Up Next on Pilates Hour:
Balancing Mobility and Control
Mobility is essential for well-rounded movement, but in Pilates, control often takes center stage. This week on the Pilates Hour, Christi Idavoy explores how to design sessions that enhance mobility without sacrificing stability. Learn how to sequence for flow, unlock restrictions, and bring more freedom and endurance to your clients’ movement.
We’ll also cover strategies for addressing common concerns like low back pain, tech neck, and post-rehab needs—ensuring safe, effective mobility for all bodies.
About this Webinar
Pilates Hour – Episode 236
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About Pilates Hour:
Polestar Pilates Hour is a free Pilates webinar series where we discuss various topics on movement science, teaching skills, and much more. They are one hour and hosted by Polestar Pilates founder Brent Anderson with occasional special guests.
This series provides a flexible, accessible, and supportive platform for Pilates professionals, physical therapists, and movement enthusiasts to connect with others, expand their knowledge and skillset, and enhance their teaching techniques. Access expert instruction from certified instructors, connect with other like-minded individuals from around the world, and stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the field of Pilates and movement science.
Meet the participants:
Christi Idavoy, MA, NCPT
Senior Faculty, Polestar PilatesBased in the lush tropical mountains of Costa Rica, Christi shares her insight as a movement and mindfulness coach. Guided by the belief that all bodies are telling a valuable and honest story, she asks us to notice how we feel in the present moment and guides us to find balance by honoring what is. Inquisitive awareness lies at the heart of her teachings.
Through respect, acceptance and gratitude the body-mind alter restores itself and achieves deep states of gratitude and self-love. The chemicals released in the body by these thankful and loving emotions are the main ingredients of the Movement Medicine that Christi shares.
Originally trained in 2000 in the tradition of Swami Rama’s Himalayan Yoga Science & Philosophy in New York City, Christi is also a dedicated Pilates Practitioner and Senior Polestar Pilates Educator with a background in Feldenkrais, GYROTONIC® and somatic healing. Her most recent certification in Mindfulness Training is from The Pacific Institute.
Christi Idavoy taught this cueing workshop with clarity, great information and examples and showed a depth of understanding with a refreshingly open heart. I could listen to her all day! Thank you.
Thanks Polestar for continually sharing information with the Pilates community. I look forward to the Pilates Hour as there is always so much to keep learning and also hearing the opinion/research/work of what is happening in the industry.
Christi Idavoy taught this cueing workshop with clarity, great information and examples and showed a depth of understanding with a refreshingly open heart. I could listen to her all day! Thank you.
Thanks Polestar for continually sharing information with the Pilates community. I look forward to the Pilates Hour as there is always so much to keep learning and also hearing the opinion/research/work of what is happening in the industry.
love it / thank you!
Really tied in a lot in terms of linking in thoracic restriction to multiple planes and movement patterns. This will be a great help to my clients and me personally! God bless.
Clear concise explanation of movement and structure and function as a triad of necessary actions
These webinars are informative and inspiring
Excellent
I love your webinars specifically to clarify what we have learned and sometimes to turn a light on a sticky point. Thank you.
I appreciate the exercise examples. The anatomy is much clearer than it used to be. It was complicated last year as I’m retiring and not available to connect as much now.
Came looking for practical strategies for overcoming wrist and elbow weakness/issues and found the time was taken up with anatomy info and particularly shoulder anatomy to the extent that no time was left for the practical info.
Brent’s knowledge of anatomy and human movement combined with his ability to teach these concepts to others is unparalleled. He takes time to breakdown complex concepts into manageable and usable components. He invites us to be curious, ask questions and share our own Pilates experiences. When Shelly hosts, she often focuses on challenging Pilates exercises, dissecting each element and building them back up. This approach allows Pilates Instructors to understand the root of each exercise to better teach it to our clients. I recommend the Polestar Pilates Hour to everyone I work with – instructors, trainees and clients too!
I have been learning so much from the Pilates Hour since I found it. It is a wonderful resource and I am grateful for everyone who takes the time to put it together so I can learn something new each week!
As always, mind expanding! Love the variety of topics we cover. I wasn’t sure if a notice went out to have our bands ready, I didn’t, but still learned so much! I can do it with the replay.😉
As usual, Elisabeth is an invaluable source of information and cross-fertilization of knowledge.
Appreciate the opportunity to learn & participate in a worldwide webinar to gain knowledge from so many. So very thankful for these weekly sessions.
Great session , always look forward to polestar hour ❤️
It was an awesome topic. Thank you.
Thank you for this wonderful platform. . Pilates Hour has been a place that combines the mind, body, and spirit so that i can apply Pilates, Somatics, Heartmath and my life coaching modalities. I find a personal connection as well, as you always hit many areas. Todays topic with Ginger was a reminder from the early 90’s with my voice teacher, Rowina Balos. She led us to go deep into the pelvis. MY great-acting coah as well .I read their books now, wishing I heeded the wisdom then. I would rather run a mountain than face the emotions deep down. We grow into knowing we can move those mountains and find our voice physically and emotionally. Thank you! Lisa Shaw OutragezYou
Thank you for going deep under the skin. Being a holistic coach, the mind has to be connected to the healing journey. Getting where it hurts is often in the mind that i stuck in the body. Having spirituality is crucial , for me as a follower of Jesus. It is such a practice to find hope and joy when it ihurts. Today topic was quite timely. Thank you again!!!
Well researched relevant helpful information giving us confidence to expand our teaching and provide great benefits to our clients thank you
Case-study always helps to understand subject better. Thank you for your dedication to Polestar webinars.
Thank you for the helpful information to pass on to clients and find own personal use. You guys are the best.
I absolutely love these exercise breakdowns. Sure, we’ve taught for years and practiced Pilates for even more but it’s still fun to dissect things together and Shelly is brilliant at helping us look at the old through fresh eyes.
I love learning from Shelly because she makes me feel that I understand everything! Her capacity to explain with calm and details allows me to go deeper in my teaching approach. Thank you for this exercise breakthrough!
Thank you Shelly. Great session and I look forward to watching the next one.
I had the privilege of attending the Polestar Pilates Zoom seminar on the Pathokinesiology of the Hip, featuring Brent Anderson and Shelly Powers. The session was incredibly insightful and expertly delivered. Brent and Shelly’s deep knowledge and clear presentation style made complex concepts accessible, helping me deepen my understanding of how hip mechanics impact movement and overall health. Their expertise and passion for Pilates and movement science were truly inspiring. I highly recommend their seminars to anyone looking to expand their knowledge in this field!
Thank you all for allowing us to keep growing in our practice and learning! Hugs from Florence, Italy.
It’s so great to feel stupid! Seriously, I realize every time that I cannot take anything for granted. I haven’t missed a webinar in years, this is my go to training. I appreciate you!
I really enjoy the Pilates Hour sessions. They are informative and I feel part of a wonderful worldwide community. Thank you.
Amazing and enlightening hours ! Always inspiring to keep learning with people who loves to share their knowledge and beautiful experiences ! Thank you Brent and all team Polestar Pilates! Greetings from Paris FR.
Thanks, Polestar Pilates for the opportunity to take new knowledge every week. Sometimes coaches haven’t the time or money for a long learning course and these webinars help to stay in form and keep up with the times.
Fabulous session, thank you
This was one subject I was unsure how much I would get out of. We all have times in this field where we feel “stuck” or wonder why we do what we do. This message was so applicable right now! Acts of service keep us alive spiritually. Not having thought about a Pilates trainer performing acts of service- I now feel invigorated in my work and ready to change lives and therefore feeling more alive myself!
Again I am amazed and inspired! Thank you! Can’t wait for what comes next!
Thank you so much for your time, knowledge, and genuine to educate us for better teacher, community and better world! Thank you so much.
I’m a 35-yr cancer survivor/warrior. I also had 2 car accidents & an accidental fall off of a loading dock that has damaged my back. I share my personal experiencees while incorporating dance techniques for creative movement in my Pilates classes; to offer positive movement experiences & practical application of certain exercises for everyday movement beyond the class in order to improve one’s quality of LIFE! THANK YOU again for the valuable weekly sessions!
I try to listen to all of the wonderful webinars! Today I actually was able to listen in real time. Dinah and Brent, that was wonderful and very educational. I realize that the onset of my OA happened in Perimenopause. My dance career and hypermobility caught up with me, resulting in total hip replacements. (Brent on a personal note I related to your surgeries emotionally and understood what you went through). I also appreciate putting the dots together for some of my clients. I am putting my Pilates education to work on myself and doing strength training. So grateful for my good health.
I have been following the Pilates hour for over a year now and love your perspective on many various topics….love your mix of presentations. I hope someday to come to the farm and do some training with you live but right now I am very grateful to have this wonderful weekly educational experience.
Educational and enlightening hours with people who do not hesitate to share their knowledge and experiences! Thank you!
Thank you so much for providing these educational webinars with experts from around the world that allow everyone to collaborate and learn! I really appreciate the continued education for NO COST! Many many thanks.
Excellent and very interesting, so very useful for improving teaching Pilates and other movement/fitness classes! Thank you very much for sharing state-of-the-art current research in this field.
Very interesting and easy to follow presentation! Always good to keep learning. Thank you Hagit and Brent!
Always so informative, lots of good new learning as well! So appreciative to be part of this presentation! Thank you!
Shelly shares great energy and positivity in her webinars, I’m never disappointed in the content. Love these webinars! Thank you!
Excellent opportunity to take a look into what I could learn as a Pilates teacher.
The Pilates Hour online have been great! I have used them in my teaching and appreciate the time and thought that has gone into these sessions
Thanks articulating and sharing much awareness/wisdom and any wonderful insights on practical ways to apply them. Be well
The strength of Polestar is the people who are so connected to the integrity of Joseph Pilates and his dreams for our world. Christi gave us so much information with inspiration. Thank you!
I very much enjoy these webinars, today particularly. As a retired PT and current Pilates Instructor, it helps to keep my mind active, engaged and up to date. The caring atmosphere is exceptional and heart warming.
Very informative and helpful. Thank you for continuing to do these.
THANK YOU for a fantastic dive into the Fascia Pilates research. I especially want to thank you for all the additional resources provided and workshop/course opportunities. As a former dance Professor at a University I find this work moving us all far beyond the basic understanding and movement concepts of Pilates for dancers and others.
Pilates hour webinars bring me the most current material applicable to my pilates teaching. I am grateful for the connections and opportunities to learn!
I have been doing your webinars weekly and find them so helpful. I learn and affirm. You present us with alot of different topics that are all so useful in my Pilates practice. The holistic philosophy that you present each week especially touches home for me as it affirms what I am doing and why I am doing it. Thank-you!!
These tutorials, introductions and classes are a wonderful testament to Polestar’s commitment to a world that works for everyone. As we heal and learn to heal others, transformation becomes the norm in all areas of our lives and hence the world around us can heal. Thank you.
I am loving the webinars. They are varied, informative and in line with my philosophy of helping others through Pilates.. thank you to Polestar Pilates for offering them.
I really enjoy these webinars
I really appreciate that Brent is putting so much time and effort into sharing his knowledge. The Pilates Hour is one of the highlights of my week.
These sessions are amazing. I’m a new graduate and I learn so much from these!! Thank you so much! I’m so proud to be part of the Polestar family.
Helpful information for my teaching, refreshes things learned years ago and feels great to be a part of the Polestar community
I tune in for every one I can schedule, and love that test Pilates Hours are open to clients as well as students & graduates! Thank you!!
This was my first Pilates Hour, thanks so much it was very insightful and joined some dots in relation to topics in my training. Looking forward to receiving my copy of the book!
Began watching these during PAO rehab, 5th hip surgery. Amazing content for dysplasia hips and PAO recovery techniques . Grateful for this platform.
The subject matters are always very helpful and pertinent. I enjoy the Mentimeter participation. Thank you.
Great selection of experts, thinkers, movers. The content is always stimulating and inspiring
I enjoy these webinars in general and this one in particular because we don’t often get well articulated demos. I am planning to try the techniques she taught as soon as I get to the studio. Thanks for providing these.
Very interesting topic, human aspect of the webinar very appreciated.
I have been enjoying your educational system for years! I really appreciate what and hoy you do it! Thank you so much
Always insightful, packed with valuable tips and Pilates drill downs. Great for anyone wanting to expand their horizon and gain knowledge and inspiration!
so grateful to be in the Polestar family
These webinars are truly amazing. Thankyou so much.
Thank you for today’s session. I joined in from Athens, Greece on the recommendation of my teacher trainer, Teresa B, who was also attending. I had no idea what to expect, but though I’m just beginning my own journey as an instructor, I can relate to just about everything you said! The description of the physical and psychological self-preparation process to focus before a session was most inspiring. The need to keep the focus on the client’s needs during the lesson is of course imperative, as it should be in all teacher-student settings. Generally, I felt encouraged by this opportunity to reflect on my own development as a Pilates specialist, which has involved channelling energy that goes beyond physical and technical skills development. Thank you for sharing your personal experiences and positive energy.
It’s so wonderful of Brent to do these! Much appreciated
Invaluable information regards hip replacement. Thank you for sharing your personal experience from both hip replacements including the emotional aspect of the surgeries.
Began these sessions while recovering from 5th hip surgery , PAO. I used the information for my own recovery. Enjoyed theses sessions. Thank you.
Always great information on how the body moves and how we can help out clients with their body awareness
The webinar was absolutely F A N T A S T I C! This is why I have decided to train with Polestar Pilates in the first place & it reminded me how much I am still in awe of everything Polestar Pilates represents. Thank you.
Really moving, topical thoughts and incentive to action. That teaching movement and connection between one\’s body and mind can lead to increased awareness and kindness. That\’s what this is about.
I have been a frequent Pilates Hour attendee since height of the pandemic. I loved the discussion of the rhythm of the bones today. Sitting hinged in a chair does not do us any favors. We are so much more than hinges. I also took Beth Kaplaneck’s Hip/joint replacement seminar online in 2020. Beth was amazing transforming what was to be in-person course in Miami to a online/hybrid course within several months time.
This was one of the best episodes, ever! Your frankness, truth-telling and sharing about your experience really warmed my heart. Blessings on your recovery and future plans. I can’t wait to order the new book you haven’t written yet…..just sayin!
I find many of these videos extremely interesting and informative. The deeper dive into the topics and moves are really valuable to me as a pilates student. I really value the time that Brent, Shelley and the guests put into doing these 🙂
Always very informative. Thank you for providing all this important information free of charge.
So grateful for the weekly hour offered by Polestar. So kind and generous.
I love these webinars. They give me confidence to teach with confidence!
These seminars are so very essential for educational sharing & caring & learning in order to improve the quality life of my many students as well as myself! THANK YOU so very much`
I’m always more informed, relaxed and self aware after I watch this. Thanks so much for offering it to us!
It is so refreshing to have an opportunity to listen, learn and share new and varying ways of thinking and practicing. It truly takes a special person to think outside the box, step away from the norm, and innovate to create and change in established practices. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and perspective and bringing together other to do the same.
Each week I teach 20 small group Reformer classes plus an additional 5 private sessions in my home studio. Each week I have the most amazing opportunity to sit in the front row of a post-graduate seminar, taught by the cutting edge leaders in my field, in the comfort of my own home. Whether I’m at my kitchen table or feet up in the shade on my beautiful deck, I look forward to my coveted time of restoration, connection and mind-expanding ideas at the Polestar Hour.
Fascinating and inspiring. Thank you!
I always enjoy attending PH because it is such a wealth of useful and practical information that I take out of every session Thank you Polestar Team for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Great introduction to Adult Spinal Deformities! This will definitely spur me on to learn more so I can tailor my programs to be even more client specific. I think every client I have can benefit from spine stabilization work!!
Great basic seminar. I like the simple measurement guidelines re determining who is at risk for spinal instability.
Wonderful Pilates Hour session on spinal deformities Wealth of information..
Enjoyed the info in this presentation . Have wanted to take a Lisa Stolze class but haven’t had a chance. Great info I can implement immediately into practice
I totally enjoy the Polestar Pilates Hour each week. I can’t always participate during the actual time but I always look forward to seeing the tape. Thanks so much for providing this wonderful resource to the community.
Very useful and interesting series. Thank you for your research and generosity in sharing
I love these sessions, truly thought-provoking, informative and inspiring.
Excellent session
I absolutely LOVE the Pilates Hour with Brent Anderson. I always learn. It’s the best hour of my week and keeps me mentally stimulated.
I’ve been in the field of Health/Wellness/ Fitness & Dance for over 50 yrs. It’s my passion as well as my now “retirement profession”. I trained at Polestar Pilates- Miami with Brent, Shelly & so many wonderful instructors. I greatly appreciate all the Pilates Hour sessions over the past 3yrs & hope to continue “helping others to help themselves” – physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually through Pilates & the art of dance. THANK YOU for helping me to look forward to my 70th birthday next month (September 25th) as a 34 year ‘Breast Cancer Survivor Warrior Woman”! God bless – Cathee
These sessions are an enormous gift! Presentations are grounded in expertise and experience; topics are interesting and useful. I prefer attending the webinars live, but it’s great to have the replays when I cannot attend. Inspiring, informative, and – I feel – coming from a place of kindness, compassion, and hope. Many thanks to all who make the Pilates Hour happen!
Thanks a lot for the webinar. I have pelvic injury myself from giving birth and I got a lot of useful information from you today. I am planing to start a Pilates training course and my long term goal is to help women like me.
As always very informative and something to add to my “tool box”
Thank you VERY MUCH, Brent!
Love, Love Love the time we all share on the Pilates Hour. Great topics, Knowledgable Speakers, Awesome Feedback
This was a lovely webinar – I particularly enjoyed the use of menti.com for the interactive feature, enabling us all to participate.
I really enjoy and appreciate these Polestar Pilates hours. They are very informative and helpful. Today was especially inspiring for myself, as I felt I really needed this class.. thank you!!
Some powerful things were said today, June 29 with Christi. This was much appreciated, that we all take the time between our busy lives, to pause. Thank you.
I love Pilates Hour. Very grateful to learn new things every week! Thank you.
Love the knowledge and teaching tips offered in your webinars
Beautiful explanation and very helpful tips, as always. Thank you!!
I just wanted to thank Brent for these weekly programs. My schedule is full and I appreciate the flexibility of tuning in at my convenience. I enjoy the dialogue immensely. It always leaves me with new awareness and creative ideas. I’m very grateful for this community and what you choose to bring to the table.
It was a Great session! Thank you. Been using all the methods mention and this session have given me more ideas on movements.
Thanks for all you do at Polestar. Another informative hour. I love the feeling of connection that you bring to the Pilates world community.
These Pilates Hour sessions have helped to re-energize me as a trainer. I’ve been teaching Pilates for nearly a decade and recently completed the Polestar Instructor training program. The variety of Pilates Hour classes and the amazing speakers offers so much to the community. Each week I leave with a new way of approaching my upcoming sessions.
Comprehensive Polestar graduate who enjoys staying connected with familiar teachers and education on a regular basis. Thank you, thank you for providing these Pilates Hour sessions!!!
I have learned so much from the Polestar weekly Pilates webinar. The topics are always interesting and informative, and if I’m working I always watch the replay. Thank you for providing this service, I recommend it to everyone!
These webinars are fantastic. They serve to reinforce, enlighten, support, and connect. Some webinars I’ve listened to at least three times. Others have served to give me “fresh eyes” in my sessions with clients. I love the variety, and Brent is the consummate professional; utterly down to earth with enormous expertise, yet still humble, curious, and even spiritual. I hope these webinars will continue for a long time!
Appreciate the weekly content and the fact that we received recordings should we be unable to attend live. Thank you!
This was great! Thinking about the reciprocal movements the way it was presented here today was unique yet clear. I’d like to further my practice and learning by keeping the information and examples presented in mind. Thank you.
great information! amazing, thank you
I received my Polestar training in 2004/2005 timeframe. I had already gone through a program with a classically trained instructor in Charlotte. I also did intense mat work with Colleen Glen. I decided to do Polestar as I needed something that would help me work with a wider variety of bodies. I really loved my training and I find that the weekly webinars that Polestar generously offers to their graduates (and others) to be so helpful in this changing world. The way i was taught years ago doesn’t work as well now. I find that people have different expectations and my training along with the variety of webinars really helps me to stay fresh in my practice.
fascinating. I always enjoy Polestar Pilates science and evidenced based approach to the webinars. Each hour delivers an Ah Ha! Moment. Thank you!
A deep appreciation for the opportunity to take deep dives and and learn so much from Brent and all his guests.
I’m really really happy every time when I have the possibility to watch the Pilates Hour. I’m from Brazil and It’s so nice see people for other side the world tell the same things I think. And, It’s a proud to see people have a large knowledge about Pilates and share with us. Thank you so much for talk about Pilates and the body.
Pilates hour is amazing, I am infinitely grateful for the knowledge that your speakers share, especially the wisdom of Dr. Brent Anderson
I love these Pilates Hour shows. I ALWAYS learn something — and it makes me think in a broader way about the Pilates Community. Reminds me of Feldenkrais practice some times.
I find Brent’s sessions invaluable – THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Each session has brilliant visuals and a logical flow, that are easy for my brain to connect and understand. It’s always just the right amount of information, which is relevant to a subject being discussed. It’s a great gift, to be able to explain such complex things in a way they can be understood by anyone.
Thank you for this meticulously detailed work which clarifies so many aspects of our work. This was only my 2nd webinar, my first was Pilates for EDS, which was unknown territory for me and will help me to help a relative who has just been diagnosed. I will be back…
Really enjoy Pilates Hour sessions. They are long enough to learn or to recap over topics but short enough to attend. Keeps me in touch with the latest topics and helps me to keep teaching my clients with information that is current. Thank you and don’t stop what you keep doing so well, educate!
I absolutely love joining the sessions every week, sharing knowledge, learning is what I love the most but the most important for me is that keep motivated.
Thank you for the breadth of coverage, inclusiveness, the understanding that it’s appropriate to teach a exercise differently to different people- or to the same person on different days. The relationship between experience and intuition. I was taught by a highly intuitive teacher, but it took me years to understand what my intuition was telling me, and still I find the more I learn the more intuitively I can work. About “aha” moments, they are often not to do directly with the body: I had a client who after several classes said, ” Now I relate differently with my husband ” (We had not discussed her marital relationship!). I believe the focus that we teach on the body level sets the spirit free to do what it needs to do.
This was SO helpful. Even for 10 years post-grad I found is very informative. Thanks so much Shelly!
Bravo!!! What an awesome session with Brent and Viktor regarding the Konnector to increase mobility !! Thank you so much !!! Thank you Brent and Shelly for your dedication to educate us all to be better movers and to treat each other kindly!!
Thank you! So informative.
I always enjoy the pilates hour and look forward to the next topic. This hour is always so enlightening, thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for offering Pilates Hour for free. I try to watch it every week online or replay and I`m so thankful. I learn a lot, not only for my pupils and clients, but especially for myself.
I love these seminars! Especially when it’s over my head, I can lookup what I need to know to accelerate my learning. Thank you!
I loved the webinar. It was a perfect length, with interesting, up to date information, delivered in language that was easy to understand. The content was relevant to use with our clients and I look forward to similar webinars.
Shelly, great job as always. I appreciate the deeper dive into exercises. You always remind me that the basics are the starting point and we build from there. Good review of the basics with some good choreography and ways to tease out some new challenges. Thank you!
Love Pilates Hour, thank you.
The webinar sessions have been great because they help reiterate, catch, reinforce what we may have missed or need to be reinforced even after any training/certification. Also, if you don’t catch something during, you can watch the replay. I especially like the specialists & case studies, & higher level thinking even though I’m not on the Instructor level. … and I value my practitioner Instructor, Shelly Power who has helped me walk thru any question.
That was a very inspiring talk. I look forward to trying out some of the ideas.
Shelly, your deep dive into these exercises are always helpful! Thanks so much!
