Mat Classes Who are they for and what to expect. These questions will be answered differently by different studios and teachers. After years of teaching, what I have found is that those who invest in the fundamentals of Pilates will go further. Starting in a beginning mat class builds the foundation that actually helps you progress. Sure, there are movers who can do a plank, but are you doing it in the best alignment that will protect your shoulders? Can you isolate body parts? Are you aware of where your body is in space? That's what a Mat class is really about. This is a mind body experience. You're not just moving. You're thinking about how you're moving. Every exercise is whole body. If Joe Pilates himself were asked what any single exercise was for, his answer was always the whole body. That's exactly how I teach it; head to toe, and what you get out of it, is exactly what you put in. Think of it at like a martial art. There is focus awareness, strength, and stretch. If you walk in thinking it will be like a gym exercise class, you are going to be disappointed.

Where’s Your Studio? Over the years of teaching, I have taught at other Pilates studios, in a back house, my garage studio, two store fronts, in my home and now Downtown in Wenatchee in a store front. A fellow teacher said, it’s the home studios where you’re going to find the golden teacher; I think all of my clients would agree with the statement. Growing up, I had baton lessons in a garage studio and in a living room and both times when it came to competitions..we/ I always placed. When I won my Dance Title, my teacher was in a rec center 45 minutes away from San Jose in Half Moon Bay, California. I’ll go to a back alley or to some far away land if I’m going to get a good lesson from a good teacher. Where I teach has nothing to do with my knowledge, that goes with me wherever I go. I loved having my studio in my home. I was spoiled with having everything I need right in the next room. 8pm workouts, roll outs or stretches were normal for me. It was my safe haven. I loved how bright it was. It gave me more so that I can give back to my clients. The tug of leaving my home was too much to ignore anymore. It was time to separate my personal life from my professional one, and having my own space outside of home, made that possible. When I started looking, I saw my new space with the sign in the window and honestly, my first thought was, “that’s too good to be true.” So, I drove pass it… for more times than I’d like to admit. My self-made due date was coming up and the pressure at home was becoming too much to bear, so I just started calling and just like that, I got the space. Oh gosh, it’s a dream. Every studio I taught in taught me something different, and I carried all of it here. The brick wall with the windows gives natural light, that my soul needs. The three independent spaces allow for gathering times for clients to meet, a space for Mat Classes or workshops and my apparatus room is my main working space. I love that I can see the mountains, the Pybus market and watch the busyness of the world pass me by.  Would you like to come, is it? Did you know that I offer Free 30-minute Pilates Demos? You can book right through Vagaro. You can also book yourself a mat class or come in for Personal Training. I would love to show you the space. Come check it out.

Back in rhythm with new posts on shoulder, neck and hip pain, plus September Thera-Band mat classes, the 3-week Saturday Series and the online Pilates video library.

Hip pain is simply the worst; this pain most likely comes from two things, lack of strength and flexibility. Of course it can also come from injury as well, that could look like something torn, or the cartilage breaking down which is identified as arthritis. It can also come from a lack of movement since we spend most of our time sitting these days. Hip pain can travel down to the knee or up to the lower back. So, first thing first, how are your feet? When we are standing, having our weight be in the center of our feet is top of the list. Where are you putting your weight? Toes, heels, inside or outside? It’s important to get an even weight on our big toe, little toe and heel. Think of a tripod. That set up changes everything above them. How is your gait? If your feet go any direction other than straight, you are putting a lot of pressure on your ankles, knees and lastly hip. Keeping your toes straight ahead when walking is important to check. How is your leg alignment? If your knees face any direction other than straight, just like your feet, the pressure is not good for your knee joint, the rhythm of how your hip moves in the socket will be affected. And lastly, how is your strength and flexibility with and around your hip? This joint is a ball in socket so it should move freely in a nice circular motion. From our feet up to in the hip joint there is a rhythm from how our feet are to move in our gait, how the leg bones move with that rhythm all the way up to the hip joint.  Ok- so let’s deal with it. Firstly, Rolling out. I know for some this is the dreaded part, but it really does have a strong impact on tightness. Roll out your feet, your glutes, IT band and quads to loosen any tightness imbalance caused. Then it’s interconnected between stretching and strengthen within your work. Whether you start with strengthening or stretching really is dependent of what’s going on. What is the dominant problem? Is the hip really weak or really tight? You need to work the muscles all around the hip. The back of the hip: glutes, hamstrings, the sides and inner thighs (abduction and adduction) the front of the hip, quads and hip flexors and most importantly rotation. Stretching out means getting into the front of my hip, the quads and hips flexors, in the socket by doing a figure 4 stretch and lastly a hamstring and IT band stretch. Start there and your hips will thank you.

Neck pain..well yes, my family can be a pain in the neck but usually it’s not the reason I have neck pain. Neck pain is sooo dynamic and similar to shoulder since they are close to one another. Neck pain can be coming from the shoulders being too rounded forward, pec being too tight, not enough movement, not strong enough, sleeping on it wrong and of course injury.  Most of the time neck pain is coming from a lack of strength. Most people think it’s from tightness but if the pain comes back after stretching it, stretching is not going to fix the problem; strengthening it is. Of course, if it’s a sharp pain and it keeps you up at night, go to your doctor. But if it’s just a problem that after physical therapy you need extra support, I would evaluate it; looking at how the neck is being held and then put together a plan and action. Most likely, strengthen it, along with mobilizing it in all directions is what is needed. The neck is being supported by the upper back and chest, so it's needs to be in consideration when addressing an issue. In the front and below is the chest, is their tightness pulling on it? It could be it needs to be stretched around those areas. Opening the chest as well as opening the throat area of the neck. The space in the back between the neck and shoulders. Are they weak, causing the head to protrude forward? The deep neck flexors, the muscles running along the front of your throat, are often overlooked but play a huge role in keeping your head properly aligned and reducing strain on the entire neck. All need to be strengthening. These both play a part of neck issues. How is the movement of the neck? Is the one side weaker than the other? With some good time and attention, it can be worked out. Strength can be gained and movement can come back as well. Neck pain doesn't have to be your normal. With the right assessment and a plan that actually addresses the root cause, you can get back to moving freely and feeling strong again.