Tag Archive for: small group Pilates and Yoga Classes

Are the results of Pilates like wearing a corset?

What can Pilates do for me?  Can it get rid of my stomach, tighten my butt, slim my thighs?

When you are in the movement, fitness, Pilates business these types of questions can always be expected.  So expected that I, like many teachers have some standard responses where I tell potential new students,  “of course it can”, followed by professional explanations of how the exercise method if done regularly can produce just the results they are looking for.  But I have to tell you…the longer I teach the harder it is for me to stomach saying these lines. Not because they are wrong, but because I really don’t believe the value in learning a movement practice like Pilates is in the results they are asking about.

I’ve been where these women who are asking me these questions have been…looking for the next best thing to help them get into a smaller pair of jeans or look how you think society wants you to look.  I quit obsessing about weight, worrying about what size I am or trying to fit into society’s ideals a long time ago. I do think my career as a movement instructor was instrumental in that process in my life and I’m forever grateful for that.  I have an eight year old daughter and even though I try to be a great positive body image role model for her, I already am finding that I can’t shield her from thinking she needs to be “skinnier”, go on a diet, or even “lose her stomach” (yes she’s 8 and actually mentioned to me she just wanted to lose a little bit of her stomach???!) and it drives me crazy! What I really want more than anything is for her to appreciate the amazing body she has, stay active and healthy by moving in ways she loves and not fall into feeling like she is always trying to “fix herself” to meet other people’s standards.

So when someone asks me one of those questions about losing an inch from their waist….my heart kind of aches because I can tell that they are still in that place of “trying to fix themselves” or get their body to some “ideal place” that doesn’t exist. Here’s what I want to say when someone asks me about losing their stomach, tightening their butt, or slimming their thighs:

The answer of course is yes — any regular movement program combined with healthy eating can accomplish those things…but is that really what you want?  You are beautiful and have a body that lets you live life.  It might not be perfect or what you see as ideal, but the reality is it is amazing!

If you make it a priority to take care of it by moving in ways you enjoy you will be happier, healthier, and you’ll learn to love yourself for the wonderful you that you are! 

You will feel better in your body and I think that’s what most people are really looking for.  What if you looked at learning Pilates as a way to do something good for your body, a way to grow yourself as a person as you learn more about how your body moves, and a health tool that helps you feel better in your body and happier in your life?

5 Things Not to Expect at Pilates!

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Thinking of trying out Pilates or starting an exercise program during the pandemic?  Here’s our list of the top 5 things NOT to expect during your Pilates virtual Pilates session!

1.  Don’t expect to feel bad about not exercising or not being in as good of shape as you think you should be.  It happens to everyone and we will help you realize that getting back into shape is easier than you think.

2. Don’t expect to be so sore that you can’t walk down the stairs or lift your arm to brush your hair.  We know that exercise does not need to leave you in pain to be effective.  You can expect to get a great workout that is perfect for your body! 

3.  Don’t expect to do the same exact thing every session.  Each class or session is designed to meet your needs on any given day and those needs are constantly changing. Expect us to tailor your exercises to your body and continually challenge you with new variations and movements.

4.  Don’t expect to be able to do everything perfect the first session or even your 100th session.  (I know….this one is hard for most of us and especially if you tend to be a perfectionist!!) Pilates is designed to safely challenge your body and your mind so that you can continue to evolve to the best you!

Try not to be so judgmental toward yourself and KNOW that the benefits of Pilates are more dependent on you doing it on a regular basis rather than how perfectly you do it!

5.  Don’t expect to dread coming in to the studio to exercise.  In fact- most of our clients look forward to coming in!  (this may be hard to believe if you have always been a person who just doesn’t like to exercise- you’ll have to trust us on this one!)

Ready to try out a complimentary virtual Pilates session at Rivercity Pilates?   Contact us today to set up your first session!

Why add a foam roller to your Pilates routine?

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Ever wonder what the big deal is with foam rollers?  They seem to be everywhere and so many people are talking about why they love them. We kind of think they are amazing too and wanted to share with you why you might want to consider adding in the foam roller into your Pilates practice!

  1. Core Strength.  The shape of the roller makes it just enough unstable that when you lay on it…your core muscles have to activate to keep you from falling off!  What this means to you is that you work your core muscles more and you don’t even have to think about it.
  2. Balance.  Balance is something we can always improve.  By adding in the foam roller to traditional Pilates exercises you can challenge your body to work on it’s balance in new ways.
  3. Getting rid of tension and tightness.  As a teacher I can tell you once of my biggest challenges is teaching clients how to work less in some places and how to reduce tension.  The foam roller can be a great tool used to roll out tight muscles and fascia.  When those muscles and fascia are released the rest of your exercises become better and you can do them more efficiently, creating balanced strength and flexibility quicker in your body.
  4. Life skills.  I always think of my Pilates time as “training for life” time.  I exercise so that I can move through life without getting injured and feeling great in my body. Life is not usually predictable when it comes to movement.  You need to be able to adjust when you accidentally step on a rock that twists your foot or have to balance on your tip toes to reach something on the top shelf.   Challenging your body to move in a variety of ways is always a good thing. Adding in the foam roller to your Pilates exercises challenges your body to have to move and react in different way than what you typically would in each Pilates exercise.   By mixing things up slightly and asking your body to do things a little different with the foam roller you can prepare it better for the unexpected movements that happen in life!
  5. Variety. Variety keeps you from getting bored and maybe not focusing as much as you should. Adding in a prop like the foam roller creates just enough change to an exercise that you can’t just space off and do it like you usually do!  You really have to pay attention and check in with the whole body to do the exercise well! Increased focus often means we move better, engage more muscles properly, and get more out of each exercise.  It also is a great stress reliever! 

If you are interested in what the foam roller could do for you, we have the perfect class:  Beginner Friendly Foam Roller Pilates Mat! This beginner friendly class will give you a fabulous Pilates workout while incorporating the foam roller!  You’ll have fun, and learn some ways you can use your foam roller as pat of your Pilates practice, and learn how to use it to stretch and lengthen tight muscles and fascia throughout your body!  

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW7pPPSHA7I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Inspiration of the Month – Kathleen

Kathleen Knutson IOM
Inspiration of the Month
Kathleen Knutson

When did you start Pilates and what inspired you to start?
I starting taking Pilates classes at Rivercity a little over a year ago. I had sporadically taken large group mat classes over the years at various gyms but was looking for a smaller studio to get better instruction on the proper form of Pilates.
How often do you practice Pilates and what type of sessions or classes have you been doing?  
I usually take 2 classes a week, one equipment and one mat. I would like to fit in one more this fall/winter per week as my schedule allows.
What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Pilates? 

I’ve really noticed positive differences in my balance, range of motion and strength. Especially in my neck and core.  Core strength is important to me because I have moderate scoliosis.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?    
Any exercise that involves stretching my spine one way and then the other are my favorites. Feels great!
What would you say to someone who is thinking about doing Pilates?
Pilates is a great alternative to traditional strength training such as cross fit or HIIT.  There’s less risk of injury.  Cardio is also very important.  I very much enjoy taking Jazzercize classes in Cedar Rapids too.

Meet the Instructor: Dominque

Dominque teaches hatha yoga at 8am on Saturdays!  

Tell us about yourself / your family. 
I am the oldest of three, the only girl. Grew up playing sports and going on lots of camping trips. I grew up in the Northwest, so I am used to the rain, pine trees, and people who commute to work by bicycle. I love the ocean, not the white sandy beaches most people imagine, but the rocky cliffs of the Oregon coast, full of tide pools, sea lion coves and often shadowed by overcast weather. I broke a lot of bones as a kid, some were the fault of my younger brother (I’m terribly competitive) and others were the fault of my own wildness. Dad taught me to be tough, I remember walking home from the park near my house after a spill, and then being in a foot cast the next day. My mother and I look the same, especially when I’m home for the holidays and raid her closet. I moved away from home rather young because of ballet, but we’ve always been a close family. We have a lot of matching pajama sets, its our traditional Christmas eve gift. Last years theme was polar bears, the year before that I think was red and green plaid- makes for a very organized Christmas morning family photo. 

Describe yourself in 5 words.
Confident. Self-critical. Passionate. Adventurous. Artistic.

When/Why did you start practicing Yoga?
I began my yoga journey my first year at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s professional training program, as we had yoga classes bi-weekly as cross training. My first year in the program I had issues with a reoccurring injury and self-confidence, but I was lucky enough to have a phenomenal yoga teacher who recognized my struggle and nurtured me. I began to take yoga daily and it provided the balance I needed in my life.

Favorite restaurant:
Barley & Rye, it’s a farm to table restaurant in the quad cities

If money were no object, what would you do all day?
Dance!!

Why did you become a Yoga teacher?
I wanted to share something that I know works with others

Describe why you love Yoga in three words.
It feels good.  

Would you rather hike or bike?  
Hike

If you could live anywhere in the world — where would you want to live?
New Zealand

What are your favorite ways to incorporate movement into your life in addition to Yoga?
Dancing! Also, anything outside, I often take my yoga mat to the park, I love biking, hiking, I recently went kayaking for the first time in the Adirondacks, that was pretty neat

Do you have a guilty pleasure?    Something that is generally looked upon as wrong — but you keep doing it?
I eat peanut butter straight from the jar!

 

 

Tips for Pilates teachers from my 14 year old son…

My son just turned 14, and like any 14 year old boy one of the first things he wanted to do is get his driving permit.  As a parent having my kid driving kind of terrifies me, but I knew that I wanted him to be a good driver and the best way to give him those skills was to get as much practice time as possible.  So I made a pact with myself to try to go out daily with him to start the learning process.  I figured I am a natural teacher…I spend my days teaching movement and Pilates to clients who often have no movement experience at all….how hard could teaching driving be?  I made a vow to be as patient as I could, try not to yell and give him lots of positive encouragement.

Before I tell you more, let me say overall I love our driving practice time.  Caden and I don’t share a lot of common interests these days and I feel like as he gets older it’s harder and harder to find things we can do together. I always feel like our driving time connects us a little more and I really enjoy it. That being said…I’m not going to lie….the first few times we drove were quite the experience.  Very quickly I realized I was not in control and there was only so much I could do to help him figure out what he needed to figure out.  I had to figure out how to calmly use my voice and my words to help Caden figure out what he needed to do, when he needed to do it and how he should do it.  So many times I wanted to be able to push the break pedal or turn the wheel for him…but I couldn’t!

I drive so much that I truly had forgotten what it was like to be starting from the beginning to learn to drive!  I had to go back to the basics and walk through all of the things that I do without thinking…gradually speeding up and slowing down (instead of slamming the brakes!), when to turn on your turn signal, how to keep your eyes on the road but still be aware of traffic behind you, knowing your speed limit, etc. And even bigger than instructing him on all of that stuff I have to give him time to practice and use what I’m telling him without freaking out too much!  As long as safety is not an issue..I kind of have to let him figure out things by practicing imperfectly.

And if me feeling very out of control wasn’t enough…he started asking questions while he was driving…How times should I turn the wheel when I turn? Is it a quarter turn, half turn or what?  How does the car work when you put it into reverse?  Is it illegal to drive without shoes? Those are just a few of the ones I remember because I did not have a quick answer for them when he asked.

This whole experience reminds me of watching my new teacher trainees as they start to learn to teach Pilates and movement to others.  By the time the trainees are teaching others they are very experienced with the movements in their own body and have a great understanding of what the goals of the exercise are and technically how do it it..but the challenging part comes when you have to teach someone else how to do it.  The teaching path is never as easy as just tell them how to do it …   Everyone learns differently so you have to prepared to give lots of different ways for a clients to learn something in their body.  And then even harder is you have to give the time and space to figure it out.  You have to let them do it “wrong”  or “not exactly perfect” as long as it’s not going to hurt them so that they can learn what they need to do.  And you can’t overload them with corrections and explanations or they will get frustrated and probably not want to keep trying!

Here’s a quick list of my favorite teaching tips I was reminded of by my son:

  1. Be prepared to have lots of different ways to teach each exercise.
  2. Keep them safe first.
  3.  Once you’ve presented the exercise and the information…let them practice and practice and practice and practice.
  4. Don’t overwhelm them with corrections.
  5. Give lots of positive feedback when they do something correctly.
  6. Be prepared to answer questions (that may or may not really affect them learning the skill you are teaching)!
  7. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t “get it” right away.  One of your most important jobs as a teacher is to make the experience fun, enjoyable and encouraging so they stick with it.  Any new skill takes time to learn, they will get it eventually if they stick with it!