I have worked with hundreds of people and bodies as a Pilates Teacher for the past fifteen years. The\u00a0experience with each new person is always a new one. Every time a new person walks into the studio, I start a new exploration to help that person re-connect to their body as they find a way to “connect the dots” \u00a0in movement with the Pilates Method.Some students are unaware of where their bodies are in space. Most get tied up in knots with their breath. \u00a0Some don’t know they are not breathing. \u00a0Yes, every beginner gets painfully confused when we\u00a0turn them upside down. \u00a0Some of us just don’t know what or where they are feeling what we are supposed to be feeling. There is an adage and reminder that Pilates teacher’s use, “work with the body in front of you.” We are all unique, and although the quirks, aches and issues each body experiences may be similar, there is always an adjustment, a cue, a tweak that each unique body system will need as they give themselves over to the teacher for a session.<\/p>\n
I had a most unique session this week that underscored the adage of “working with the body in front of you.” Not only did he know where his body was, he was confidently able to move it, to find, and hold the corrections and adjustments as we flowed through the session hour.<\/p>\n
This was an elite athlete that walked into my studio, this week, for his first session. He\u00a0selected my studio because of ease and proximity to his home. He inquired over the phone about the availability of the classical apparatus and expressed a desire to work multiple times during the week. We were sight unseen to each other. However, when he left the studio, we “high-fived” each other and were in complete synch, gleefully looking forward to the next scheduled session.<\/p>\n
I like to observe and assess while working with a new student but I always ask first, “what’s going on in your body today?” \u00a0In addition to tight hips, he told me his whole body was sore from the training workouts he is regularly undergoing for his sport. \u00a0An elite athlete has an understandably rigorous weight and strength training workout. \u00a0As a former gym rat and one-time body-builder, I know those gym regimens can wear the heck out of most of us. Imagine the strength and conditioning workouts necessary of\u00a0performance athletes<\/em>\u00a0that run their game on the tennis, football, baseball or hockey fields and you will understand why he was just plain sore all over. \u00a0Everything was tight and contracted. I acknowledged and applauded his insight, intelligence and wherewithal for simultaneously seeking a Pilates session to supplement the rigorous weight training he was taking his body through.<\/p>\n While this was not the first time I had worked with a male client, (although I can count that number on both of my two hands, i.e., not a lot) it was the first time an elite athlete entered my studio. I was excited.<\/p>\n It was not his first time in a Pilates studio, as he has had many sessions with a\u00a0Master teacher a few years ago. \u00a0A novice to the method he was not, yet a few weeks away from the studio, most people forget how to breathe when performing The Hundred. \u00a0For this unique body, it had been at least two years.<\/p>\n [message type=’with_icon’ icon=’fa-quote-left’ icon_color=’#d9d6d6′ icon_size=’fa-3x’ icon_background_color=” custom_icon=” background_color=’#0f0f0f’ border_color=” close_button_color=’#0f0f0f’]<\/p>\n [\/message]<\/p>\n We went straight the Cadillac table and I settled him down with the Rollback Bar. I wanted to open up his spine to his breath and following my voice as he released the weight of his body into the mat. The Hundred was followed by Leg Springs; using the Gratz heavy springs. While stretching the groin and inner thigh, after we completed Bicycle, he turned into butter, and stated “I didn’t realize how much I needed this. I am going to love working with you.” Smiling as I helped to guide the stretch, I replied, “Most of us don’t realize how much we need the stretch, strength and release of a Pilates workout session.”<\/p>\n At the 30 minute point in the session, we both took a sip of water and I know this is the point that\u00a0the beauty of the classical Pilates system, along with his innate sense of\u00a0proprioception kicked in, as we went into auto-pilot as if he had always been my student and the remainder of the hour just flowed from series and sequence.<\/p>\n To make the story concise, we moved through his entire body on the table as I concentrated specifically on opening the space out of the pelvis from front to back; with side-bends to extensions, to hip opening side kicks and circles. I ignored the abdominal series in this session, completely. This body didn’t need more contraction. This body needed stretch, breath and length. This body needed to be opened.<\/p>\n The hour was ended with a much appreciated hamstring stretch and back bending, chest and hip opener over the Ladder Barrel. \u00a0I didn’t take him to this\u00a0level (in the video below) yet\u00a0I can see we will get there — sooner rather than later. \u00a0A unique body and a unique session hour. \u00a0One of\u00a0the most invigorating hours I have spent\u00a0with a new student. \u00a0Pure joy in the process for both of us. \u00a0#LoveMyJob<\/p>\nMost of us don’t realize how much we need the stretch, strength and release of a Pilates workout session.<\/h4>\n
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