Revelations from a Pilates Purist – by Clare Dunphy

Issue #384- Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Revelations from a Pilates Purist by Clare Dunphy This article is about taking chances, questioning the status quo, and challenging one’s beliefs.  I’ve always told myself I knew the answers to keeping Pilates alive and well for future generations.  Here’s why I was wrong.  […]

Evolutions of a Pilates Practice by Tricia Whitlock

Issue #393 – Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Evolutions of a Pilates Practice by Tricia Whitlock As a Pilates teacher, I always remain a student. I am insatiably curious and forever inquiring about the mysteries, dualities, and resistances within myself. I desire to unfold and embrace them and foster this ability […]

Get Up Off The Floor! – # 4 – by Brett Miller

Issue #375 – Wednesday, October 12, 2022 Get Up Off The Floor! – # 4 Get Up Off The Floor! by Brett Miller As I mentioned in Get Up Off The Floor! PARTS #1 and #2 ,  AND #3, I think that one of the most important skills to have in life is the ability to transition […]

Living with Paradox – by Lauren Thompson

Issue #380 – Wednesday, October 5, 2022 Living with Paradox by Lauren Thompson  Paradox has become an increasingly apparent dynamic in our lives. Most of us have been feeling a persistent level of tension buzzing in our atmosphere from living between polarities. Learning to live with paradox has been a focus […]

Pilates Plans Galore!!! – by Mark Warhaft

Issue #377 – Wednesday, August 32, 2022 Pilates Plans Galore!!! by Mark Warhaft Hello, my name is Mark Warhaft.  Pilates has saved my life twice. Once 25 years ago Pilates helped me get over a bad back injury. The second time Pilates saved my life is since 2017 – helping […]

Pilates and Kung Fu – by Reiner Grootenhuis

Issue #402 – Wednesday, June 7, 2023 Pilates and Kung Fu by Reiner Grootenhuis Some of my V-bed observations are listed further below if you have time and interest. Reiner started his professional career studying psychology, all the while studying Weng Chun, the martial and healing arts of the South […]

360° Breathing in the “Stack” – by Patricia Medros

Issue #374 – Wednesday, June 29, 2022 360° Breathing in the “Stack” – by Patricia Medros Diploma on the wall, certification passed, you know hundreds of Pilates exercises. You may even have years under your belt. But does that new client gut punch still jolt you when you realize, “There’s so much […]

Pilates: More than Just the Exercises – by Miguel Bengoa

Issue #368 Wednesday May 11, 2022 Pilates: More than Just the Exercises by Miguel Bengoa Before I became a Pilates teacher… I was a language teacher.  A very “learner focussed” teacher one: Students of language were “learners” learning skills, not studying “rules”. We studied what the learners brought in and […]

Wall Of Fame Fridays – by Cathy Strack

Issue #366 – Wednesday, April 20, 2022 TheWall Of Fame Fridays by Cathy Strack Joe Pilates taught his method to many famous men and women during his lifetime. The walls of his studio at 939 Eighth Avenue in New York City were covered with photographs signed by many of his students […]

An Embodied Approach to Pilates – by Allie Greene

Issue #365 Wednesday, April 13, 2022 An Embodied Approach to Pilates by Allie Greene Allie, what is an embodied approach to movement? An embodied approach is from the “first person” perspective. This is our personal sensations, feelings, thoughts and how we experience the world – what it is like to be […]

Lost in Translation, Part II – by Amy Alpers

Issue #363 – Wednesday, March 23, 2022 How the Pilates Method Has Changed Over the Years by Amy Alpers In my last article on this subject, I discussed several key differences between the way Romana taught certain Pilates exercises in the 1980s/90s, versus the way they are shown on archival […]

Keep on Moving – A Family Affair – by Joanna Fergusson

Issue #362 – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Keep on Moving – A Family Affair by Joanna Fergusson My mother has always been very active but alas, not so much recently. Four years ago, she underwent treatment for cancer. She already had osteoarthritis that was just about manageable, but the treatment aggravated […]

Pilates History – Pehr Ling and Knockaloe Camp – by Jonathan Grubb

Issue #361 – Wednesday, March 2, 2022 Pilates History – Pehr Ling and Knockaloe Camp by Jonathan Grubb There are many references in Knockaloe Camp newspapers to ‘free exercises’ being performed at the Camp and usually these references describe parts of gymnastic festivals which were held there. Free exercises are more […]

Pilates for Clients with Memory Loss – by Eme Cole

Issue #358 – February 2, 2022 Pilates for Clients with Memory Loss by Eme Cole I feel certain that if you’re subscribed to this newsletter, you understand that Pilates has many incredible benefits. I think that the ability to do Pilates for your entire life might very well be at the […]

Some Pilates History and a Pilates Myth

Issue #355 – Wednesday, December 15, 2021 Some Pilates History and a Pilates Myth A myth and some science from Adam McAtee Back when I was a novice Pilates teacher, I came from a belief that Pilates was limited to “the order” and “real teachers” not only knew the order and […]

When GOOD Teaching IS Your Business – by Chantill Lopez

Issue #352 – Wednesday, November 17, 2021 When GOOD Teaching IS Your Business(Whose Business is Bad Teaching? Part 3)Awareness of Other + Context by Chantill Lopez Being a teacher and being a parent are the two most transformative experiences I’ve ever had.   Both force you to be uncomfortable in the […]

In Defense of the Diaphragm – by Karena Thek

Issue #349- Wednesday, October 20, 2021 In Defense of the Diaphragm by Karena Thek So, Brett, you say that focusing on the breath changes how we breathe automatically, sometimes not for the better. Agreed. You also said that focusing on breathing techniques can bring tension to the thoracic, shoulder girdle, […]

Mind The Gap! – by Clare Dunphy

Issue #348- Wednesday, October 13, 2021 Mind The Gap! by Clare Dunphy I’m really excited about how technology is connecting us and making it possible to share the work of Joe and Clara Pilates with each other across the globe. I’m grateful for the imaginative ways our community has found […]

The Wunda Chair – by Christina Maria Gadar

Issue #346- Wednesday, September 22, 2021 The Wunda Chair by Christina Maria Gadar Joseph Pilates described his method of exercise as the science of controlling the body, mind, and spirit, and coordinating all three. But in addition to being the genius who developed Contrology, he was also a furniture builder who […]

Teaching Eccentric Exercises, My 3 ‘goto’s – by Mara Sievers

Issue #342 – August 25, 2021 Teaching Eccentric Exercises, My 3 ‘goto’s by Mara Sievers You’ve probably learned about concentric, isometric and eccentric muscle contraction in your Pilates training. But do you feel confident that you can apply this information to the exercises you teach and how you cue the movement? […]

Pilates, No Matter What! – by Mia LaMarca

Issue #338 Wednesday June 16, 2021 Pilates, No Matter What! by Mia LaMarca I LOVE exercise and, lucky for me, I also teach it. If you are an instructor and you identify with that sentence, then you know where I’m coming from when I say that though I don’t earn […]

Sensing, Feeling…and Pilates. Somatics..What’s That? – by Patricia Issit

Issue #337 Wednesday June 2, 2021 Sensing, Feeling…and Pilates. Somatics..What’s That? by Patricia Issit Somatics is a “broad brush” term describing many approaches to embodied movement practices. Put briefly, a somatic approach develops perceptual, kinesthetic and proprioceptive sensitivity with the purpose of developing awareness of soma, the felt body self. […]

Golden Gals – by Penelope Wasserman

Issue #331 – Wednesday April 7, 2021 Golden Gals by Penelope Wasserman My personal Pilates practice began in 1999 and it soon became clear to me that this was not like any gym or dance studio experience I had ever known. Although I never considered myself athletic – I had no interest in […]

The Side Way Sitting Stretch – by Reiner Grootenhuis

Issue #325 – Wednesday, February 17, 2021 The Side Way Sitting Stretch by Reiner Grootenhuis   ”The Side Way Sitting Stretch” is the original name used by Carola Trier I first discovered this exercise in the archive pictures of Joseph Pilates‘s student Carola Trier. Shortly afterwards I was taught the […]