Teresa's Blog

The Man Himself

Let's face it...Pilates was a genius!

Joseph was born in 1880, which means that he was around at the same time as Queen Victoria!  When we think about it like that, we start to see what groundbreaking work he was coming up with.

This was a time when there were no Gyms, no Studio's as such and certainly no Lycra based yoga and Pilates pants.  Was it that Joseph Pilates had some sort of foresight as to how his system of exercise would work in the 21st Century? Or did he purely devise some excellently, well mastered exercises which took his clients body through every movement plane in a varied, balanced and controlled way?  I believe it was both and although I make it sound so simple, that was the whole thing about Joseph's method, how simple it was, yet at the same time, magnificently profound.   

So years and years later, here we are; passionate, interested and eager to learn about Joseph Pilates method.

Whether we use Pilates as a form of rehabilitation or as a part of our fitness regime, whether we are an expert at his exercises, or purely just starting out, his exercises challenge us.  Lets face it, his exercises WORK.

We undoubtedly grow stronger, leaner, feel more energised and at the same time relaxed, knowing that everything we are doing in Pilates is contributing to a healthy body and mind.

The more we do Pilates, the more we learn, the more we learn, the more we realise how much there is to Joseph's method of exercising that we have all grown to know and love.

Today I celebrate Mr Joseph Pilates and the inspiring work he devised.  He was a true genius.

 

New Years Resolutions

Have you over done it throughout the Christmas Holidays?

Is one of your New Years Resolutions to get back into shape and improve your health?

Are you thinking of embarking on a new excercise program?

If Pilates is already your 'thing' and you want to expand your current program or maybe you've heard all about it and want to give it a go - I can help!

Get in touch and I can give you details of my one to one sessions, beginners courses and drop in classes throughout Nottingham.

8 Benefits Of Having One to One Sessions

Motivation - One to one Pilates is the perfect place to help you with the very basics and to give you the motivation to move forward with your Pilates practise.

Consistency - One to one Pilates is perfect if you find it difficult to stick to a program.  Scheduling regular appointments helps eliminate any excuse you may come up with for not exercising.

Safety - During your one to one session I will show you how to exercise safely, including instructing you on which exercises are more beneficial to you and which ones to avoid.

Individualised Instruction - A program that works for one person may not work for another.  I will help you develop an effective program based on your personal needs and goals.

Supervision - I will make sure that the exercises you are performing are done correctly.  With correct form you will ensure you are getting the most out of your program and see and feel results much much quicker.

Injury Rehabilitation - If you are returning to exercise after an injury, then this is the perfect way to begin.  Pilates is recommended by Physio's, Osteopaths and Chiropractors as a safe way to return to health.

Personal Preference - If classes just aren't your thing and you feel happier to work on a one to one basis, then this is for you!  You can work at your own pace, ask questions as you go and have a laugh along the way!

Ego Boost - It's a fact that feeling good makes you look good and vice versa.  Remember Joseph Pilates mantra.." In 10 sessions you'll feel the difference, in 20 you'll see the difference and by 30 sessions you'll have a whole new body!"

Oops, I've done it again!

I've let time slide and neglected my blog!

Sometimes life seems pretty hectic.  I seem to be juggeling jobs at the moment! I have my Studio Coordinators role, where I manage the classes and timetables for 4 studio's, I have freelance Pilates classes that I teach in and around Nottingham, I see clients on a one to one basis and also tutor Pilates courses up and down the country at weekends. 

I suppose the thing is with juggeling is that at some point, something has to be either dropped or put down gently.  In my case, the thing that I dropped was blog writing - again.  I was all blogged out! Drained of any kind of Pilates chit chat -  mainly because the thought of coming home and writng about what I had been teaching all day was enough to make me close my laptop for ever (poor little me!)

So I've pulled myself out of my procrustination and timewasting on - dare I say it - Facebook and have decided to concentrate on the things that will move me closer to my goals...

Pilates Course in Nottingham

My Beginners Pilates Course in Nottingham is filling up and spaces are going fast.

Please contact me soon to reserve your place...

Pilates For Beginners in Nottingham

I will be starting a brand new Pilates Matwork course for beginners on Thursday 27th September at 6.30pm at a venue just off Huntingdon St, Nottingham.(Details will be given upon request).

The course will last for six weeks and will run from Thurs 27th Sept until Thurs 1st Oct 07 inclusively.  The cost for this six week Pilates course will be £45.00 per person.

Places are very limited, so please book early to ensure your place.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

News

New Pilates classes in Nottingham starting soon...

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Or email me!

Breathe...

Breath = life.

It's the first and the last act we will ever perform.

To be able to inhale fully is to be able to fill ourselves  with the energies of life and to be inspired.

To be able to exhale fully is to be able to let go and to open ourselves to the unknown.

But how often do we breathe fully?  Probably very rarely if at all.

If we pay attention to our breathing process, we find that what naturally happens is that our chest cavity expands and contracts. As we inhale our intercostal muscles (the muscles in between our ribs) expand and elevate our ribs, the breast plate moves up as the diagphram flattens down. During exhalation the intercostals relax, the breast plate moves down and and the diagphram relaxes upwards.

Depending on what we are doing and on our specific physcological state( angry, stressed, peaceful, relaxed) our breath can range from fast and shallow to slow and deep and can be either diaphramatic, thoracic or clavicular.  Most of us choose chest (thoracic) and clavicular breathing whilst having little experience of diaphramatic breathing, which means that we never fully breath oxygen into the deepest areas of our lungs where most of our blood awaits oxgenation. By continuing shallow breathing, we reduce the capacity of our respiratory system to only one third of its potential therefore diminishing the production of energy in our cells and increasing the dis-harmony and dis-ease in our bodies.

We know that Pilates and breathing go hand in hand and that the way in which we breathe assists us in the performance and execution of the exercises yet we still remain somewhat unaware of our breathing techniques from day to day.

So... I'll offer you a challenge of noticing your breath today.  Noticing the speed of your breath, the depth of your breath and the possibility of letting your inhalation last a little longer as you get a sense that you can allow your breath to reach the lowest lobes of your lungs before exhaling fully... Ahhhh!

A pain in the ...

As Eric Franklin states in his wonderful book Relax your Neck, Liberate your Shoulders - "the body functions holistically and we are only as flexible as the least flexible part of our body".

Now, we've all at some point in our lives suffered from a back ache or tension throughout the body but what exactly is tension?

Tension may be interpreted as a hard, tight, knotted place in our body where there is a lack of movement.  The tension resides in the place where movement used to be, so it makes sense that if we allow movement back into that area, tension will gradually dissipate, although this is often easier said than done...

Have you stopped to consider where this tension comes from? Is it biomechanical or emotional?  Or maybe it's a combination of both. Have you considered that the internal dialogue you use and your mental attitude could have a big part to play in the areas of pain and tension throughout the body?

Sometimes tension can arise from bad posture and coordination, sometimes from lack of movement and using tensed breathing patterns. Other times the cause of pain and tension in the body can come about by narrow thinking, exhaustion, discontentment, lack of trust and intuition, and low self esteem.

Our mental state plays a huge part in how our body feels and by gently cultivating a positive change in the way we think about ourselves, we will undoubtedly release tension in the body.

By simply affirming to ourselves that we no longer have pain, we still focus on pain.  By thinking "I have no tension" is still focusing on tension.  To get results, we must use positive imagery and dialogue that focuses on the end product - the place where we want to get to, ie - a flexible spine, relaxed shoulders, harmonious working muscles and free joints...

If you've read my earlier posts on Intention, you will know that it is a huge part of how I work and believe we can achieve grand results from our body just by listening to our intentions.  Movement comes after thought and thought comes after intention. Intention is a knowing, it's an inert sense and the beginnings of why we do what we do.

By getting to know ourselves in the quiet times, by becoming aware of the thoughts we use to describe how we feel and by gaining awareness through movement, we will be on the path to a healthier day to day life.

Beginnings

I was just thinking back 6 years to my first Pilates training and all the the hours of practice, observation and study that I put into getting through my exam.  How I learnt the repertoire inside out, memorised the exercises and breathing patterns and studied postural patterns until I was blue in the face! I sat in night after night learning muscle origins and insertions, and studying human anatomy and muscle movement. 

I truly believed that when I had finished my teacher training I was ready to teach my first Pilates class.  I was already very confident with my teaching abilities as I had taught movement in some form or another for years, yet it seemed that nothing could have prepared me for what I was I was about to experience!

I had learnt so much theory, but what I had forgotten was that I was teaching real human beings with real postural imbalances who had real feelings! Not only that, but they had personalities and could speak too!  It was horrific! 

I realised that my training was really just the very beginning and no sooner had I completed the course and passed my exam that I realised I was back at the beginning again and was really just a baby as far as my teaching was concerned.

It hasn't stopped there.  Numerous amounts of training later and the assessments and exams I'm still putting myself through to maximise my own potential whilst helping others continues.

I realise that I'm still at the beginning every time I set myself free after I've learnt something new.  How I have resigned myself to the fact that there is so very much to learn about the human body, mind and spirit and the affect one has on the other, that I will,in fact, always be a beginner and for that lesson alone I am grateful.