In your own words describe “the Spirit of Polestar”:
VH: A benevolent environment. It helps you to understand that the most important thing is not only about what you do but how you feel. It has guided me to connect with myself.
What three words come to mind when you think of Polestar Pilates:
Observation
Freedom
Serenity
What do you love about teaching Pilates?
VH: I love Pilates mostly because the practice isn’t about the person adapting to Pilates, but Pilates adapting to the person. Polestar Pilates gives you a sense of observation which helps you to understand each person individually. I did my training in Paris with Alexander Bohlander, Birgit Scheffe and Yaelle Penkhoss. They all helped me train my eye.
What are your current Inspirations?
VH: I love to explore movement. As a dancer I learned how to move with music, now I love to move with my own rhythm, to find fluidity and connection between exercises, and to create a harmony that makes sense with how I feel in the moment.
Why Pilates? How did you find the practice?
VH: I began Pilates when I was in a professional dance school. I was 14 and it helped me to find both mental and physical balance. Since my first Pilates class, I felt that something had changed not only in my body but also in my way of visualizing my body.
Why Polestar Pilates?
VH: My Pilates teacher told me it was surely the best Pilates training. I came to the Pilates studio, took a class, and knew it was where I wanted to be.
What do you hope to convey in your teaching?
VH: That everything is possible! I remember one of my clients who came to me because he had pain everywhere; low back pain, hip pain, and shoulder pain. At the time he told me “I thought I couldn’t do this anymore” speaking of a specific movement. Today he can, and he’s free of pain. I hope to convey that there’s always a way to feel better.
Do you have a favorite Quote?
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
Vivian Greene
To me this means to remember that the most important thing isn’t what happens to us, but what we do with it.
What is your favorite apparatus or favorite way to move?
VH: Of course I love each apparatus, but If I had to take only one apparatus on a desert island it would be the reformer because of its fluidity and its ability to adapt to all our needs.
Valentine is a Mentor for Polestar Pilates France – You can find Valentine on Social Media @valentinehilaire
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