Pilates is for EVERYBODY! I love how Polestar teaches us to adapt our cues & teaching to fit our clients’ needs. Whether our client is post-injury & in need of a little extra attention, or you have a client who is very athletic & is using Pilates to enhance their performance – Polestar Pilates provides! – Steffi Jauw
What Three Words come to mind when you think of “Polestar Pilates”
Attention
Compassion
Safety
What do you love about teaching Pilates?
SJ: I love how my clients are much more aware of their bodies now. They are able to move better, and it’s so satisfying when they come into the studio and tell me how Pilates helps them in their day to day lives, and how they can now do certain things they weren’t able to do before, or how after a few sessions a lingering pain that has been there for a long time is suddenly gone. It is always so fulfilling to see how in the beginning they weren’t able to do a certain exercise, and after a few sessions they were able to do it with confidence!
Where did you take your Training and who was the educator?
SJ: I took my training in Bandung, Indonesia. My educator was Sansan – she is such a lovely and knowledgeable teacher! I have learned and hope to continue to learn much more from her!
What are your current Inspirations? What do You love about them?
SJ: I want to be able to help as many clients as possible. I am excited to learn more about bodies and how to help them move better!
Why Pilates? How did you find the practice?
SJ: Initially I taught group fitness for a mega gym. I used to teach up to 15 hours a week – that destroyed my body, because when I taught I had to move with the members as well. So I was doing up to 15 hours of intense cardio and weightlifting exercises a week. It was so hard for me to get up in the morning. It reached a point where one day I said to myself, I need to find a more sustainable career path… I’ve always been intrigued by Pilates, especially with Pilates equipment. They all look so intimidating yet curious.
Where I live – in Jakarta – There are many Pilates schools and some are infamous for being a extremely difficult courses. I was quite intimidated by the demand to know all the anatomy & the names of the muscles off the top of your head so I started asking around about other Pilates schools, started doing my research.
One of my best friends – who was in the process of taking her exam – introduced me to Polestar. She raved about how great it was and highly recommended it to me.
I took the Gateway Mat course – with doubt at first. But what cleared my doubts was the way Sansan made everything so easy to understand, and with her humble & approachable persona, I wasn’t afraid to ask her questions…Also, during my Gateway course, I was having a very bad case of low back pain due to overtraining. By the end of the course it had gone – amazing!
What do you hope to convey in your teaching?
SJ: I want to spread awareness to my clients. I want them to know how important proper movement is. I also want them to know Pilates is not scary – with the right tools, all movements are achievable and beneficial.
What is your favorite Quote? How do you live, embody or apply this?
SJ: “If your spine is stiff at 30, you are old. If it is flexible at 60, you are young.”
I have friends who are in their 20s and yet move as if they are in their 80s… It pains me to see that their bodies are not making full use of their potential. I try to do as much self-practice as possible. I do a lot of clerical work, and I still teach group fitness (about 4 hours a week) – so if I don’t incorporate a little Pilates practice once in a while, my body gets stiff and at times even painful…
What is your Favorite Apparatus or favorite way to move? What do you love about it?
SJ: The Oov! I just did the Oov course and it was MIND BLOWING. I love how it can be used for both corrective exercises and to train for performance as well!
