Are Your Hips Ready for Ski Season?

I love this image of beginner ski students.  It really demonstrates how much strength and range of motion is needed throughout the joints of the lower body and in this instance, I'm looking at hips!

There are some great #Pilates exercises that will get clients slope ready in no time.

One thing to remember when training clients that ski is that they need this range of motion with strength, so we're not looking to increase flexibility of the joints for flexibility's sake but to work them within their current range to strengthen and then slightly increase the range as their flexibility improves.

-D

#Pilates #Exercise to Love: Bridging

Bridging is one of all-time favourite exercises.  What are some of the differences between the bridge we do as part of our #Pilates workout and the bridge that you may have performed doing #Yoga?

One big difference is that in #Pilates, we only lift to the bottom tip of our shoulder blades, whereas in yoga - now I have to be careful here because I cannot speak for all yoga methods, but in my experience the lift goes up to the tops of the shoulders.  

Try it both ways and see how our muscles work differently to support us in these similar, but still very different bridges!

-D

#Pilates #Exercise to Love: Carola's Breathing

Ok, yes... so now that we're all over how blonde my hair used to be, we can focus on this fantastic #Pilates #Exercise. 

"Carola's Breathing" an exercise from Pilates' first protoge - Carola Trier, a german dancer who found her way to the US as a performing contortionist, met Joe in 1940 after injury.  Carola opened her own studio in the late 1950s with equipment that Joe either made for her or gave to her from his own stock of creations. 

Carola's variation of "Joe's Breathing" exercise on the the Cadillac uses the push-through bar rather than the roll-down bar from Joe's. 

For clients, I like to use Carola's Breathing as a warm-up for stiff bodies, who were sat at a desk too long.  I find it allows time to warm-up the body and to encourage movement and flow, right from the start of a workout.  Joe's Breathing I tend to use later in a workout and often times add some challenges for my clients by using handles instead of the roll-down bar or add single leg pulses at the top for healthy bodies.

For more information on the history of Pilates and the other Pilates Elders, who are responsible for spreading the love of this wonderful method of exercise, a good starting point is Balanced Body - http://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/pilates/origins-of-pilates.html

Cueing Concentration

I love this picture because it lists concentration at the top.  Often overlooked by teachers, in favour of cueing breath or to create precise and controlled movement - we don't allow for beautiful, glorious, silence! 

Concentration isn't going to happen with someone constantly chattering on about breath or controlled movements!  Concentration allows for that essential Mind Body link that helps us to carry-over our newly learned efficient movement patterns into day to day life.  

Allow space in your cueing for silence and your clients will experience a richer, lasting Pilates practice.

-D

Thank You!

Thank you everyone for your support through the ups and downs of property hunting.  It took more than sixty (68 to be exact!) viewings and 12 offers to find 'the one'.   Your emails throughout the summer and the few of you that booked private lessons with me at various locations throughout London helped me to keep going to find this amazing space.  

As my thank you, we're going to be opening in November, with semi-private group classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at £20 per class.  Private lessons can be scheduled most any time at £50.  

Starting January 2014 we'll have a full schedule in full-swing and our new pricing will take effect.