The Body & Movement

We’ve Moved

I moved on December 28th and that means Personal Euphoria moved with me. With every box I lifted I kept my core engaged, and every time I add something to the list-of-things-to-do that goes along with being a new homeowner I breathe.

We’re still in Wethersfield, so we didn’t move far. The house was built in 1666 so we have a lot of work cut out for us, but we are in love with our new home and very excited about this new adventure. It should provide ample “plank stories” for 2010!

We’ve MovedMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:09:05-04:00

Pilates Reminder

Remember, Pilates is designed to help you prepare your body for the movement it faces in life on a daily basis. Try to consider your body and how it moves today.

Pilates ReminderMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:57-04:00

Ego & Movement

We are scared to move our bodies; scared to look stupid or silly. So we often hold our bodies in, limbs close to our sides, heads down facing the dirt. Our bodies were meant to move, meant to look silly, meant to squirm.

Think of a child who can’t sit still. We berate them, but they are just doing want the body wants to do: move, until for potentially beneficial reasons for society we drill the freedom, comfort, and ease of movement out of them.

We are all a little scared to move freely, but if we can release some of our ego, movement will become easier. We need to stop worrying about how we look and let the body move more like children.

Ego & MovementMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:42-04:00

Move & Hold Still

It is one of the many challenges in Pilates: to move and hold still at the same time. Yet that is one of the aspects of Pilates that makes it so unique and provides you with so much control.

Think about moving and holding still the next time you do the following exercises:

The 100: You move your arms, but try not to move the rest of you body, espeically the rest of the upper body.

Leg Circles: You move your leg in the hip socket, but try not to let the opposite side of you pelvis lift.

Spinal Rotation: You twist at the spine without letting your hips move with you.

Can you think of another exercise in Pilates that requires you to move and hold still at the same time?

Move & Hold StillMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:09:05-04:00

Ron Fletcher

Last weekend I had the honor to train under my third Pilates Elder: Ron Fletcher. I was one of thirty Pilates teachers participating in the workshop, and I was informed that this will probably be his final workshop that is open the the general Pilates public.

Ron Fletcher was a major inspiration. At eighty-nine (nearly) he still moves his body in ways many people half his age unfortunately can’t do. He still pays homage to Joe and Clara Pilates while he is teaching. He was also a student of http://marthagraham.org/center/Martha Graham and his style really seems to combine dance and Pilates. Ultimately, the movement and exercises are still about control–the intention behind Pilates.

He had many wonderful quotes, some were his own and some belonged to his teachers and colleagues (to whom he always gave credit). One of my favorites was, “And so to up.”

Ron FletcherMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:58-04:00