In my last article which which skirmished over football mishaps, I touched upon the modality of coaches who have discovered new ways of cross training their athletes ( perhaps steroids might become obsolete )? It is evident even to an untrained eye that some teams are just “plain better”. How and why do they do what they do?
In Pilates, I have taken many seminars on the body but none was more empowering and important than the one taught by my hero, Elizabeth Larkam. She is, was, and will always be a leader in the mechanics of the body and it’s movement or lack thereof. Her background as a dancer and later working for San Francisco General as part of the physical therapy department, her credentials are impeccable. When it was time for me to purchase a new “Wunda Chair” for my studio, I asked her which one was the more advantageous one …. Split Chair or the traditional one. Without hesitating, she answered the Split one. That is the way of the future.
One sentence. And with that one comment, I began to contemplate what that meant in terms of everything I knew and how I would teach it all from that new perspective. And so it began. And so it continues. Everything and anything we do is a crossover in our muscles across the spine and under the slings of the body. It takes repetition and constant mindfulness of movement. It’s exciting to feel in the body but more exciting to bring the message across to clients and clearly explain the dynamics for them to repeat until it becomes a memory.
My validation is only satisfied when a new client will comment to me that an exercise I taught was never explained to them like that before or it feels much different than what they ever felt in their body before! That really is the way of the future!
Ready to reap the benefits of Pilates? In addition to strengthening and toning, classical Pilates can improve joint discomfort, rebalance tone in overused muscles, improve balance and body mechanics, and much more. Book your session today! (516)759-1740
