Cracking the Code – by Clare Dunphy-Hemani

March 27, 2019  Cracking the Code by Clare Dunphy-Hemani Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate Pilates as a lifestyle choice – providing an opportunity to meet ourselves in the moment and reconnect with our inner energy, life force and commitment to our well-being. And I find that difficult to […]

“Fixing” My Rib Flare – by Nikki Naab-Levy

March 20, 2019 Fixing My Rib Flare By Nikki Naab-Levy As Pilates teachers, there are areas of the body that we are very aware of – in ourselves as well as in our clients. One of these of areas seems to be the ribs, or more specifically the rib flare […]

Just Not Good Enough – by Patricia Glynn

March 13, 2019 Just Not Good Enough by Patricia Glynn Maybe I’m just not good enough…. Maybe I don’t know enough…. Maybe I’m not teaching enough…. Maybe I should have my own studio and classes…. Maybe I am not doing enough workshops.… But I constantly came back to the first […]

Love for the Baby Chair from Sunni A and Laura C

Feb 20, 2019 Laura Meets Baby (Chair) By Laura Cotler “The Arm Chair informs the rest of the workout,” said Andrea Maida, at her Solana Beach studio. The Arm Chair, also known fondly as the “Baby Chair,” or “Old Lady Chair,” wasn’t included as part of my contemporary Pilates trainings […]

Finding Your Own Voice – by Madeline Black

Finding Your Own Voice By Madeline Black January 23, 2019 We invest a great deal into our life as a Pilates teacher. We spend hours, weeks and months studying and practicing Pilates. Then it takes time to synthesize the process of what was learned and embody the work before teaching […]

Are You Strong Enough Yet? by Carol Robbins

January 16, 2019 Are You Strong Enough Yet? By Carol Robbins When I was a Pilates teacher, I would get client referrals from doctors, PTs, chiropractors, etc., who would tell their patients they needed a stronger “fill in the blank” (usually “core”). In fact, I worked at a PT office […]

Cat Pilates! – by Brett Miller

Issue #251 – Cat Pilates! Brett’s year-end greeting to subscribers. December 19, 2018 Hello! This past weekend, I decided to be a little silly by putting on my best Santa hat and introducing Pilates to our recently adopted cats, Thompson and Nancy. By the way, I can report that the […]

My Imposter Syndrome! – by Adam McAtee

Issue #250 – Wednesday, December 12, 2018 My Imposter Syndrome! By Adam McAtee Truth be told, after nearly a decade of teaching Pilates, I continue to experience “Imposter Syndrome” – a pervasive perception of fraudulence, insecurity, and not being good enough despite one’s accolades and achievements. When I walk into […]

The Order – Learning from Romana By Tricia Dean O’Donnell

November 21, 2018 The Order – Learning from Romana By Tricia Dean O’Donnell In 1997, none of us realized we were observing history, while undergoing our teacher certification for The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning under the supervision of Romana Kryzanowska and Bob Liekens. There were many apprentices, sometimes nearly […]

Finding My Breath – by Pat Guyton

Nov 14, 2018 Finding My Breath by Pat Guyton “Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it. Since we cannot live without breathing, it is tragically deplorable to contemplate the millions and millions who have never mastered the art of correct breathing.” […]

In Memory of the Great Bob Liekens

November 7, 2018 In Memory of the Great Bob Liekens (this is the Pilates Intel edition from Nov 7 in its entirety) Hello , For the few of you who have not heard the news, you now most likely have guessed from the title that the wonderful Bob Liekens passed […]

Don’t Make A Rule About It – by Amy Taylor Alpers

Oct 24, 2018 Don’t Make A Rule About It By Amy Taylor Alpers Pilates teachers are sometimes at their wits ends trying to figure out what is a real, true Pilates rule and what isn’t. Whom do you believe? Whose rules do you follow? As a rule-follower myself, I totally […]

The Art of Asking Questions – by Chantill Lopez

September 26, 2018 The Art of Asking Questions Why some questions aren’t worth asking and the right questions change EVERYTHING By Chantill Lopez   “That feels great, right?” (Teacher as all knowing — You feel what I think you feel, right?)   “Can you feel/find that?” (Teacher as mildly and […]

Pilates for Prader-Willi Syndrome – by Joakim Valsinger

September 19, 2018 Pilates for Prader-Willi Syndrome by Joakim Valsinger   Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is an unusual genetic disorder with a long list of characteristics that develop over time. One of these is hypotonia – poor muscle tone. Many other more common disorders also cause hypotonia. It’s possible that you […]

Gentle Pilates – by Penelope Shure

September 12, 2018 Gentle Pilates By Penelope Shore The Gentle Pilates Internal Alignment Awareness series of exercises that I teach are my way of staying as close to the integrity of the classical Pilates repertoire with the addition of safety modifications necessary when teaching special populations. In my case, special […]

“I’m not good at Pilates” – by Mike Perry

September 5, 2018 “I’m not good at Pilates” by Mike Perry I heard a new (to our studio) client say that yesterday, and this is not the first time I’ve heard something like, “I’ve done it for two years but I’m not very good.” I then tie myself up in […]

Falling In Love with Movement (again) – by Carol Robbins

Falling In Love with Movement (again) By Carol Robbins June 20, 2018   Even though I had 18 years of Pilates under my belt before I waved goodbye to a reformer, I’m still surprised when Brett requests another article. I was a student of Pilates for several years before I […]

SHORT BOX : Side-To-Side – by Sabrina Ellen Svard

SHORT BOX : Side-To-Side – by Sabrina Ellen Svard June 13, 2018 ~ From Wikipedia: Extrasensory perception, ESP, also called sixth sense, includes claimed reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind. As instructors, we know that Pilates is magical. But at first, […]

Breathing Techniques – Are They Really Good? By Brett Miller

Breathing Techniques – Are They Really Good? By Brett Miller May 9, 2018 The aim of breathing techniques is to increase breathing efficiency.  Efficient breathing depends on the efficient functioning of the anatomical parts that are involved in breathing.  And the efficiency of each of these breathing parts is, in […]

Pilates Progressions for the Active Aging Adult – by Nikki Naab-Levy

Pilates Progressions for the Active Aging Adult by Nikki Naab-Levy May 2, 2018 When it comes to mainstream fitness, active aging adults are an underserved population. This is ironic considering that they represent a large demographic and, as a whole, people are getting older and living longer. Because Pilates has […]

Pilates Starts With P! by Allie Greene

Pilates Starts With P! By Allie Greene April 25, 2018   * * * * * * Warning: one of my close friends read this and said it sounded a little preachy. When I read it again, there are parts that may have that tone. I wrote this as a […]

You’ve Gotta Get Your “Joe” On! – by Amy Taylor Alpers

You’ve Gotta Get Your “Joe” On! – by Amy Taylor Alpers April 18, 2018 As we all know, bodies come in many shapes and sizes and are often categorized in certain ways. In fruit metaphors such as apple-, banana-, or pear-shaped; geometric forms such as rectangles, triangles, or circles; and […]

Going Archival – by Reiner Grootenhuis

Going Archival by Reiner Grootenhuis April 11, 2018 Becoming a Pilates teacher in today’s world often means enrolling in one of the big Pilates schools and learning, in their opinion, what they think Pilates is. As we discover from this experience, many of us find out that the Pilates described […]

Footwork: “Standing” on the Reformer – by Karena Thek

Footwork: “Standing” on the reformer – by Karena Thek March 28, 2018 My clients tend to really look forward to footwork on the reformer. They’ve been working hard through the series I’ve given them for the first 15-20 minutes and they are ready for a break.  And take a break […]