemplating what I would like to accomplish and experience throughout the year.  From a personal standpoint, I’ve decided that this year my focus is growth in all aspects of my life. What that means for me, is just a continual focus on the things I want to create more of in my life. It also means that I continue to hold myself accountable to goals and actions that keep me moving forward.

So what does growth mean for my movement practice?  I’ve decided that growth for me means being a student more, stepping outside my comfortable zone more and continuing to try new things.  I made it a goal to be a student at least 2 times a month. (That doesn’t seem like very many times but for someone who generally just works out on her own..that will take me some planning!)  I’m hoping to get in more than 2 of month but I like to be realistic and I want to be able to keep it up throughout the year so that’s my number!

I also want to include being a student of other movement practices besides Pilates.  I always love how experiencing other movement practices or workouts makes me appreciate my Pilates practice.  So I am making it a goal to try at least 6 completely new movement experiences throughout the year.

I look forward to sharing with you my movement practice throughout the year and as always I love to hear about what you are doing!! Please share!  If you have some suggestions for some fun new movement experiences I should try throughout the year…I would love to hear those too!