Polestar
Life Blog

Moving the World for 30 Years

Physical Therapy

Educator Highlight : Karyn Staples PhD

I was a gymnast as a child and the movement made sense to me. In June 2002 I began the doctoral program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (Provo, UT) with the focus area of Orthopedics and Sports Science. The program provided access to wonderful teachers, mentors, and classmates from all over the USA. Through all of my doctoral work, I had continued my personal Pilates practice and decided to pursue a comprehensive teacher training program (the completion of the program counted towards my required practicuum). I was drawn to Polestar Pilates for the rehabilitation background and how the program would enhance my physical therapy practice. I completed the program in May 2005 and completed the Advanced Teacher Training coursework in January 2011.Read More

Educator Highlight : Chantal Perron

I always loved to dance. And so, I think I was born with my pointed feet. But I’ve been dancing since the age of 7, and traveled through the dance industry here in Montreal at different levels. I got the opportunity when I was a young adult to work in that field. More on the commercial approach, so I was assisting singers, musicians, corporate events, publicity, TV things, and so that was a really, really nice way for me to express myself. I was a very shy person, and I still am… so movement was really my way to communicate and to burn off any type of emotion. Read More

Educator Highlight: Heather Brummett

From my first class, I knew I wanted to do something with Pilates. While dancing I suffered a significant ankle injury and had to see a PT. This, coupled with anatomy and physiology classes at a community college in LA, sparked my interest in PT. Just after graduating from PT school in 2001, I took a course from Brent Anderson, teaching Pilates in rehabilitation. I then signed up for the Polestar Pilates Comprehensive Course and continued to take more and more courses from the awesome teachers in the Polestar family.Read More

Fascia in Pilates

Being aware of what fascia is and where it is located is a great start to incorporating our understanding of it in movement education and science. Have you also ever wondered why continuously stretching what you think to be muscle tissue doesn’t consistently yield results in you or your clients? Perhaps it’s not the muscles that need impacting but a fascial restriction that is producing sensations of tightness, restriction, or rigidity. How do you address this? I propose a whole body movement integration session with manual therapy, movement, or a combination of the two. Read More

No Pain No Gain? Ingredients for the Perfect Fitness Recipe

No pain, no gain?  Polestar educator Karyn Staples PT, PhD, NCPT discusses how cross training, moderation and epsom salt might be crucial ingredients for the perfect fitness recipe. When You Don’t LOVE your Exercise Anymore It’s been nearly two months since you resolved to get more exercise. You started with the best intentions. You went […]Read More

Educator Highlight : Lise Stolze – MPT, DSc, NCPT

Lise Stolze is a physical therapist and certified scoliosis therapist through the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School / Schroth Barcelona Institute and through the Italian Scientific Institute for the Spine (ISICO). Her research on low back pain and Pilates has been published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. She is a certified Pilates instructor through the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) and serves on its research committee. Lise is a principal educator for Polestar Pilates Education and is co-creator of the course Pilates Adaptations for Scoliosis Supporting the Teachings of the Schroth Method. She owns Stolze Therapies in Denver, Colorado. Read More