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Pilates in Costa Rica

Pilates in Costa Rica

It wasn’t but a couple weeks after the Pilates Roundtable in West Palm Beach, that I booked a flight for Costa Rica. The three week trip was part of my plan to decompress and take some time off for the summer. I enrolled myself in a Surf, Photography and Spanish program through School of the World in Jaco (one of the more popular beaches located in Central Pacific Coast). There I planned on brushing up on my picture taking skills, learning to surf and perfecting my Spanish accent. I checked one bag on the plane and boarded feeling a sense of wonderful learning opportunities in the horizon. I arrived 4 days early prior to my “lessons” starting as a way to scope out the scene. That’s when I took a day trip to the nearby... Continue ...

Holiday Gift Guide 2009

Holiday Gift Guide 2009

It is that time of year again and we have the details on great Pilates gift ideas for the holidays. This year is a great time to give the gift that will last a lifetime…the gift of Pilates. There are options for everyone on your list. Toe Sox has fun Holiday Yoga/Pilates Sox with Grips that come in Red and White stripes. These would bring holiday cheer to your Studio! $15 STOTT PILATES® DVD Two-Packs Exclusive to STOTT PILATES, these DVD Two-Packs make the perfect gift for any Pilates enthusiast – whether beginner, advanced or somewhere in between. Titles include Pilates for Golf, Walking for Your Heart, Strong & Healthy Back, Pilates-Infused™ Yoga, Prenatal Pilates and Pilates on the Stability Ball™. $19.99 STOTT... Continue ...

Bridging the Gap between Pilates and Fitness

Bridging the Gap between Pilates and Fitness

June Kahn is one of the pioneers of the fitness industry. She began working in fitness when it first took off in the late 1970s, early 80s. She also is a trained dancer and Pilates instructor (PhysicalMind Institute) and has been instrumental in bridging the gap between fitness and Pilates. Kahn has seen the evolution of the fitness industry from the inside. As a Master Trainer for Reebok University, June saw the changes occur from floor aerobics to Step aerobics (with hand weights no less—anyone remember Heavy Hands?), to Spinning, to Kickboxing to Functional training and then the shift to Core training. Quite a metamorphosis the industry has undergone! It wasn’t until Functional and Core training came into focus that... Continue ...

Pilates Roundtable Conference Report Card

Pilates Roundtable Conference Report Card

It’s not often you get to have your very own Pilates fantasy.  If you could dream of an ideal Pilates Conference setup, I’m guessing a few of these ingredients would be part of the mix: An intimate setting with you, the master teacher trainer and five of your friends, throw in palm trees, free shuttles to fun nightlife, amazing restaurants and essential shopping, add a dash of non-stop educational opportunities with a combo of workout classes, lectures, open-minded ideas of the “ideal” and approaches to teaching.  Of course, you still have to deal with the freezing indoor AC in the meeting rooms as your brain intently attempts to savor every word that comes out of the presenter’s mouth. But what else would there... Continue ...

The Dynamic Duo

The Dynamic Duo

Delightful, dynamic and dedicated are some adjectives that describe twin sisters Katherine and Kimberly Corp, the owners and operators of Pilates on Fifth, a very successful Pilates studio in the heart of New York City. I had the opportunity to speak with them in April and found them to also be forthcoming, entrepreneurial and fun. There don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to accomplish all that the Corp sisters manage. Not only do they own their studio, a nearly 6,000 square foot facility, they also train clients, are educators of Pilates instructors and they also own an internet driven company called Ultimate Pilates Workouts, a membership site where one can gain access to a multitude of Pilates workouts. And there... Continue ...

Exciting New Pilates Conference in Florida

Exciting New Pilates Conference in Florida

The 1st Annual Pilates Round Table Conference will be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, June 5-7, 2009.  This is exciting news for the Pilates community to have a new and fresh conference on the scene.  You will find amazing education from some of Pilates’ very best, including some of Joseph’s very own students! Presenters include Lolita San Miguel, Julian Littleford, Rebecca Leone, Michele Larsson, Michael Collins, Kevin Bowen, Brent Anderson, Kristi Cooper White, and Matthew Comer.   Topics include: Lolita shares her Cadillac Working with the Shoulder Girdle Basics of proper hip flexion Pilates and Scoliosis Concentration and Breath: The framework of the Pilates System Group Reformer Class for All Pilates for Chronic... Continue ...

Rael Isacowitz of BASI Pilates™

Rael Isacowitz of BASI Pilates™

Rael Isacowitz is definitely one to follow in the Pilates industry. He founded BASI™ (Body Arts and Sciences, International) Pilates in 1989 and over the past 30 years, since he began his study in Pilates, he has made an indelible mark in the industry. “I have tried to keep BASI Pilates™ quite intimate,” says Rael, even with its spread across 20 countries. BASI Pilates™ is headquartered in Orange County, California and has 65 certifying locations. Although business requires that he still travel, Isacowitz prefers to stay close to home. He resides in Oregon with his wife and 8-year-old son. He is a passionate windsurfer, which is what brought him to Oregon. Isacowitz also enjoys hiking, walking with his wife,... Continue ...

Pilates during Pregnancy

Pilates during Pregnancy

One question I get asked all the time by women who are pregnant is: “Is Pilates safe to do?” And my response is: “If you’re doing it correctly and there’s no medical reason why you shouldn’t be exercising, then Pilates is probably one of the safest and most effective forms of exercise you could possibly do while you’re pregnant.” Here are just a few of the benefits of Pilates during pregnancy. Pilates exercises are purposefully designed, to: re-align your posture tighten your tummy muscles strengthen your pelvic floor diminish back ache challenge your balance tone your arms, legs and bum keep your cortisol (stress hormones) levels in check eliminate sciatica help reduce water retention produce results ease... Continue ...

Pilates, Psoas & Back Pain

Pilates, Psoas & Back Pain

Relieving pain is one of the many benefits offered by Pilates, getting to know the core PSOAS (pronounced so-as) and its role in back pain relief can further help resolve those longstanding issues. Spanning from solar plexus to inner thigh your psoas is deep within the belly core; behind the abdominal muscles, it provides a muscular shelf that supports all the organs. With every walking step, the healthy psoas provides an on-going internal massage. Attaching to each of the lumbar vertebrae and crossing over each hip socket this dynamic bio-intelligent tissue is the only muscle to link spine to legs. Like a pendulum it frees the leg for walking. A healthy psoas is always released and responsive for movement. As part of... Continue ...

Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Holiday Gift Guide 2008

‘Tis the season to be healthy and fit! Give the gift of Pilates to your clients, coworkers, employees, family and friends! There are many options to choose from and everyone can benefit. Before you head to the mall, add Pilates to your Christmas list. Below are Pilates gifts for everyone’s price range of under $100. Check out some of the items we found when we asked around. STOTT PILATES® Toning Ball The Toning Ball can be easily adapted into anyone’s mat routine for added resistance, proprioceptive feedback and awareness of shoulder girdle stability. They range in weight from 1lb-3lb. Great for anyone on your list.  $10.95-$12.95 each Stability Ball Challenge DVD This is an advanced DVD challenging upper... Continue ...

On the Run with Sara Kooperman

On the Run with Sara Kooperman

With a lady this unique, I should have known this would be no ordinary interview! In order to squeeze in all that she had to do one April day, she literally granted me an interview while taking her afternoon run. She was in Virginia, but I was half way around the world. She was on her cell phone and I was figuratively racing along! This was, after all, a business trip for her. I was happy to oblige her need to multi-task! For those of you who don’t know Sara Kooperman, she is the “Sara” of Sara’s City Workout now known as SCW Fitness Education. She founded the organization nearly 30 years ago in a small studio in Chicago. Today, SCW Fitness Education provides education and training to fitness instructors... Continue ...

Interview with Lindsay and Moira Merrithew

Interview with Lindsay and Moira Merrithew

Lindsay and Moira Merrithew have been positively influencing the Pilates industry for over 20 years since founding STOTT PILATES®. Their passion and energy for this amazing form of exercise continues on a journey to make it more accessible and mainstream. They both agree that there is still a lot of awareness needed for Pilates. They have truly taken Pilates to all aspects of the community through their many programs. There are 210 STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainers, 55 Licensed Training Centers and 17,000 trained instructors world-wide. Not only have they created a Professional Series of DVDs, but they also have an At Home series included in their collection of over 120 titles. STOTT PILATES attends 35 trade shows each year,... Continue ...

Interview with Joan Breibart

Interview with Joan Breibart

Through the magic of technology and teleconferencing I had the pleasure of sitting down recently with Joan Breibart, president and co-founder of the PhysicalMind Institute. We had met a few weeks earlier for the first time when she came to a Pilates Mat class I teach at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, FL. That was sort of intimidating—the president of the organization I had certified with showed up, unexpectedly, in my class. Although she didn’t say it when she came in, I knew who she was within a few minutes. As you might imagine I was a bit nervous! Joan was in Orlando for some R&R and to visit her friend and Diet Directives business associate, Meredith Luce. After class I introduced myself and we had a... Continue ...

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