The Vertical Workshop’s Blog

This goes for every conference I teach in, but it becomes more and more apparent with each one; this week’s Pilates Style conference in L.A. this past week was no different:  When teachers learn Classical Pilates with purpose and appropriate intention…they get excited about the work!

 The light bulbs I saw go off in the participants’ brains were beautiful, brilliant…they could light Los Angeles and Manhattan…just from Wednesday morning’s seminar!  The excitement over Mr. Pilates’ work is wonderful!

 I encourage you to find Classical Excitement!

How do you do it?  Where to begin?  Well, you came to Pilates for a reason…something about it intrigued you.  So, study up!

1 - Learn about Mr. Pilates - Joseph Hubertus Pilates.  Read “Return to Life Through Contrology” and “Your Health”.  Mr. Pilates grew a lot after he wrote these works, but there is much to be learned from what he writes in terms of intentions of exercises, style of movement, purpose of the whole system.  Read what Mr. Pilates wrote.  Go to the “PPOL Store” at www.powerpilates.com and get yourself a copy of each.

2 - Work with The Elders!  Some of them are still around!  Get yourself to the conferences and meet them!  Sure, they will tell you that they have changed what they learned from Mr. Pilates.  But they will happily show you what they learned directly from him, too!  Romana Kryzanowska, Lolita San Miguel, Ron Fletcher, Kathy Grant, Mary Bowen.  While Romana doesn’t participate in conferences, you can get DVD’s of her teaching.  And even though Eve Gentry is gone, there is great film footage of her teaching in her later years.  Again…most of the elders have altered the work…but take a look at it!

 3 - Watch Mr. Pilates!  What?!  Yes!  There are wonderful archival videos (film transferred to video) of Mr. Pilates teaching, practicing, showering, even!  You must not go another year (let alone week) teaching without ever having seen him in action.  If you’re in L.A., ask me to put together an event…we’ll watch him work and discuss why there are differences today.  Go to the “PPOL Store” at www.powerpilates.com and order the Joseph Pilates Archival Footage.  It’s a great $60 investment!

4 - Train with the finest of classically trained teachers.  Power Pilates is clearly the leader in educating teachers because of the technique of teaching…and…because we only teach classical work.  We teach only what is supported in photos, film and directly from working with The Elders.  I love nothing more than to teach what I have learned.  I wish I had learned it directly from Mr. Pilates, but I am very fortunate to have learned Pilates from Romana and Bob.  But that’s not enough.  I study my archival films, read Mr. Pilates books, seek out as many photos of him as I can, talk to anyone and everyone who will discuss their work with Mr. Pilates and practice practice practice!

 Dig in to the classical work:  Joseph Pilates’ actual exercises, order of exercises and intentions (a strong workout focusing on abdominal strength)!  You’ll have a lifetime of incredible discoveries ahead of you!

 (As always, if you have anything you’d like me to BLOG on, please write to me and let me know.  I’m more than happy to answer any of your questions or delve in to any topic!  Have a great week! - Shari)

Will Wonders Never Cease?  I certainly hope not!  I hope we never stop finding new and interesting angles to the most common things we meet up with in life.  I hope a bright sunny day with pure blue skies always remains a wonder.  I hope the smell of freshly cut grass in the spring and summer always remains a wonder.  I hope the first sight of my true love’s eyes after some time apart always remains a wonder.  There are so many usual things that must always be unusual!

And doesn’t this apply to Pilates too?

Of course it does.  It must!

Every time you start a session to do that same old Hundred on the mat or that same old Footwork on the reformer…find the wonder in it!  Even the most basic exercise is full of special delights each time…if you seek them out…if you try…if you want it!  Perhaps I ought to say “especially the most basic exercise” because it’s in the basics that we best find pots of gold over and over again!

The basics are repeated every day and in every exercise…so let’s find new things in the same-old every time you approach that exercise!

How do we do it?  Now, there’s the catch!  There are many ways.  Here are a few:

1 – Want to find new things in the old. 

It’s your mind-set that’s most important.  If you want it, if it’s your goal, then you can have it.

2 – Pick a theme.

           Work thematically.  This means that in the first few exercises you need to find what’s special to that day for that particular client and work on that within every exercise.  It becomes the theme of the workout!  Keep the through-line from start to finish…do not drop it!

3 – Workout!

Yes!  You knew it was coming!  You must do your own workouts to remain excited about the work you teach!  Of course!  If you do your own Pilates workouts with strong focus (not just “going through the motions”) then you will find new and interesting things in your work.  Perhaps you’ll even recognize ideas and cues you’ve heard from other teachers around you or your own teachers and be able to apply them well…and then pass them on to your clients who need them!

4 – Humble yourself.

Find humility.  Mr. Pilates was a genius!  He was brilliant!  Look at what he came up with.  The man was no dummy.  Could you have created it?  Doubtful.  And that’s wonderful!  Be an interpreter of his work and play with it on the body in front of you.  Don’t try to make up new exercises because you’re bored.  If you’re bored, then remember that you’re the one who’s not looking deeply enough in to the work.  Humble yourself and find the depth of this genius’ work!

5  - No 2 people are the same

See each client as an individual.  If you see the differences in every client you have, then you will see that each client needs something different.  A different cue at a different time, a different hand-spotting, a different image, etc.  Honor the differences!

Give it a go!  Find something new every day!  Try something new every day!  Get out of your rut and go for it!

Will wonders never cease?  I sure hope not!

***If you have any Pilates questions you would like answered, please drop me a line here at the website:  info@TheVerticalWorkshop.com  I’d be happy to answer them!***

Remember what it’s all about.

It’s just Pilates…

We’re just teachers.  We’re just interpreters of Mr. Pilates’ genius.  That’s it. 

It’s not brain surgery.  It’s not astrophysics.  Sure, it’s not either of those things, but it is deeply interesting, beautifully specific, remarkably curative, fantastically dynamic!

It’s just Pilates…

Why do our clients come to us?  To exercise!  To feel better!  To look good! 

What do we need to do in the studio?  Give our clients what they need in terms of Pilates.  Who figures that out?  You…the teacher…the interpreter. 

Keep your through-line for the session.  Keep it about the workout.  It’s easy to slip in to just doing exercises while you talk about what’s been going on…especially now after the holidays…but work hard to keep the through-line of driving the workout forward.  And this goes for all levels at all abilities.  Never forget why you are there and why your clients is there:  Your client is there to exercise.

Sure, some clients need to talk to get through the hour.  Keep the through-line.

Some clients need to rest because of age, fatigue, pregnancy, etc.  Keep the through-line.

Some clients get so rapt in their issues; spinning in their “Stuff”.  Keep the through-line.

You’re not rude by keeping the through line.  You’re doing your job.  You’re teaching!

Remember what it’s all about.

Give your client a true workout at their level and you will have a satisfied client.  In order to build your business either as an employee or in your own studio or at a client’s house, the end-result better be a great Pilates workout that satisfies the client’s need for Pilates.

It’s just Pilates…but it’s a special hour…just for Pilates.

Enjoy!

I wish you all a very happy New Year!  Enjoy 2008!  Work hard, play hard, don’t be afraid to ask questions, be open to the answers!