Pilates Style

Welcome to the Pilates Style monthly newsletter. Each month we bring you a calendar of the must-know Pilates events around the country, updates on our conferences, Pilates-related news, original feature articles and bonus material from the current issue of Pilates Style magazine. We want to hear from you! If you have, or know of, a Pilates event, or have news to share with your community, email us at newsletter@pilatesstyle.com.

On April 22, events around the world will draw even more attention to everyone’s new favorite buzz-phrase: global warming. It’s hip to be green these days, but how can you get beyond the hype and make changes that have a real impact? We’ve gathered a list of things you can do at home and at the studio to significantly shrink your environmental footprint:

International Man of Pilates, Part II
By Jason Kravitt

In Part I of my story, which appears in the March/April issue of PS, I described how I became a Pilates devotee and how I turned into a connoisseur of the practice. Continuing my exploits, I was astonished to find how often instructors begin a session without asking about your background or how you spend your day, your Pilates experience, body injuries or the “schools” or “styles” that you have trained in. This should make a huge difference in how they work with you. I strongly encourage you to volunteer as much information as you can before each session with a new instructor, whether or not they ask for it. This will make your session much more useful—and will lessen the likelihood of injury or soreness. It’s the most reasonable advice. But little did I realize that my candid confessions could also have led to my potential downfall.

Oasis in the Desert
In November 2005 my wife and I stayed at a resort in Tucson, Arizona, called Westward Ho and asked a concierge for a recommendation for a good local Pilates instructor. I ended up in a western-style suburban shopping center studio called the Red Monkey. The owner was a very friendly lady who asked me my background. The glint in her eye as I detailed my experience should have tipped me off: She was going to show me what the Tucsonians could do!

I performed every exercise on the Reformer with the strongest or lightest spring, whichever was more difficult. My mat and Cadillac work seemed to require the strength of an enraged bull. The coup de grace came at the end of my session, when she proposed doing pull-ups from the bars on top of the Cadillac. I fell right into her trap by asking, “How many?”

“Well,” she cooed sweetly, “my friend So-and-so, a suburban housewife, came in yesterday and did 10. How many would you like to do?” I was a man. I had to do at least 11 so I could show how tough I really was. It seemed to take forever, but I finally finished 12.

At the session’s end, I had to admit to myself that I was an idiot. Never push yourself too hard—you risk injury—even if it compromises your masculine pride. And be careful when bragging about your Pilates conquests in the rough-and-tumble desert. Natives can be ruthless.

Down Under
I travel to Australia twice a year as my firm has a thriving practice with Aussie clients. When there, I stay at the Park Hyatt at Sydney Harbor. In November 2005 the concierges arranged my first session with Shu-Chih Hsu, a Taiwanese resident of Sydney who can’t be even five feet tall. But she’s five feet of muscle and grace.

Shu-Chih has learned Pilates, yoga and several Asian fitness disciplines, so when she gives me a lesson, it is really a “yogalates” session with emphasis on breathing and balance, as is common in the “Australian” style I’ve experienced. She breaks down difficult moves into a series of comprehensible steps so that anyone can emulate them. And at times she’s downright miraculous.

One time I was having problems with a sore right shoulder and tight neck. Shu-Chih put me through a series of back exercises that unknotted the muscles and eased the tightness. I wish I could travel with Shu-Chih wherever I go.

The Land of Beethoven, Goethe and Frederick the Great
In September 2006 I traveled to Wiesbaden, a cosmopolitan resort town in Germany. Our Frankfurt office staff had found me an instructor named Irene Zurcher, who was from Switzerland.

Irene warmed me up slowly and methodically before getting into the meat of the session. Irene believes that the most important aspect of Pilates is using your abs to pull the rib cage down at the start of a move and to try to keep your breathing in that area during the move. She emphasized that if you centered your activity in that fashion, you were unlikely to hurt the muscles in a weak back.

I think she’s right. Irene also used small, inflated balls placed between my legs during twisting movements and balancing exercises. The balls forced me to flex the correct muscles in my legs and feet, a rigorous challenge that I’m not used to, but it paid off big-time. I felt an exhilarating energy shoot through my once-tired dogs as I ever-so-lightly padded away from the session.

Rocky Mountain High
In September 2006, I took a business trip to Aspen, CO, where I had time for Pilates each afternoon after work and before dinner.

As you might now have predicted, I emailed the concierge of the St. Regis, our hotel, who arranged two afternoon sessions for me with Julie House at 02 Aspen, a studio located in a well-kept Victorian-style house on Main Street, the road into town. The antique look of the house completely belies the thoroughly modern style of the basement studio. Julie exudes a quiet confidence and is all sinewy muscle. As is usually the case, I wanted to show her what I could do, so I proceeded to perform my movements too rapidly, breathe too shallowly and generally displayed lousy form. I was therefore immediately humbled by Julie’s telling me that we needed to work on form for both of the afternoon sessions.

But my humiliation was a blessing in disguise. Julie forced me to break down everything I was doing, ask myself “why” and put it back together with the knowledge that I had a reason for performing each move the way I now did. I emerged with better form and a better intellectual background underpinning that form.

Later that afternoon, I went mountain hiking for four hours and awoke the next day without one sore muscle. That’s what Pilates does for you.

London Town
In London I take sessions at the Somma Centre Spa at the Royal Garden Hotel. I work with any one of three excellent instructors: Kim Proudfoot, a knowledgeable, willowy, 5’9’’ dynamo; Johanna Shrimpton, who is so attractive that my wife is always uncharacteristically reluctant to leave us alone; or Daniel, a young Spaniard who is beyond conscientious. For each session he prepares a list of movements through which to proceed, each class building on the previous, and each movement building on its predecessor. One aspect I enjoy when taking classes in London is that the English style of instruction seems close to NYC style, which makes me feel at home.

Now when I visit London, the first thing I try to do is to have a session with one of these instructors. After a long transatlantic flight I try to focus on stretching as opposed to strength building. This is some of the best advice that I can give to fellow travelers.

Spalates in Boca, Vegas and Maui
Another piece of advice: Whenever possible, stay at a resort since most now include spas that offer Pilates. Three notable ones come to mind. In Boca Raton, in early November of 2006, I stayed at the Ritz Carlton Resort, which has an excellent spa where I had a mat session early one morning with instructor Stephanie Boudrie. When I informed Stephanie that I had a sore neck, she spent much of the session working on my body posture, loosening the knotted muscles in my neck and relaxing my shoulders. I felt much better after her session. You might say that by focusing on posture Stephanie converted a “crooked lawyer” into a “straight” one.

Last January, I stayed at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, which has a Canyon Ranch Spa. This superb facility has just about every type of exercise equipment that one could want. It has an entire room devoted to Pilates equipment and regular classes. It boasts well-trained instructors, including mine, Margaret Rampey, who has a soothing manner that lets you know you’re in good hands from the moment of introduction. A former dancer, Maggie put me through my paces in a series of seamless movements that grew increasingly more difficult as each session progressed. They were the kind of sessions that leave you thinking, “Gosh, was that really an hour?”

Equally knowledgeable and friendly is Lisa Bickerstaff at the spa at the Wailea Four Seasons on Maui, one of the most spectacular tropical resorts in the world. Lisa teaches STOTT Pilates. She has a soothing manner and that rare knack of being able to make you do better by complimenting you as you go. Under her capable guidance, I felt as though I was really good. Indeed, I am sure that my form and knowledge improved in just the three midmorning sessions that I had with her.

What better place to end our journey around the world than staring at the sun racing west over the horizon of the Pacific Ocean? I plan to continue my Pilates pursuit whenever I travel. It expands the depth of my practice and helps get me acquainted with a new city in a way I never could have imagined.

If you’re a frequent traveler, you don’t have to sacrifice your practice because you’re in foreign territory. Rather, embrace the opportunity to learn new techniques to add to your practice. To experience newness is to become more alive; test and educate yourself in a manner that leaves you richer. It’s a mind-body experience that’s not to be missed.

Mark Your Calendar: Functional Anatomy for Movement & Injuries (FAMI) Workshop

Designed exclusively for fitness and movement professionals and held within a medical school, the FAMI Workshop is an intensive 4-day course on anatomy and injuries. This powerful resource, created by a team of clinical and fitness experts, brings the best of medical education to movement world. In the gross anatomy lab, fitness professionals get up close and personal with the human body through hands-on experience with cadaver prosections. You’ll touch the inside of a shoulder joint, feel a knee replacement, see the spinal cord and glimpse 3-D views of the pelvic floor. In the lecture hall, gain new insight on the human form from distinguished anatomists and get your questions about injuries answered by physicians. The workshop also includes practical integration sessions where you can apply your new knowledge to client scenarios. The course is suited for anatomy novices and advanced students alike and is targeted to all fitness professionals, including Pilates instructors, personal trainers, yoga instructors, bodywork therapists, physical therapists, GYROTONIC® instructors and dance educators. Ultimately, the FAMI Workshop bridges the gap between movement and medicine, providing fitness professionals with the knowledge and resources needed to master the body and train clients safely and effectively.

The next course, FAMI Workshop 2008, will be held June 19–22 at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. For more information on the course, continuing education credits and how to register, visit famiworkshop.com.

Look to the May/June issue of Pilates Style for more information on FAMI and anatomy. On newsstands and in mailboxes in about a month.

Practice Pilates on a Private Bahamian Island!

Dear Fellow Pilates Devotees,

If you’ve been looking for a very special island vacation that doesn’t compromise your Pilates practice, consider spending a week on a private island in the Bahamas April 24–29, 2008.

Join me, a handful of other enthusiasts and acclaimed British Pilates instructor Christine Sundt on the 96-acre Kamalame Cay island (off Andros) for a week of morning and afternoon Pilates classes that challenge your skills while exploring breathing and core stability. Because of the small size of the group, Christine will be able to give much individualized attention to beginners and devotees alike.

Christine is a professional Pilates instructor and dancer with Britain’s Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet companies. She began dancing at age 3, turned pro at 11, injured herself at 14 and discovered Pilates as part of her rehabilitation. Thanks to the method, she was able to make a full recovery and continue her ballet career. She also trains clients and instructors back home in London.

Kamalame Cay is a quiet, luxury resort just 15 minutes from the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau (a three-hour nonstop flight from NYC, then a 15-minute charter flight to the resort). The 5-night, 6-day event includes twice-daily classes, two massages at the resort’s dazzling 2,000-square-foot over-water spa, two deep-stretching sessions and special healthy meals (for the entire week). Christine will also design special take-home programs for all participants.

The resort features 19 “beach-chic” accommodations ranging from charming marina rooms to Bali-inspired cottages. The site also has a full-service PADI dive shop, and dive excursions can be arranged, as can deep-sea fishing trips.

Cost is $2,100 (pp, based on double occupancy) for accommodations and all beverages (alcohol, minibars, afternoon tea) and an additional $1,200 for the Pilates Week portion, which includes ten 75-minute mat classes, two private hour-long sessions with Christine, two additional stretching classes, and two massages of your choice ($220–280 value). Taxes and transfers not included. For more information, contact the resort at (800) 790-7971 or email info@kamalame.com or visit kamalame.com. Hope to see you there!

Suzanne Gerber
Editor in Chief
Pilates Style magazine

Close-up: Advanced Swan Dive
By Linda Farrell (lindafit.com)

While the Swan focuses on spinal extension and sequencing with hip stabilization, Swan Dive challenges one’s ability to stabilize the entire swan position—head to toe—through a rocking movement. It strengthens the abs, back and posterior hip muscles while stretching the front hip flexors.

Set-up: Lie prone on the mat, face down, palms slightly in front of the shoulders, and the legs together, extended long underneath the pelvis.

Modification: For tight shoulders, upper backs and necks, keep arms along your sides or out to the sides in a T position for the rocking.

Begin the move: Engage abdominals in and up the front of the spine. Inhale and start to extend the spine, leading with the crown of the head and peeling forward and upward vertebra by vertebra. Keep your elbows by your sides, and draw your shoulder blades down and slightly toward the spine. Extend until your elbows are straight and the hip bones come slightly off the ground. Exhale and start to come down, bending through your elbows, and reach your arms straight forward and over your head as if you were going to throw a beach ball over your head. As your body rebounds forward, preserve the long arc shape from the fingers to the toes. After 3 to 5 rockings, slowly lower your trunk and legs back to the floor and come into Child’s Pose with your arms lengthened by your sides away from the shoulders.

Visualization: As you rock back and forth, think of being on a swing. Keep the action fluid, controlled and balanced in either direction. Avoid jarring movements or loss of control. The breeze you feel as you move forward and back on the swing can be simulated here with your deep inhale and exhale breaths.

Tips:

Allow the crown of your head to lead the movement of the spine, with your eyes gazing forward and slowly upward to guide its path. Don’t collapse your chin down or hyperextend your back—all sides of the neck should be balanced. Let your shoulder blades gently glide down your back.
Continue to sequence the spine through all its curves, maintaining axial reach through the crown. Move slowly and concentrate on spinal articulation to enhance engagement the deeper back muscles. Axial lengthening will prevent crunching of the spine, particularly at the neck and lower back. Maintain a corset-like engagement of the deep abdominal and lower back muscles to reinforce the lumbar spine.
As you move into the Swan Dive, your arms should rotate externally, hug into the shoulder sockets and run parallel to your ears as they go overhead. Although your shoulder blades move through upward rotation, also gently glide them down the back and a little toward the spine so they don’t unduly hike up and forward into your ears. This will ensure shoulder girdle stability on the rocking.
As the spine rocks, back and hip extensor action create the long arc shape of the posterior chain, while strong abdominal engagement prevents hyperextension at the rib cage and low back. Breathing deeply and concentrating on stabilizing the long arc shape will help one maintain structural integration as the spine dives forward and back.

What’s in Your Gym Bag?

As owner of two New York City Pilates studios, March/April cover girl Lynda Salerno spends a lot of time traipsing around town—making a well-stocked gym bag absolutely essential. We peeked inside her oversized purse to see what she’s carrying, and here’s what we found:

A long shirt, which she says she uses to cover her butt in tight pants when she’s walking around New York.
Wallet with enough money to buy French-vanilla iced coffee and fudge graham Zone Bars.
Her Ipod, Blackberry and mini daily planner. It’s important to stay connected!
A small folder with important papers and banking that needs to be done for the studios that day.
Poop bags for her French bulldog, Norman.
Roberto Cavalli brown and hot pink sunglasses.
Origins face wash and moisturizer, CJ Bigelow clear minty lip gloss, Bare Minerals blush, hair ties and bobby pins to brighten up after a long day.

A Theraband, a Yamuna Foot Waker and leg warmers.

Almond Delights

If you’re looking for the most bang for your (nutritional) buck when you eat, look no further than almonds. The most nutrient-dense of all nuts, almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, monounsaturated fat, protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorous and iron. What’s more, a handful of almonds a day may lower LDL cholesterol and help you lose weight. And, of course, they’re delicious and satisfying to boot. Who could ask for more?

Work some almonds into your diet with these creative recipes, courtesy of MaraNatha.

Linguine Tossed with Stir-Fry Vegetables and Soy–Almond Butter Sauce

Serves 4 to 6

8 oz.	Linguine noodles
1 Tbsp.	Vegetable oil, divided
2 tsp.	Fresh ginger, grated
3	Garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
1/2 cup	MaraNatha No Stir Almond Butter, Creamy or Crunchy
1 cup	Vegetable broth
3–4 Tbsp.	Soy sauce (or to taste)
1 Tbsp.	Rice vinegar
1/4 tsp.	Red chili flakes (or to taste)
1	Red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup	Snow peas or sugar snap peas*
1 cup	Shredded carrots

Directions:
1. Cook noodles as directed. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a saucepan. Sauté ginger and garlic 30 seconds. Add almond butter, vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili flakes. Whisk together until smooth. Bring to a slight boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes.

3. While sauce is simmering, heat the 2 remaining teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large sauté pan or wok until hot. Add bell peppers and snow peas and stir-fry on high heat until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots and fry for 1 minute. Remove from heat, add noodles and sauce to vegetables and toss until well coated.

*Sugar snap peas have strings that must be removed before eating. Pinch the very tip of the pea, taking hold of the string. Pull the string up the straightest side toward the stem end. Pinch off the stem end and continue pulling down the other side until all of the string is removed.

Note: Some packaged sugar snap peas are sold with strings already removed.

Banana-Almond Smoothie

Serves one

2 Tbsp.            MaraNatha No Stir Peanut Butter, Creamy
1                      Medium banana
¼ cup               Nonfat soymilk
2 Tbsp.            Natural nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup                Crushed ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.