I am talking to Lolita San Miguel on a warm Florida day for her, and a dark Swedish evening for me.  She is happy eating macadamia nuts while she talks to me and apologizes for that….but she has very good manners and I tell her it is okay.  The purpose of the interview is to talk about the International Pilates Heritage Congress, an event in Mönchengladbach, Germany started just a few years ago by Lolita that has become tradition for many Pilates lovers.  This year it will be held on May 1-3. I know Lolita as a down-to-earth and generous woman of great poise, who at 80 years old is in stunning shape – a shining example of the potential results of Pilates.  Her constructive and encouraging manner of teaching has inspired many.  She is, however, no softy, she is definitely of the ‘old school’ persuasion of strict discipline and respect.  Oh yeah, and she also has a sharp intellect.  As always, I have tremendous pleasure in spending time with Lolita, and we jump right in.

The very beginning

“It all started in 2009, when Claudia Holtsmann, a young woman from Germany showed great enthusiasm for joining my mentor program, but as a single mother could not travel, and asked if I would run the program there.  Because she lived in Dusseldorf, which was close to Joe Pilates’ birthplace Mönchengladbach, I agreed on the condition that we celebrate Pilates Day (first Saturday in May) in that town.  She agreed wholeheartedly, and we set forth to do just that.” “Come event day, I taught a large class of perhaps 150 participants.  Given the turnout, my impression was that they had come to honor Joe.  But in fact, when I spoke to them personally, I realized they had come for a free class, and had no idea who Joe was! The fact that he was unknown in his own birthplace deeply affected me.” For those that do not know, Lolita had the great fortune of studying personally with Joe and Clara as an apprentice, alongside Kathy Grant.  She relates her experience with Joe that makes her discovery in Mönchengladbach more poignant.  “When I was doing my apprenticeship with Joe, he was always there working, but he had what I called his ‘good days’ and ‘bad days’.  On the bad days he moped and was depressed, disappointed that he had not accomplished what he wanted with the method.  He thought himself a universal reformer 50 years ahead of his time, and never doubted the validity of his method.  He had ambitions to spread it worldwide and worked hard to introduce his method into the military, schools and hospitals. To that end he even wrote to President Kennedy.  His sadness of having fallen short of his vision sometimes got the better of him, and on those days Clara gave comfort (She was always playing good cop), reminding him of his accomplishments and the many that loved them. Remembering this, and seeing that people in his home town were unaware of him, I decided to take action.” On May 7, 2011, after a successful fund raising campaign and two years of dealing with German authorities, a memorial plaque by a talented Czech Artist was placed under a linden tree on the site of Joe’s birth place. The ceremony was held as part of the inaugural Pilates Heritage Congress, organized by Lolita.

The Pilates Heritage Congress

Specifically of the event and its history, Lolita explains that “we chose to have the congress at Haus Erholung in Mönchengladbach because it was so beautiful and perfect for the event.  The ballroom is ideal for large classes.  Organizing the Congress is extremely ambitious, and after doing so from 2011 to 2013 I realized that I just don’t have the staff and resources required to give an event of this size the attention it needs.  So in 2013 I asked Kathy Corey to take the baton, and I was happy that she accepted. Given the event’s size and that most attendees travel from other continents, we decided to downscale a bit, and the congress is now held every second year.  I certainly hope that we keep it going forever.  Kathy is very enthusiastic about it, though she tells me that it is a monster.  I certainly know it is a monster, but it is a nice monster, and I will support Kathy as long as I can.” This year’s list of presenters include of course Lolita and Kathy, but also Alan Herdman, Brett Howard, Michael King, Anthony Lett, Alexander Bohlander and Veronica Settepassi. “Our beautiful cast of presenters is similar to the last congress, we are fortunate that they want to come back.  They love the beautiful atmosphere, the energy and camaraderie present, but mostly it is the excellence of the congress which draws them.  We can pay only very little.”

Twelve hours is not a lot, Honey

I ask Lolita if she will be presenting this year, “I have twelve hours of presentations.” “Twelve hours! Geez!!” I exclaim in disbelief, thinking this is a bit much. “That is very little for me” she replies dryly, “in a normal event I teach for eight hours five days in a row.  So twelve hours over three days really is not much, honey,” she speak with her signature straightforward yet maternal manner. “Oh, all right,” I answer sheepishly, touched by the effortless yet exquisite charm she displays in that moment. Lolita continues, “I will teach two mat workshops (one with props), a reformer workshop, and then I will hold a history class with Brett Howard.” “And with what angle will you teach your mat class?” I inquire. “I like to teach ‘before and after the Hundred’.  I do not believe that you want to start, especially new people, with the Hundred, Roll-up and Rollover.  It is important that the spine is warmed up first.  You see, Brett, Joe wisely said that you are only as old as your spine is flexible, but people still think that the ability to touch the toes is equivalent to spine flexibility.  It is important to increase the awareness that rotation, lateral flexion and extension are also components of a flexible spine.  I incorporate this and footwork, Kegels, etc. when I teach in preparation for the Hundred.” And after the Hundred? “Upon finishing the mat workout, I like to have people reinforce their improved posture.  To me, Pilates means good alignment, and there is no sense in working for an hour and then walking out the door with the habitual kyphosisso prevalent today.  Before ending class, I have people work their shoulders, head and neck while standing – and THEN send them out the door. This I call this ‘Post Pilates’.” Body Walk In addition to the scheduled workshops, Lolita has an unofficial activity in mind.  “Sunday morning at 8, I will lead my Pilates ‘BodyWalk’ in the garden area, which is composed of a series of upper-body Pilates exercises while walking. It is a very enjoyable activity that gets people energized for the day.” “And you created this?” “Yes, I did it for my husband because he does not like to do Pilates, but he likes to walk. Knowing that there are many ways to skin a cat, this is what I came up with.  I have been teaching this for over twelve years.”

It’s a Wrap

With that, our lovely conversation comes to an end.  I am left wondering, what is not to admire about this lady? And the Pilates-Heritage Congress? Being that it is professionally organized, fairly priced and sports an allstar cast of presenters with deep knowledge, what is not to love there as well?  Your bonus for coming is the opportunity to meet the star of today’s interview.  In doing so, you not only will enrich your knowledge of Pilates, you will also enrich your knowledge on living with class.

Thank you Lolita, see you in Mönchengladbach!