Polestar Student Highlight: Elena Shabelnikova

In your own words – describe “the Spirit of Polestar”

Improving the life by improving the movement

What Three Words come to mind when you think of Polestar Pilates

Slow

Gentle

Deep

What do you love about teaching Pilates?

I love helping other people to feel and understand their bodies and their movement. I like to give them new feelings, new experiences such as body awareness, body control, total body comfort… deep relaxation and soft functional power at the same time!

Where did you take your Training and who was the educator?

I took my training in Kazan, Russia with Polestar Pilates Russia. Many thanks to Natalya Tokmakova🙏

What are your current Inspirations? 

I want to teach people how to love, care, treat and respect their bodies properly so they could live longer and more comfortable.

Why Pilates? How did you find the practice?

For some years I was teaching classic Pilates at my fitness-club but then I noticed the majority of people weren’t ready for traditional classes due to modern way of life! Less moving, more sitting, less sleep, more stress… Internet addiction! This lifestyle made their body unready for classic Pilates and I decided to find something modern, flexible, appropriate. It was Polestar.

What do you hope to convey in your teaching?

Forget about “no pain no gain”, stop damaging your body temple, stop punishing yourself with typical fitness: hundreds of knee-ups, thousands of sit-ups, etc… Learn to listen to your body. It’s much wiser than you think.

What is a quote you live by?

Movement is life. Movement is freedom.

I think we shouldn’t stop with one practice. The more different classes we take and more various moves we make… the more free we become.

What is your Favorite Apparatus or favorite way to move?

In Pilates I mostly like standing roll down. It gives me this indescribable feeling of stretching and grounding simultaneously.



Explore Polestar Pilates Russia here. Meet Elena on Insta

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