Achieving good alignment is not easy. You’d think a professional ballet dancer would have no problem with alignment. Think again. Just like everyone else, good alignment and pain-free movement is something that evolves over time. It can’t be “mastered” in a couple hours. So, when professional dancer and Pilates instructor Demetria came to me with her […]
Spring training is happening all around the Bay. So many of you are signing up for half marathons, bike races, triathlons, and even muddy obstacle runs. I love it! I love the enthusiasm and the excitement of trying something new. I love that you’re pushing yourselves, often into the unknown. And selfishly, I love that […]
In the wake of recent events, I’m taking stock. Everyday I teach Pilates. Yes, it’s “just” exercise. But in these uncertain times, I’m realizing it goes beyond fitness. Let me start with a little background. About ten years ago I set out to open a Pilates studio in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. […]
Katie Hall, UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team American professional cyclist Katie Hall is a fierce competitor with an infectious positive attitude. I met Katie in the off season, while she was preparing for a series of races in Europe as part of the brand-new Women’s World Tour, which culminates in the La Course race in Paris, […]
“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.” – Joseph Pilates A recent Gallup Poll shows Americans who exercise at least two days a week for 30 minutes a day report more happiness and less stress than those who are sedentary and the benefits of exercise reportedly increase when you are active up […]
Month #1 of 2016 is in the books. Where do you stand on those many resolutions you set at the beginning of this new year? Come February, I always have to remind myself to reevaluate how successful I’ve been at accomplishing the goals I set for myself for the new year. Maybe your resolution was […]
It’s common to get super busy with work and family life. And for most of us, one of the first things to cut out of a jam packed schedule is working out. When I’m pinched for time but unwilling to abandon my workout, I walk the Coit Tower Steps or Greenwich Steps.* Here are my […]
Ah yes, the magical unicorn stands as a fabulous yet distant symbol of our modern obsession with a magic pill that will “fix” you. The lore around unicorns stretches way back to the ancient Greeks. Nowadays we see it everywhere with double rainbows coming out of its eyeballs. If you find your magical unicorn and […]
Good communication is the foundation for any successful relationship. As teachers, we train not only in the Pilates method but also in communication. We need to be able to read nonverbal cues from clients and we also need to be able to communicate the intricacies of an exercise effectively. However, sometimes we just can’t read […]
When I first began teaching Pilates in the late 1990’s, everyone talked about it as “mind-body” exercise. That idea is no longer as prevalent in marketing Pilates, however the concept is still at the heart of what Pilates is and does for a practitioner. I asked orthopedic surgeon and author Barry Rose his thoughts on […]
