Just like many other Pilates Teachers, I come from a professional dance background. I had been teaching ballet to students, professionals, adults and children for a long time before I started my Pilates journey. It was in 2003 that I took the BASI(r) Pilates Teacher Training Course with Rael Isacowitz, the founder and director of BASI(r) Pilates.
I only took a few Pilates sessions before I enrolled in the course, but from the very first session I felt that this was a method which would not only be beneficial for my own aging dance body, but also enrich my experience as a dance teacher. And truly, Pilates itself and Rael’s approach to the work in particular made me look at movement in a completely new way. As dancers we work with our body every day, it is our tool, but what do we really know about it? Back in the days when I was training and starting my professional dance career, ballet teachers spoke about “pull your stomach in”, “move from your center”, “reach out with your hands” etc. etc.. We all did it by practicing the movement over and over, but nobody really explained to us how the movements functioned anatomically.
By taking the BASI(r) Pilates Teacher Training Course I learned to look at the muscle focus of each exercise, which muscles are stabilizing, which are moving. Studying in this way has not only formed my Pilates teaching, it also had a huge impact on my dance teaching. Incorporating anatomical structure in my teaching enhances the students’ knowledge of the of their bodies, including their muscular actions involved in the exercises. Happily I see the result that they in a more connected manner, and I find I am able to drive home what “move from your center” really means and involves.
Such great results in my own body and in those of my students motivated me to go further in my Pilates career by joining the BASI(r) faculty in 2006. In 2009 I moved to Munich to open my own studio and to take responsibility of the franchise operations for BASI(r) covering Germany and Austria. This progress has continued, as just this year I have also taken on the representation of BASI(r) Pilates in Switzerland and the Scandina (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland). I love what I do, I love to teach the BASI(r) Pilates Teacher Training Courses and to share my years of teaching experience to anyone who cares to listen.
The clientele in my Pilates studio is diverse, including an 84 year old lady, a 70 year old professional singer, young dancers and teenagers. A common trait among all of them is their curiosity about how the movement of their body works. Their lack of knowledge sometimes surprises me, but then I think back to the start of my dance career, and remember how similar I was.
An added benefit of this added dimension of understanding is that it helps my students develop a deeper connection to their own body. They start to see that “no body” is perfect; they develop a better understanding for their pain and alleviates any associated fear and anxiety. I have truly seen in action that………Pilates is really a mind-body technique!
I have seen dramatic improvements in many clients after coming to Pilates. One had been unemployed for 2 years due to negative 
messages she sent out in the interview process. We found the cause to be emotional barriers, but by exercising in an intelligent manner we were able decrease the impacts through the organic construction of confidence and consciousness.
One lady was able to regain her sense of balance after a serious car accident; today she rides with her bicycle to the Pilates classes. Another one of my clients suffers from asthma, and she was able to reduce her daily intake of medication to a minimal level. I even have seen Pilates to be a starting point to cope with both anorexia and obesity.
I would obviously not go so far as to state that Pilates was the sole reason for these success stories, but I have no doubt that Pilates played a huge role, perhaps by opening a door through my these persons could choose a different path.
Witnessing and being a part of such dramatic growth of understanding and the benefits that follow gives me tremendous satisfaction. I love my job. I ask you, is there anything more wonderful than to see a person’s uncontrolled movement progress to graceful and conscious exercise with the aid of Pilates? I can guess your answer….but now, it is time to get back to work!
Words by Natascha Eyber
Learn more about Natascha at www.basipilates-natax.net.