Issue #313 – Wednesday, October 7, 2020 5 Common Mistakes in Choosing Exercise for Scoliosis by Karena Thek You have a new client with scoliosis, and now you are researching the heck out of exercise for scoliosis. I get it. You are afraid of doing the wrong thing, choosing […]
Pre-Pilates and Beyond – by Christina Maria Gadar
Issue #312 – Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Pre-Pilates and Beyond by Christina Maria Gadar “I give people homework, like exercises to do in bed before you even put your feet on the floor in the morning. We don’t pop ‘em into a class and command them to do a […]
The Pilates Companion (My Pandemic Book Promo!) – by Lyn O’Neill
Issue #311 – Wednesday, September 16, 2020 The Pilates Companion (My Pandemic Book Promo!) by Lyn O’Neill During a world pandemic seems an unlikely time for a book to find its readership, but this has unexpectedly happened for a book I wrote and illustrated that was published in 2018 called […]
Mary Pilates – by Bonnie Hubscher
Issue #310 – Wednesday, September 9, 2020 Mary Pilates by Bonnie Hubscher Early in my Pilates career, and full of enthusiasm to share it, I held workshops to bring Pilates to people’s attention. Mary Pilates LeRiche was invited to be our honored guest speaker at one of these workshops and […]
Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus
Issue #309 – Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus I was a teacher of physical education and history at a Commercial High School in Austria from 1978 until 2017. In 2004, I started my Pilates education with Juliana Afram in Hamburg, […]
Position, Posture and Alignment – by Carol Robbins
Issue #308 – Wednesday, August 19, 2020 Position, Posture and Alignment by Carol Robbins Semantics is the branch of linguistics concerned with meaning. When we have a discussion with another person, it’s important that the words you use have a meaning that is agreed upon by both people or confusion […]
Taking a Walk with Joe! Excerpt from ‘Caged Lion’ by John Howard Steel
Above a pic of author John Howard Steel and Pilates Intel editor Brett Miller Issue #307 – Wednesday, August 12, 2020 Taking a Walk with Joe! Excerpt from ‘Caged Lion’ by John Howard Steel When summer came and the days got longer and warmer, Joe would suggest we take a walk […]
Teaching Tips for Tendon Stretch that are Rooted in Motor Learning – by Chelsea Corley
June 24, 2020 Teaching Tips for Tendon Stretch that are Rooted in Motor Learning by Chelsea Corley Teaching Pilates is an expressive art form. That is part of the beauty in what we do as instructors. It is so fantastic that the same client can go to several different […]
Ingredients of a Perfect Pilates Practice – by Mara Sievers
Issue #304 – Wednesday June 10, 2020 Ingredients of a Perfect Pilates Practice by Mara Sievers What comes to mind when you think of having a perfect Pilates practice? What’s the epitome of Pilates for you? Go ahead, close your eyes for a few seconds, and think of the first […]
Results of The Pilates Hot Topic #2 ‘Touching and Teaching’!
Issue #304 – Wednesday June 10, 2020 The Pilates Hot Topic #2 Results Touching and Teaching Comments: Sometimes in group classes i use a “body” to show the movement. To assist my client, sometimes to calm my client, sometimes to focus attention, and sometimes to give some reiki. We […]
Pilates for the Ageing Population – the Power of the Feet – by Amy Alpers
Issue #303 – Wednesday June 3, 2020 Pilates for the Ageing Population – the Power of the Feet by Amy Alpers I’ve been teaching Pilates for 30+ years now, and some of my clients have been with me nearly as long. Consequently, some are now in the “senior” classification. And […]
Motivation – A Critical Factor for Success by Adam McAtee
Issue #302 – Wednesday May 27, 2020 Motivation – A Critical Factor for Success by Adam McAtee The work of Pilates is vast; as time progresses, it may have a significant impact on one’s physical and mental fitness. However, one could argue that we only receive as much benefit […]
Joe’s Breaststroke by Reiner Grootenhuis
Issue #301 – Wednesday May 20, 2020 Joe’s Breaststroke by Reiner Grootenhuis There are certain exercises in our Pilates system which seem to be difficult when you do them for the first time … and they often stay difficult even when you keep on practicing them. For many of us, […]
Coming into the Zone with Pilates – by Suzanne Martin
Issue #300 Wednesday May 5, 2020 Coming into the Zone with Pilates by Suzanne Martin Breathing is a major principle in our Pilates tradition. Mr. Pilates continually emphasizes breathing in Return to Life. I believe we can all agree that all movement starts with a breath as movement emanates from […]
My Personal “Return to life through Contrology” Post Stroke – by Tacye Lynnette
Issue #299 – Wednesday, April 29, 2020 My Personal “Return to life through Contrology” Post Stroke by Tacye Lynnette [Note from the Editor: This article was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.] One year ago, on April 27, 2019, I had a right ACA infarct (ischaemic) stroke. It came seemingly […]
Go Back To Your Studio – Your Clients are Waiting by Karena Thek (during Covid-19 Crisis)
From left to right: Forcius Marchus, Coiffus Perfectus, Antagonista Maxima with Whinius Caninus Issue #298 – Wednesday, April 22, 2020 Go Back To Your Studio – Your Clients are Waiting By Karena Thek (during Covid-19 Crisis) So. Here we are. A third of the planet on lockdown. And we’re only […]
Pilates Moving Towards Wholeness in Isolation: Our Critical Opportunity to Adapt Through Movement and Connection – by Chantill Lopez
Issue #297 – Wednesday, April 15, 2020 (during the worldwide Corona Crisis, this article is aimed for that time) Pilates Moving Towards Wholeness in Isolation: Our Critical Opportunity to Adapt Through Movement and Connection By Chantill Lopez Social distancing IS our best chance at making a positive impact on the […]
Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography A Review by Rebekah Le Magny
Issue #296 – Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography A Review by Rebekah Le Magny Title: Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography Author: Cathy Strack and Carol J. Craig Foreword by Mari Winsor Date of Publication: 2019 Pages: 287 Availability: www.cathystrack.com Price: […]
Shifting Stances – by Penelope Shure
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 Shifting Stances by Penelope Shure Pilates stance was the first position I learned in the first Pilates session I ever took, 20 years ago. Footwork on the reformer, heels together, toes apart but not too far apart like ballet first position as I automatically went into. […]
Engage Deeper into your Teaching – by Clare Dunphy Hemani
March 12, 2020 Engage Deeper into your Teaching by Clare Dunphy-Hemani I think most Pilates teachers today share the belief that our lineage has value because the connection back to Joe, either directly or through one of his students (our elders), helps keep the tradition alive. It wasn’t that long […]
“Embodied” Pilates by Allie Greene
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 “Embodied” Pilates by Allie Greene Embodiment is being internally aware as a body rather than an outside observation of the body. It is a subjectively felt sense of ourselves. It is the “being” rather than the “doing”. It is within the process of embodiment where we can […]
Is Demonstration of Exercises Beneficial to Learning a Motor Skill? by Chelsea Corley
March 4, 2020 Is demonstration of exercises beneficial to learning a motor skill? By Chelsea Corley We have all heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” As a Pilates instructor, when we demonstrate an exercise to a client, we are trying to give our clients a picture […]
Simulating Symmetry with A Roller on the Pilates Reformer Exercises – by Stephanie Herman
Feb 19, 2020 Simulating Symmetry with A Roller on the Pilates Reformer Exercises by Stephanie Herman Asymmetry in our bodies can have a variety of causes. It can be caused by compensation patterns, leg length discrepancy, scoliosis, accidents, cartilage deterioration, or many other reasons. Whatever the reason, there are methods […]
To Be or Not To Be a Teacher – by Kaisa Marran
Issue #289 – Wednesday, February 5, 2020 To Be or Not To Be a Teacher by Kaisa Marran Pilates teachers rock, they change people’s lives! Joseph Pilates may not have been a great teacher, but he was a genius, no doubt. He had an obsession where nothing stopped him working […]
Pilates Intel Survey 2019 Results
Issue 288 January 22, 2020 Pilates Intel Survey 2019 Results No surprises with this graph showing 94% of Pilates Subscribers are Pilates professionals. 85% positive response to this question (Strongly Agree plus Somewhat Agree). For the 8% of the people who responded negatively – even though you don’t enjoy different […]
Benjamin the Brave – by Christina Maria Gadar
January 22, 2020 Benjamin the Brave by Christina Maria Gadar Throughout my Pilates apprenticeship and the many years of continuing education that followed my Pilates certification, I learned to believe that Pilates was not appropriate for children. On the first day of my Pilates apprenticeship, I jotted down “No children […]
Exploring Shoulder Differentiation – by Teri Lee Steele
December 11, 2019 Exploring Shoulder Differentiation by Teri Lee Steele As a student of movement, I always try to find ways to incorporate new ideas and information that I learn from Pilates into every other area of my life – from dancing in rehearsal to something as simple as walking […]
Only Time Will Tell – The Story of A Pilates Teacher without a Comprehensive Certification – by Genevieve Malcolm
December 4, 2019 Only Time Will Tell The Story of A Pilates Teacher without a Comprehensive Certification by Genevieve Malcolm The day I started Pilates is the day I learned that taking care of myself was perhaps the most crucial aspect of motherhood; if I wasn’t well in myself, others […]
Spine Curls – the “Bridge” to Your Inversions – by Julie Driver
Issue #282 – Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Spine Curls – the “Bridge” to Your Inversions by Julie Driver I love spine curls! They are a fabulous foundational exercise that gives immense movement satisfaction whatever your level of expertise. Spine curls are like an onion – the more you practice them, […]
Pilates Imperfect II – Integrative Movement Facilitation A Journey Towards Movement……..and Beyond – by Chantill Lopez
Issue #282 – Wednesday, November 13, 2019 Pilates Imperfect II Integrative Movement Facilitation A Journey Towards Movement……..and Beyond By Chantill Lopez “Wholeness does not mean perfection; it means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life.” — Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life What […]
Airplane on the Cadillac – by Reiner Grootenhuis
November 6, 2019 Airplane on the Cadillac by Reiner Grootenhuis Setup: Attach traditional leg springs at a height of 80 – 85 cm / 31.5 – 33.5 inches. The higher the spring attachment, the easier raising the body into the diagonal becomes. Supine position with the head pointing toward the […]
The Curvy Road – A Path Created by Scoliosis by Karena Thek
The Curvy Road – A Path Created by Scoliosis By Karena Thek (Note from the guy who likes to butt in where he can: the irritating ‘he’ in intro paragraph is none other than your humble Brett) “I think you should write about your life, your personal background,” he said. […]
Interview with Kristi Cooper of Pilates Anytime
Oct 16, 2019 Interview with Kristi Cooper of Pilates Anytime B: Hi Kristi how are you doing? K: Hi Brett I’m great today B Great so tell us about your start in Pilates, please. K: I moved to Del Mar, Southern California, as a 13 year old girl. I was […]
The Amazing Chest Expansion – by Clare Dunphy-Hemani
October 9, 2019 The Amazing Chest Expansion by Clare Dunphy-Hemani I guess if I had to pick one universally effective, versatile Pilates exercise (which in my opinion, should be taught in every session and for nearly every person), it would be Chest Expansion. It includes all the essentials of total […]
Footwork is Everywhere – by Reiner Grootenhuis
September 25, 2019 Footwork is Everywhere by Reiner Grootenhuis For most of us Pilates enthusiasts, “Footwork” is a series of exercises we do on the Reformer or in a similar, but not quite the same, way on the Wunda Chair or the Electric Chair – even if some might […]
Mind or Body? by Eddie Adi Ron
Mind or Body? by Eddie Adi Ron September 19, 2019 Pilates is an effective platform for strengthening the body and the mind. Naturally, we base our teaching and our evaluation of students mostly on physical skills. But today, more than ever, I feel that mental, emotional, and cognitive skills are […]
Cueing Stabilization – by Teri Lee Steele
Cueing Stabilization by Teri Lee Steele September 11, 2019 Recently, I overheard an instructor at a teacher’s conference ask, “How do you know if you are becoming a good teacher?” To which she answered, “Look at your students. Are they doing what you are asking of them?” This brought many […]
Free Your Spine by Moving Like an Animal – by Amy Taylor Alpers
Free Your Spine by Moving Like an Animal by Amy Taylor Alpers August 21, 2019 “Normal muscles should function naturally in much the same manner as do the muscles of animals.” Joseph Pilates Mr. Pilates’ writings make it very clear that he wanted normal, natural, whole body movement – that […]
Forget That Cue! – by Mara Sievers
Forget That Cue! – Three Wrong Cues for the Shoulder Girdle by Mara Sievers August 21, 2019 Guiding your student with your words is a combination of skill and art. Sometimes we overuse cues or apply certain cues to a movement where it’s not appropriate. You might or might not […]
Why Use Directed Imagery? by Julia Wyncoll
Why Use Directed Imagery? by Julia Wyncoll August 14, 2019 I recently had a fellow Pilates teacher tell me, “Some of my clients don’t like images, so we don’t use them.” Well, I’m here today to challenge this idea, because it’s my belief that we are all using images all […]