1. What am I trying to accomplish and

2. What are the steps needed to get to that ultimate goal?

I will sit with my eyes closed and SEE my body MOVE into the position. In my mind I am really GOOD at using all the body mechanics and in such perfect form! Oh if only my reality was the same.

So after slowing down and closing my eyes, I begin to visualize a LIGHTBULB over my head. I start to get some light coming in and filtering down to the body where the mental awareness of my body mechanics are making better sense. The light may be dim at first but as I take it through the above process, it becomes brighter and brighter until the LIGHTBULB “POPS” into an

EXCLAMATION POINT! By George, I think I’ve got it!!!

The Exclamation Point will be challenged when I do the intermediate or advanced form of the same exercise. So my process will begin again. But that is what I love about Pilates; endless challenges.

I would also like to share my MOMENTS that I try to stay alert to throughout my day.

1. Ah-Ha Moments; that is the light bulb turning on and creating an awareness to be focused on at that moment.

2. Hurrahhh Moments (sense of ahhh in that moment); when my body really feels the ah-ha. Mind and body are working well as a team.

3. Ha-Ha Moments (I try for as many as possible); these are moments that come from the belly laugh which is a sneaky way to find and work the transversus abdominus!

4. Duh Moments; when I will gently tap the side of my temple saying “why did this take me so long”.

5. At the end of all this comes a big TA-DA Moment of pure joy. I like to throw my arms into a big “V” and look up in wonder as I say out loud “TA-DA!.

6. AHHHHHH MOMENT- A time to be quiet and release my thoughts….But just for a moment.

Scottie Johnson

]]> http://www.pacificnwpilates.com/blog/impressions-from-a-pilates-student-the-mind-body-connection/feed/ 1 http://www.pacificnwpilates.com/blog/pilates-has-made-a-difference/ http://www.pacificnwpilates.com/blog/pilates-has-made-a-difference/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:31:00 +0000 Leslie Braverman http://www.pacificnwpilates.com/blog/?p=720 As you know, Pilates has certainly made a difference to me.

A masseuse told me several years ago about one of her clients saying that Pilates had transformed her body.  I went to that Pilates studio because I had been having trouble sleeping from pain in my shoulders, hips and legs and when gardening I would end up with hobbling lower back and hip pain.  I was also having pain from yoga postures even though I had practiced for years.  The Pilates studio helped me understand how my posture and walking were causing me problems.  My sleep improved and I no longer had pain when gardening.  But they were unable to answer many of my questions, I still had many physical issues, and I felt more was possible.

A chiropractor referred me to the Pacific Northwest Pilates studio and I found my answers.  Now I am stronger, feel better, and understand more about my overall body structure, alignment and posture, and how those affect how I feel.  I also know what exercises will help my particular problems and what to avoid.  At first I had great difficulty even comprehending how certain body movements could be made and Leslie would not only have to demonstrate them to me, but also she would have to move my body as apparently my mind and body had lost all awareness of how to do it.  Fortunately, it would usually take only a few weeks of practice for my body to remember.

I came to realize that the root of my problems were the results of major surgery in 2000-2001, along with chemotherapy, radiation, and a PIC line in the right arm for 6 months, and probably also from birth trauma, childhood habits, and major surgery in 1976.  My body had found ways to compensate but I had never realized exactly what was happening and what were the lingering effects.  Pilates is giving me that awareness and the means to work on changing how my body functions.  I have a long way to go, I still have some pains, and some of my structural restrictions limit how much strength I can gain yet, but I now have the tools and the help I need to improve.  I am more able to feel how my body should move and I get results when I do my home exercises.  I take a reformer class that helps me practice using my body correctly.  The class also brings to my attention any restrictions I have not yet dealt with and when that happens, I have found that a private session focused on that issue always provides me with the answers for the problem.  I no longer feel at the mercy of the unknown, I have some control over how my body feels.  To me, it’s a miracle.  One that would not be possible without the guidance of the Pacific Northwest Pilates studio.

Thanks You.

My name is Hannah Walker and I’m a high school Junior interested in talking with you about teaching, your training, and your experiences owning a studio, to find out a little more about working as a Pilates instructor.

I am planning on coming to your studio for my Pilates certification and would like to learn more about your instructors as well as your thoughts on the STOTT PILATES method versus other teaching styles.

A little background about myself. I was a serious ballet dancer from age 4 until 15 and discovered Pilates through my dance studios. I stopped dancing ballet but have enjoyed taking some modern classes since then and I still continue with Pilates at Pilates Plus Northwest as well as Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis at Center Gyrotonic. My objective is to obtain my Pilates certification before I graduate high school, and eventually obtain my Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis certifications as well.

I know you are very busy, and don’t always have the time to meet with people. I thought that perhaps it would be more convenient if I emailed you some of my questions, and you can get back to me at your leisure.

Hi Hannah:

Actually, I didn’t choose STOTT PILATES, it chose me, and I am feel very fortunate about that. I decided to begin taking pilates classes after acquiring a dance injury (a stress fracture to my left tibia) that wouldn’t heal. It is a long story, but, in essence, I ended up missing nearly a year of my dance career while I was at Oregon Ballet Theatre. During that time, one of my co-workers (another dancer) suggested that I go with her to do pilates. The instructor had also been a dancer and she was a certified STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer. Well, I had studied pilates in New York City many years before, so this particular style was unfamiliar to me, but as soon as we started going to classes, I fell in love it. I especially liked how anatomically- based it was. My teacher had been educated to work with injuries, and she worked very specifically with me on my imbalances and weaknesses; I began to realize that many of which may have instigated my injury. After I finally returned to dancing after being off for months, I was shocked at the amount of strength and over-all control I had gained. Even my co-workers were amazed.

It is difficult to find positions available that offer full-time work and benefits for pilates teaching only. Typically, in the United States, pilates instructors are self-employed. Nevertheless, those jobs do exist. At large gyms, clubs or resorts, you can find salaried or set hourly positions like this. Sometimes workers have multiple roles to acquire this employee status. For example, you may be a pilates instructor at a large gym and also do personal training or administrative work. At any rate, I think one of the benefits of pilates is that it can be taught in your own home. Because the equipment and initial investment is relatively low, compared to many start up businesses, a certified instructor can do really well. Also, many studios rent space and equipment to certified pilates instructors to run their own business within.

Depending on where you live, pilates can be very competitive or relatively unknown. Certainly, it is more popular than ten years ago, but that can also work to a new instructors advantage; the public does not need to be educated about what pilates is or its benefits like teachers had to do a decade ago. I think an instructor that is considering a career in pilates should do some homework about the region that they intend to work in prior to acquiring their certification. He or she should look seriously that the region’s demographics and if it can support a teacher. Also, I have seen excellent pilates teachers thrive in areas that are not typically supportive of a business like pilates, but because of the individual’s personality, talents and skills as a teacher he or she excels anyway.

Income varies widely depending on the region in which you live. An instructor that I know in Los Angeles makes over $80,000 per year. She doesn’t work at a studio but instead has built a business catering to the affluent people in that region. She requires her students to purchase STOTT PILATES equipment, and she teaches them in their homes. She is an excellent instructor and uses word-of-mouth referrals to gain new students.

I am not sure that this same kind of business could thrive in a city the size of Portland. There are people in this city with this same level of affluence, but compared to population there are fewer. Also, the Portland mind-set is completely different than L.A.

In a city like Portland, an excellent, hard-working, full time teacher (30-35 hours per week) can probably earn about $45,000-$60,000 per year, depending on their circumstances (if they are a business owner and how many hours they work.)

I think an Exercise Science Degree could be helpful to someone interested in pursuing a career in pilates. In fact, I have met many college students getting a degree in Exercise Science or Physical Therapy pursue the pilates training as a means to be employed while in school. Because of the ability to have a flexible schedule and be self-employed as a pilates instructor, it is a great job option that is complementary to their academic pursuits.
Business courses are definitely helpful to individuals considering opening a studio.

Yes, word-of-mouth referrals are the primary way that we acquire new students. Initially, when we opened our studio, we had to invest money into print advertising, conventions, and offer ongoing specials and discounts etc. After about four years in business, we found that most of our clients were finding us through referrals and on the internet. After seven years, we discontinued all of our print advertising. Having excellent instructors and keeping our clientele happy has been the best way to build loyalty and a consistently positive reputation in our area.

Thanks, again, Hannah, for contacting us. I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to meeting you one day.

Thanks much,
Leslie

Hi Leslie/Melanie,

I love your Pilates Blog, and I have learned lots from it. I have attended Melanie’s workshop in Toronto; she is a great and skillful instructor trainer.
I have a few obese clients that come to take Pilates. What kind of cues or images would you give to them for engaging their Pelvic Floor muscles & Tranversus Abdominis? For clients with soft tissues around the waistline, would you be using imprint position most of the times for them to engage abdominal muscles?
I would like to hear your advice & comments.

Thanks
Jeff

Response from Melanie and Leslie

Hi Jeff:

Thanks for your great question. Melanie sent me some of her best cues, and I have added a few of my own. Here it goes:

When working with obese clients, it is important (as with all students) to give them lots of visual and sensory feedback. They can visualize drawing their abs and pelvic floor muscles in to a point in the center of their pelvic bowl or a couple of inches in front of the sacrum (S2). Advise your client that they should not feel any gripping or rigidity when they recruit their abs properly.

When first teaching them how to find and recruit the pelvic floor, try having the student sit on a stability ball. This way they may be able to feel the muscles of their pelvic floor in contact with something. In this position, they can lean slightly forward or back to feel either the anterior or poster muscles of the pelvic floor working more. This may be a good place to start them out. If the ball is too unstable, have them just sit on a chair and do the same thing.

In addition, you may be more successful sensing if they are, indeed, finding their pelvic floor and transversus abdominis by having them work in a four point (cat stretch, starting position). If you are able (and the client is comfortable), you can place your hands just on the inside of their hip bones (ASIS) to see if they are drawing those muscles inwards and flat. Because gravity is helping you to see if they are drawing up their abdominals when they are in a four point, cat stretch position, this may be a more successful way for you to help give them feedback and “see” what they are doing. They may put their elbows on a box if this is better for their wrists. Because of their own weight, often finding pelvic floor and transversus abdominis in supine is too difficult; the cat (four point) position will help you see (and feel) what their back is doing and help you determine if their muscles are working (i.e. if you see them lift toward their spine, away from the pull of gravity.)

The timing of recruitment is important. You may wish for them to completely relax (allowing their abdominals to “let go”). Then, cue them gently lift their pelvic floor (teach them how to do this sitting on the ball first, as mentioned before). You should see no change in their spine, pelvis or sacrum when they engage their pelvic floor. In addition, you should not feel their back get rigid. Also, when they engage their pelvic floor, ideally, you should see or feel (if you are able to palpate) that the lower abs gently lift in and flatten in the direction of the fibers. If they are very weak, you may, in fact, have to cue them to also think about gently using their tranversus abdominis– often it will fire properly if their pelvic floor is working. Check to make sure that they are not recruiting their obliques prior to their transversus abdomins by noticing if their back gets rigid or if you see them “cinch in” at the waist prior to flattening their lower abs.

Also, keep in mind that doing things in a closed chain position may really help. Give your student more feedback by having them do abdominal work while their arms are pulling down against resistance (i.e. midback work on the cadillac with their legs over an arc). This will do two things; help close the chain, and pre-tension their transversus abdominis to fire. Because the latissimus dorsi, obliques and tranversus abdominis all feed into the thoracolumbar fascia, this can be a great way to “trick” the abdominals into working. You can either have them pull the arm springs down as they do ab prep, for example, or just have them hold tension on the strap (hover arms above the mat with tension) while doing ab work. It is even a great way to have them pick one foot off the mat at a time with their head down, do hip release, do hip rolls etc. If the arm springs are too heavy, you can also tie the flexband around the cadillic upright bars instead.

As always, keep in mind that you will need to be very encouraging to these clients. Refer to the alignment of their bones when correcting them and try to give them a mental image of what by showing them pictures of the muscles and bones or showing them a skeleton. We find that students that are overweight often appreciate being educated about what is happening at an anatomical level. You will have to be aware certain cues may make them feel uncomfortable or seem insulting. For example, constantly telling them to just “pull their abdominals in” when they really don’t feel what you are talking about at a muscular level and, perhaps, already have a complex about their weight, will be very discouraging to them. I expect you are already keen to this, since you are working to find other ways to cue.

We hope these few ideas will be helpful! Thanks for reading our blog; we love the great questions and look forward to hearing if others have any great ideas too!

Thanks, Leslie and Mel

This weekend, I treated myself to a great massage with a couple of friends. It was designed to be a treat for a friend who has had some serious health issues, but I realized about half way through the massage, how much my body needed this. Places that are chronically tight, become less proprioceptive. The body shuts down some of the feedback mechanisms otherwise we would be bombarded with pain messages throughout the day. As this area becomes less “aware”, it also becomes less “intelligent”. It doesn’t move as well as it should because we have shut off communication to those tight spots. What a good massage does, is bring much needed stimulation and blood flow to these affected muscles. The massage will also help to lengthen and stretch the tight areas and restore a better range of motion to those muscle groups. Suddenly we are able to move with more freedom and control and we wonder why we don’t do this more often!

I can’t afford to get a massage every week or even every month, but I do resolve to get one more often. It’s not a luxury–it’s a necessity!

Yoga which means “union,” is a highly sophisticated system of whole-body integration. It has a physical component, the asana (postures or poses) that promote toning and strengthening muscles, flexibility and range of motion, balance and relaxation. It generates motion without causing strain or imbalance in the body. It also asks for a full union of body, mind and spirit, so you can’t be distracted while doing yoga–you need to be fully present. Yoga is a spiritual practice, providing tools to help quiet the mind, become more grounded, and live in harmony and tranquility.

Pilates, on the other hand, is an exercise form developed by Joseph H. Pilates during World War I. The Pilates method emphasizes building strength and improving posture, balance, coordination and stamina. The exercises can be done on the floor (mat-based Pilates) and on specialized equipment. Designed to strengthen, stretch, and stabilize muscles without building bulk, Pilates can benefit anyone. In Pilates, emphasis is placed on ensuring that the movement is done fluidly, but, accurately: The quality of the movement is more important than the number of repetitions completed.

So, what are the similarities between the two methods?

• Both methods facilitate deep concentration and integration of the whole body. Often described as the mind-body connection, this leads one to be fully present and in the moment
• Both improve alignment and posture and create a sense of balance in the body.
• Both forms are excellent for injury prevention. Both promote healing and help facilitate recovery from injury.
• Both are interested in creating a sense of energetic flow through the body, facilitating grace, poise and coordination.
• Both forms have been “tried and tested.” They aren’t just some new fitness fad.

What are some of the main differences?

• Yoga adds a spiritual element to the mix. The Indian sage Patanjali wrote the yoga sutras thousands of years ago, describing the spiritual and philosophical path of yoga.
• Yoga takes a holistic approach to the body, while Pilates focuses on a specific area called “The Powerhouse.”
• Pilates improves flexibility by fluidly moving the limbs in their full range of motion against a stable base of support, while yoga improves flexibility by lengthening muscles during dynamic poses (asanas).
• Yoga offers tools to aid in relaxation, relieving stress, and meditation.
• Breathing is very important in both forms, but the technique is different.

Why is the combination so beneficial?

• The concentration required in a Pilates workout really helps build the focus that is required for doing the yoga asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation.
• The focus on precision and movement technique, emphasized in Pilates, assists the yoga student to work more correctly.
• The asana in yoga give the Pilates student a broader scope of practice to apply stability and good technique.
• The stronger core body developed in Pilates, gives the student confidence to go more deeply into their yoga practice, more safely.

Practicing both Pilates and Yoga, gives a student more tools for developing a whole body that is vital, aware and adaptable.