Tag Archive for: small group Pilates and Yoga Classes

Inspiration of the Month Amber O’Rourke

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When did you start coming to Rivercity Pilates and what inspired you to start?

I started coming to Rivercity about a year ago, shortly after the birth of my third child. Though I lost the baby weight rather quickly, I definitely didn’t feel in shape and had heard many great things about Pilates. Specifically, I knew Carey from when my son attended preschool with her daughter so it felt less intimidating to start Pilates having known her outside of the studio.

How often do you take classes and what type of classes have you been doing?

It’s not easy getting to class on a regular schedule with three young children and a physician husband who works long hours, but I grab any chance I can to get to the studio! You’ll often find me at a Sunday evening Yoga or Barre class, but I also try to get to Tower and Mat classes once a week.

What benefits or improvements have you noticed in your body and life from doing Yoga and Pilates?

The biggest benefit for me has been the mental release of being a stay at home mom. For that hour I am in class my only job is to focus on myself. It’s often a challenge to leave “it” at the door, but Pilates and Yoga both require a physical and mental presence that force me to be in the moment. I’ve noticed a desire to take better care of myself all around since starting Pilates and getting back in to Yoga. I’m eating better and am slowly getting back in to running.

Do you have a favorite exercise or piece of equipment (or both)?

I really enjoy the Tower. Though it’s an intimidating piece of equipment to those new to Pilates, I quickly discovered that after each Tower class I felt as refreshed and rejuvenated as I do after a massage! I also like the challenge of doing “Seal” correctly. It appears easy but it’s actually quite difficult to rely more on the strength of your core rather than the momentum of the movement. Not to mention, it’s hard to take myself too seriously when moving like a seal!

What would you say to someone who is thinking about coming to Rivercity Pilates?

I would encourage anyone to try out a few private sessions at Rivercity. I was very intimidated to start Pilates but the individual attention at my initial private sessions gave me all the confidence I needed to start taking classes. The atmosphere at Rivercity is unique, I think, in that the instructors and members are very welcoming and helpful toward “newbies” and they do a great job of challenging you as an individual while also recognizing that each body has its own limits and capabilities that may even change from class to class.

How to perfect your Downward Dog

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In this video, yoga instructor Meghann Foster breaks down the traditional yoga pose Downward Facing Dog. Meghann explains what yoga instructors look for in the pose and offers several modifications to make the pose comfortable for different bodies.

Not ready to try a Yoga class yet or maybe looking to try Yoga out in a one-on-one situation before joining a class?  Rivercity Pilates offers private and semi-private Yoga instruction that allows you to create an individualized Yoga practice at your own pace.   Try a complimentary session today!

How can I keep improving my Pilates practice so I continue to see results?

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Most classes at Rivercity Pilates are designed to be all level classes.  Since we do not have really big class sizes, our instructors are able to teach classes that are a great workout for everyone while keeping everyone safe and not injuring themselves.  If classes are all levels you may wonder how do I keep progressing, making progress toward my goals of increasing strength, balance, and flexibility.IMG_2873

There are lots of little ways to increase the difficulty of any given exercise and challenge different bodies at the same time.

 

Here’s a few concepts we use as teachers( and you can focus on individually) to keep you progressing in your Pilates practice, even in a class or group setting:

1. Combining  strength,balance, and flexibility into every exercise and focusing on the components you need to create balance in your body and in each exercise.  Ever body is different and creating a balance of flexibility and strength in your body will be very unique to you in each exercise.  If you are extremely tight, flexibility may be your individual focus on a particular exercise.  If flexibility is not an issue for you, you may be working on how to maintain stability or increasing overall strength.  Pinpointing particular areas you need to work on can help you fine tune each exercise and get the most out of every movement.  If you are unsure, ask your instructor to give you some feedback on areas that would be good for you to focus on.

2. Working level can be described as how big of a range of motion you can do on each exercise and still execute the exercise as perfectly as possible using the appropriate muscle groups.  Working level is your challenge point of an exercise.  As you get stronger and create more balance in your body this working level will increase and you will be able to do larger movements that continue to challenge your body.

3. Flow– By flowing one exercise into the next one we can increase the difficulty of individual exercises.  Flow also requires the coordination of your breath into these movements.  As your strength,flexibility and balance increase, you will find it easier to transition from one exercise to the next.  By taking less “breaks” in between exercises you will continue to progress in your improving your strength, flexibility and balance.

4. Coordinating Breath with each movement.  The thought process of coordinating the choreography of the exercise with a specific breath pattern can really take the exercise to the next level.  The mere act of concentrating completely on what you are trying to move, how your body is aligned and how you are breathing can increase the “work” of the exercise tenfold!

The wonderful thing about these four tips, is that they work for any type of movement or exercise- not just Pilates!  So try them out in your next workout and let us know if they helped you challenge yourself safely and effectively!