You are here: Home/ Archives for Pilates instructor
“We all know that we can choose from the following variations for Footwork on the Reformer:
Heels parallel, V-position with heels on the bar, point and flex (tendon stretch), running (prancing, walking), prehensile (wrapping) and a few others. But why would you choose one over the other?
Which variation is best for which type of student? Should I use only one variation or several? How many? Or all of them?” – Mara Sievers (Pilates Encyclopedia)
I created the Pilates Encyclopedia as a guide through the Pilates repertoire. Being a busy teacher and studio owner, I grew tired of having to sift through hours of videos and web pages to find a solution to a teaching question that came up regarding the Pilates repertoire. The Polestar comprehensive training has given me a tremendous foundation for my day-to-day teaching, but inevitably when you work with “real people” within a studio setting, you encounter situations you haven’t specifically studied. When, for example, you get your first student with a joint replacement, or when a student just doesn’t “get” the exercise …even after you’ve tried every possible cue you can think of. Maybe you have a student with a unique set of limitations, and you’re unsure of what to do.
I decided to make lists of exercises for specific goals that I could scan quickly before a lesson to give me an idea of what to try with a particular client. I don’t consider myself the most creative teacher, but I love to organize. Most importantly, I wanted a shortcut for the next time I had a similar question. When you teach 6+ hours a day you just don’t have a lot of time or energy left to spend researching. I wanted a resource, a Wikipedia of Pilates, so to speak. A destination that would give me an answer to any Pilates exercise question.
That’s the role I hope the Pilates Encyclopedia will provide. As you can imagine this is a huge endeavor, and I’m aware that I won’t be able to include every single variation in our library immediately, but over time we’ll create a huge collection of Pilates tools.
I don’t ascribe to labels, such as classical or contemporary. I draw inspiration from both sides. Of foremost importance to me is understanding why someone teaches an exercise one way while another person teaches the opposite. Who’s right? Of course, the answer is both. It all depends on the person doing the exercise. It’s about the student, not the teacher. The student (initially) doesn’t care if they’re being taught by a classical or contemporary teacher, they just want to feel better and be stronger, more mobile, steadier on their feet, faster in the water, on their skis or on the bike.
The Encyclopedia is organized by apparatus, then by position (supine, prone, sideline, seated, kneeling, standing etc), and then alphabetically. Just like you would look up a word in the dictionary, you can look up a specific exercise and learn all there is to know about it. Different schools use different terminology, so I’ve tried to list every possible name an exercise goes by so students of any school can use the “search” feature to quickly find what they are looking for.
The whole library is accessible via any computer, smartphone or tablet. Let’s say you’re a teacher and you only have ten minutes in between students and you quickly want to look up a way to help your student avoid knee pain in Feet in Straps on the Reformer; you will find that answer in the short time you have.
My absolute favorite feature of the Pilates Encyclopedia is the comment feature. I think it offers tremendous value to our community. Imagine you look up an exercise but you still can’t find the answer you need. Then you have the option to simply post a comment, ask what you want to know, and all the other members, as well as I or another teacher, will answer your specific question within 24-hours.
This is something you might already be familiar with from Facebook groups where you can post a question and get answers from other highly trained teachers. This is very convenient. However, if you need this information a month later, it takes a long time to scroll through the endless feed of a group to find the answer. Sometimes these feeds get out of hand by veering off subject. We can monitor comments in Pilates Encyclopedia better, making useful information available where you need it when you need it. Over the years, the library will grow and grow, just like we grow as teachers.
I enjoy the process of adding content to the library. I used to be an actor, singer, and dancer and I’m not shy in front of the camera. I love to learn new exercises (in live workshops, lessons with other teachers, on Instagram or Facebook), but I put each variation through a personal vetting process. I need a good reason for teaching a specific variation. It’s not enough for me that it looks fun. I’m very purpose driven. I’m sure each one of you has at least one exercise that you just don’t get. For me, it’s Stomach Massage. I know how I’m supposed to do it, I know the breathing pattern, I know the contraindications and precautions, but I don’t (yet) know the why. Why, why, why?! That’s my ultimate question for everything in life, not just Pilates. Who knows, maybe I’m still 3 years old?!
Here’s an example: We all know that we can choose from the following variations for Footwork on the Reformer: heels parallel, V-position with heels on the bar, point and flex (tendon stretch), running (prancing, walking), prehensile (wrapping) and a few others. But why would you choose one over the other? Which variation is best for which type of student? Should I use only one variation or several? How many? Or all of them?
Those are the types of questions I’d like to answer with Pilates Encyclopedia. I would love for it to be a Pilates study guide. Teacher training manuals for Pilates are limited in the sense that they show moments and positions, but it’s hard to tell what happens between picture A and picture B. How do I get from this first position to that second position? So much of Pilates happens in transitions, in the movement, obviously. Holding a position is one thing, but in the transition from one position to the next is where we see if a joint stays congruent or not.
Pilates is an amazing method, and it can be hard. It requires a lot of time to master. With its many details, it can seem overwhelming at first. Even after completing a comprehensive training, there is still so much to learn.
I see Pilates Encyclopedia as my legacy, as a way to aggregate the method in one place (instead of scattered about the interwebs) and my way of contributing to this amazing endeavor. I sincerely hope that it’ll help raise the bar in our industry, and makes us better movers and teachers by being accessible and affordable.
Polestar Grads Where are they Now? Mara Sievers’ is a Polestar Graduate, Practitioner and the creator of Pilates Encyclopedia.
Like our Blog? Sign up for the Polestar Life Weekly Newsletter!
You are here: Home/ Archives for Pilates instructor
Becky Phares, PMA®-CPT is a Polestar Pilates Graduate and a candidate for the Next Pilates Anytime Teacher 2018. With more than 10 years of teaching Becky teaches at her studio The Body Initiative Pilates Studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. Find Becky on instagram @the_body_initiative
Polestar: What do you love about teaching?
BP: First of all, I love that I do not have to sit behind a desk to make a living. I love that I have a job that makes people healthy and happy. But most of all, I love that I can wear stretchy pants to work!
Polestar: What is your current inspiration?
BP: I am currently getting inspiration from my husband. When we were first married 15 years ago he started working at a bank as a teller. Now he is one of the most successful commercial lenders in our city. He is proof that if you work hard enough and care about your clients, you can achieve greatness. Being a brand new studio owner, I hope to have the same drive and compassion he does.
Polestar: Why Pilates?
BP: I have the toolbox to work with almost any population because of Pilates. I do not know any other fitness modalities that have the value, history or love that Pilates has.
Polestar: What do you hope to convey in your teaching?
BP: Come as you are. Pilates helps ALL.
Polestar: Where do you hope to vacation?
BP: Machu Picchu. My dad was in the oil field and traveled the whole world. He was the first one to tell me how amazing the ruins are. So it’s my dream vacation. But for now, with our three young daughters, our family is Disney obsessed! It’s also where I met my husband.
Polestar: Describe your movement style:
BP: I am a dancer who refuses to use the word “former.” My love is contemporary dance. Contemporary is based on free and creative movement but firmly rooted in technical elements. That is how I teach Pilates. My classes have a thread that helps my clients achieve the most out of their time with me, but that doesn’t mean we can’t play, be creative and have fun.
Polestar: What is your favorite apparatus?
BP: Reformer. I love how you can simply change the spring setting and it makes an exercise immediately harder for one part of the body and easier for another. It is a genius piece that can be used in infinite ways.
Polestar: What are you reading?
BP: I love fiction. Because I’m so busy at work, then in the evening with my kids, I need to wind down. Reading about fake people’s lives turns off my brain so I can actually sleep. I love anything by Liane Moriarty, Jodi Picoult, Justin Cronin, John Grisham, Gillian Flynn and Karin Slaughter.
Polestar: Who is your mentor?
BP:Kim Gibilisco. A few years ago I took a session with Kim at the PMA and was blown away by her brain and the ability she had to make us understand what was happening in her class. Then I did some research on her and found out she was the essence of what I wanted to do with my career. I sought her out through social media hoping I can maybe get her to talk to me for 30 min. Now I call, text, or email her anytime I need advice. She has gifted me her mentorship and I’m still unsure how I got this lucky.
You are here: Home/ Archives for Pilates instructor
Written by Christi Idavoy – Polestar Educator and Polestar Pilates Biscayne Studio Owner “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything, what we think, we become.” – Buddha
Recalling a happy moment in your life can bring feelings of joy, as reminiscing on a challenging period in your life can bring feelings of pain or suffering. You can smell something that makes you remember a moment, place or person from you past, while listening to music a song may bring back very intense memories! Through our senses we experience thoughts that provoke both emotional and physical feelings. At Polestar Pilates, we spend a lot of time observing what thought-provoking images we use while we help restore and improve movement.
There are many schools of thought that have contributed to the field of imagery and what is called ‘Ideokinesis’. This form of somatic training was first conceived by Mabel Todd in the 1930s and it refers to the use of visual and tactile feedback that is meant to guide students, either during static postures or physical movements. Many have contributed to this body of work and along with the understanding of neuro-linguistic communication, we at Polestar have developed effective imagery and communication skills as a vehicle to improving movement.
If you take a moment and reflect on how you and others physically react to feelings like fear and anger or happiness and love, it will not take long to notice that what we feel is directly reflected in how we hold ourselves physically. When we are afraid we tend to crouch down. When we feel rage we tend to feel a rise in our body temperature and an accelerated heart beat and breathing pattern. When in love we feel light and hold our heads up high. We can use this increased awareness when we are guiding others through movement, especially when we are helping restoring movement after pain or injury, to bring about a positive experience. The thoughts that we hold while we are moving or teaching will make all the difference in how the nervous system responds. It will also make us better able to communicate and find empathy with clients who are in pain or are having difficulty moving.
As we become aware of how our emotions effect our posture and the functioning of our involuntary systems, like our respiratory and circulatory systems, we can really start to appreciate how important our choice of words are as movement teachers and healers.
Visualizing the movement within the mind’s eye (either as movement within the body or in space), without any conscious muscular effort, primes neural pathways and reprograms unnecessary and unwanted muscular tension. We allow our body’s unconscious intelligence to pave the way for the desired movement. Brent Anderson often speaks about cueing the nervous system rather than the muscles, which makes complete sense when analyzing animals and children in nature, as the ancient yogis and our more contemporary Joseph Pilates did. When you go about your day, when a child plays in the park, when an animal hunts for its’ prey, it does not solicit conscience muscle activity in order to perform its activities. These activities in a natural environment occur unconsciously. With this understanding, if our training is to be ‘functional’ and prepare us for real-life activities, we should train in a way that mimics and promotes what we will need in order to safely and efficiently perform our tasks, namely healthy unconscious movement coordination. So how do we do this? We rely heavily on meaningful imagery cues!
Photo credit: Pilates Anytime“Physical practice combined with mental practice can lead to more improvement in motor performance and strength than either physical or mental practice alone. Physical practice combined with mental practice can lead to more improvement in motor performance and strength than either physical or mental practice alone.” 1
If you regularly teach and take classes, and even if you tend to practice or work-out on your own, observe your thoughts and the feelings that arise and ask yourself if they are helping or hindering your performance. Keep a journal on your experience and notice your transformation!
You are here: Home/ Archives for Pilates instructor
Testimonial from Polestar Turkiye Educator Akın Saatçi
“I was on Turkey’s national rowing team for over 13 years. During that time, I won more than 100 medals all over the world: world cups, championships, etc. Of course by the end of my time on the team, I had plenty of injuries: shoulder, both knees, 11 disc problems in all levels of the spine.
Doctors said that I needed surgery and that there was a risk of me not being able to do any sports again.
This was indescribable for me as a young athlete.
While attending Boston University and Bogazici University in Turkey, I studied management and marketing business in tourism, like all of my family. But after a year of work I realized that I wanted to do something with sports. By that time I had horrible, chronic pain in my knees, neck, and back.
One day I pursued Pilates education. I had no desire to become a Pilates instructor: I wanted to be a personal trainer. However, I thought that if I opened a gym, I would want to offer Pilates as well, so even though I thought I would never do or teach Pilates, I knew I would need to know [Pilates] so I can better manage my studio and staff.
In those 2 weeks, all of my pain went away and I fell in love with Pilates.
After some time I opened my own Pilates studio. I still took Crossfit education and certification, and without any surgery I started to run full marathons. I became a comprehensive Pilates instructor from a good 450-hour Pilates school.
But I wanted to do more and learn more. While I was talking with all of the well-known schools around the world, only Polestar replied with an interest in who I was.
Even before participating in the course I felt welcome, valued and worthy.
During the course and after it this feeling grew. Of course all Pilates schools value other people, but when I was in Polestar, even on the first day, I felt I was with my family; I felt like I was home.
During the course, I also realized how little I knew about anatomy, teaching techniques, principles of Joseph, etc. I knew a lot of exercises, but now I know something deeper than that.
Most of all what changed in my life with Polestar is that I realized how little I was doing for the world and for people. Yes, I teach Pilates in my studio, but what do I do for the people with no expectation of something in return?
I found out that what Joseph expected from all movement professionals is to be beneficial to the world.
Now I know what “impact the world through intelligent movement and lifestyle” means.
We as Pilates lovers should impact the world, help people, and do good for the world, not just with our money or donations. We have to impact the world with our body, mind and spirit.
“I am Polestar.”
Follow Akin on Instagram (@akinsaatci_polestarpilates) and at Polestar Turkiye
You are here: Home/ Archives for Pilates instructor
The Breath As A Tool – Katrina Hawley, NCPT, Polestar EducatorI was once at a Polestar Pilates Educator meeting in which we were working hard to create content for the Internet to communicate to the world, “Why Pilates?” And “Why Polestar?” The answers I found to these questions were easy. Why Pilates? Because Pilates keeps every person doing what they want to do! Whether that is hiking mountains or pulling weeds, running marathons or playing on the floor with grandchildren.
Now Why Polestar? That’s an easy one. Polestar Pilates allows me to be creative within a system of principles. Rather than teaching me a series of exercises that become a rote script for a beginner, intermediate and advanced Pilates class, Polestar provided a structure within which I could be creative. This meant that I could use the same tools to teach an 85 year old grandfather as well as a ten year old boy. I wasn’t taught a recipe of exercises but a systematic approach and theory. The amateur chaos theory mathematician in me was stoked!
The Polestar Pilates system is based on six principles (Polestar Principles of Movement) that are designed to guide the critical thinking of a Polestar Pilates Practitioner. In this post I want to describe the first one.
The Breath PrincipleNow, we don’t specifically choreograph when one should inhale and exhale. We study the anatomy and physiology of the breath and we also learn the “biokinematics” and the “arthrokinematics” of breath. All of this information within the principle allows us to decide how to best use breath as a tool for movement facilitation. When we study the breath principle we choose to ask the question how can I use the breath to create the best movement. Will an inhale help facilitate healthy movement, or is an exhale better? Or we might ask, how can I use this breath to challenge the mover in front of me to create greater integration of movement.
The Polestar Principles encourage client-centered inquisitiveness – Can our understanding of the breath shed light on any other physiological questions? How might I use breath to improve posture? Create more flexibility or space in a joint? Create axial length or facilitate thoracic mobility?
Why do I love Polestar Pilates? Because Polestar gave me a plethora of information and then said, “okay kid, take this and run with it! Have a ball, and most importantly help people move”.
Experiential:The breath is a system and tool we can learn to control (and teach our students to control as well). Try “Box Breathing” for stress reduction, grounding and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
• This breath practice can be done anywhere! Wherever you are, sit or stand in a way that you feel grounded (weight distributed evenly between the feet or sits bones) and lengthen the spine as if your head was being pulled up by a thread.
• “Box Breathing” consists of the same number of counts during your inhale as your exhale with an added pause at the peak of the inhale and valley of the exhale.
Try It!: A. Inhale Four Counts (1,2,3,4) – (Pause Four Counts – 1,2,3,4) B. Exhale Four Counts (1,2,3,4)- (Pause four counts 1,2,3,4)C. Try Repeating this Cycle 4 times.
• This rhythmic breathing practice can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the one that makes you feel calm). Experiment to find the number of counts that works for you – it should be easy, steady and grounding. Breathe On!
Katrina Hawley PMA-CPT, Polestar Educator and Affiliate is the owner of The Pilates Studio Hadley providing expert instruction in private and small group sessions as well as group mat and apparatus classes.The Pilates Studio creates goal-based programs that empower clients to increase strength and flexibility as well as improve posture, coordination, and balance. Join Katrina for the Fall Comprehensive teacher Training in Hadley, MA. The Polestar Principles of Movement: Breath, Axial Elongation & Core Control, Spine-Articulation, Organization of the Head, Neck and Shoulders, Alignment and Weight Bearing of the Extremities and Movement Integration. Start the The Teacher Training Journey and Learn more about Polestar Principles Online Course Here: Principles Online!
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Now Why Polestar? That’s an easy one. Polestar Pilates allows me to be creative within a system of principles. Rather than teaching me a series of exercises that become a rote script for a beginner, intermediate and advanced Pilates class, Polestar provided a structure within which I could be creative. This meant that I could use the same tools to teach an 85 year old grandfather as well as a ten year old boy. I wasn’t taught a recipe of exercises but a systematic approach and theory. The amateur chaos theory mathematician in me was stoked!
The Polestar Pilates system is based on six principles (Polestar Principles of Movement) that are designed to guide the critical thinking of a Polestar Pilates Practitioner. In this post I want to describe the first one.
The Breath Principle
I was once at a Polestar Pilates Educator meeting in which we were working hard to create content for the Internet to communicate to the world, “Why Pilates?” And “Why Polestar?” The answers I found to these questions were easy. Why Pilates? Because Pilates keeps every person doing what they want to do! Whether that is hiking mountains or pulling weeds, running marathons or playing on the floor with grandchildren.
Now, we don’t specifically choreograph when one should inhale and exhale. We study the anatomy and physiology of the breath and we also learn the “biokinematics” and the “arthrokinematics” of breath. All of this information within the principle allows us to decide how to best use breath as a tool for movement facilitation. When we study the breath principle we choose to ask the question how can I use the breath to create the best movement. Will an inhale help facilitate healthy movement, or is an exhale better? Or we might ask, how can I use this breath to challenge the mover in front of me to create greater integration of movement.
The Polestar Principles encourage client-centered inquisitiveness – Can our understanding of the breath shed light on any other physiological questions? How might I use breath to improve posture? Create more flexibility or space in a joint? Create axial length or facilitate thoracic mobility?
Why do I love Polestar Pilates? Because Polestar gave me a plethora of information and then said, “okay kid, take this and run with it! Have a ball, and most importantly help people move”.
Experiential:
The breath is a system and tool we can learn to control (and teach our students to control as well). Try “Box Breathing” for stress reduction, grounding and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
• This breath practice can be done anywhere! Wherever you are, sit or stand in a way that you feel grounded (weight distributed evenly between the feet or sits bones) and lengthen the spine as if your head was being pulled up by a thread.
• “Box Breathing” consists of the same number of counts during your inhale as your exhale with an added pause at the peak of the inhale and valley of the exhale.
Try It!:
A. Inhale Four Counts (1,2,3,4) – (Pause Four Counts – 1,2,3,4)
B. Exhale Four Counts (1,2,3,4)- (Pause four counts 1,2,3,4)
C. Try Repeating this Cycle 4 times.
• This rhythmic breathing practice can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system (the one that makes you feel calm). Experiment to find the number of counts that works for you – it should be easy, steady and grounding. Breathe On!
Katrina Hawley PMA-CPT, Polestar Educator and Affiliate is the owner of The Pilates Studio Hadley providing expert instruction in private and small group sessions as well as group mat and apparatus classes.The Pilates Studio creates goal-based programs that empower clients to increase strength and flexibility as well as improve posture, coordination, and balance. Join Katrina for the Fall Comprehensive teacher Training in Hadley, MA.
The Polestar Principles of Movement: Breath, Axial Elongation & Core Control, Spine-Articulation, Organization of the Head, Neck and Shoulders, Alignment and Weight Bearing of the Extremities and Movement Integration. Start the The Teacher Training Journey and Learn more about Polestar Principles Online Course Here: Principles Online!
