Peak Performance Pilates

At the PMA meeting there was panel headed by Elizabeth Larkam on polytrauma patients. There is a physical therapist working with the American soldiers amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, using the Pilates apparatus.  It was profound to watch them conquer the challenges of performing Pilates.  They appear to love the competition. The soldiers in Copenhagen work beside the dancers at the Royal Danish Ballet Pilates Center with Jessie Lee. I think Mr. Pilates would have approved. On Friday 11/11/11  Fresh Air NPR covered the lives of some of the polytrauma patients from the war, describing the workout regimens they practice. For information go to NPR Fresh Air. David Wood wrote a series of articles in the Huffington Post called Beyond the Battlefield starting with  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2011/10/10/beyond-the-battlefield-part-1-tyler-southern_n_999329.html

I just returned from PMA where I attended an archival lecture by Brett Howard. Mr. Pilates invented an exercise apparatus to use while you are in the bathtub. There is a video where you see Joe working out, and then Clara working out in the bathtub.  It is the only footage that I have seen Clara Pilates working out.  What a treasure!

Sit in a chair. Place your hands on the sides of your ribs as high as you can. Elbows out. Inhale, exhale, lift up and over to the left side.  Inhale into your right hand to roll back up to sitting. Feel the lungs add space between each rib as you inhale. Repeat on the other side.

The International Association of Dance Medicine conference in Washington DC was a great success this last weekend. There were many excellent presentations and workshops. It was nice to see a lot of new young dance teachers and dance scientists. For those who are interested they do sell the abstract book. www.IADMS.org.  Next year it is in Singapore.

While we performed “The Saw”, Romana used to say to us “No paddle boating.” She said this so that you twist only from your waist and not from your hips. If you move the hips, you move the legs.

Blossom Leilani Crawford will be teaching workshops December 3, 10 am – 5 pm,  December 4, 9 am – 4 pm. Saturday: “Matwork Exploration,” “Pilates and Props.”  Sunday: “From Kathy’s Cats and beyond.” “Connected Arms and Strong Torso.”  Blossom was Kathy Grant’s assistant for many years. She is the owner of Bridge Pilates in Brooklyn, New York.  Peak Performance Pilates San Francisco studio. $400 for 2 days. $240 for 1 day.  Flyer: Blossom WS 11  For information: info@peakperformancepilates.com

Jeff Smith will be teaching a M. Feldenkrais inspired workshop, “As the shoulders go, so goes the body. The importance of the shoulder joint in organizing movement.” Sunday, September 11, 2011. 10 -1 pm. $80. Jeff will be sharing many movement principles, hands on techniques, and exercises he has developed over the years that have proved effective for his clients.  Many strategies were designed specifically for people with a range of shoulder issues, including frozen shoulder, necrosis of the shoulder joint, and torn rotator cuff muscles.  Jeff’s work is inspired by Moshe Feldenkrais.  You are welcome to bring questions regarding any shoulder problems you have encountered.   Jeff Smith teaches M. Feldenkrais Fitness and Women’s Postural Body Sculpting at his New Moves Studio in Mill Valley.  He has a lifelong background in sports and began dancing in college.  He has spent the last 20 plus years combining the elements of movement and resistance, creating countless exercises that improve posture and performance. For information go to: info@peakperformancepilates.com Flyer and Order form: Jeff’s WS 811

Ken Fowler and Dr. Lenny Kravits write that “Adams, Dolan and Hutton (1987) showed that pressure on the lumbar disks is 300% greater in the first hour after waking than it is later in the day. They concluded that the lumbar disks and ligaments are at greater risk of injury in that hour after waking.”April 2011 IDEA Fitness Journal (p.47).  So I suggest that people learn to get out of bed by rolling to their side and pushing themselves up with the outside arm, while the legs lower to the ground. This is an important transition for back patients.

In the Chest Expansion, inhale into the sides, slide the hands along the floor (image) until  they get to below the ears, alongside the legs.  Feel the side of the lungs push into the inside of the arms.  Wide back. Turn the head one direction (“like you are listening to someone in front of you” (Kathy Grant image)), then the other.  Exhale, bring the arms forward so the carriage comes home. pp. 144 145, Teaching the Universal Reformer Repertoire.

For the Chest Expansion, make sure the feet, shins and thighs are aligned in the same “line.” The body is also in one long line with the hips and shoulders placed under the head. Reach up through the top of the back of the head (images; “telescope”, “Native American feather”, “the top of the back of the head is like a clothes’ hanger, the body is like clothes hanging from the top of the hanger”).  pp. 144 145, Teaching the Universal Reformer Repertoire.