Friday, September 7, 2007

A Walk in the Park with Pilates

For one of my clients, a walk in the park will never be the same for him.

I had the most inspiring conversation with James, a client who has been coming for private sessions once a week for the past 3 months. He walks to work everyday and he was describing to me how it almost felt as if he was gliding as he was walking down a certain path the other day. He says he walks differently with a new awareness since he starting coming to Pilates. (He's now on his 8th session and I can already see the difference in his core strength.) "I walk differently when I know I'm coming to Pilates," he told me. "If that's what it takes, I said, then that's great!"

What amazes me is how much of what he learns in our work together he takes into his daily life.

We worked on standing and squatting in our last session. I described how he could be doing Pilates just while he's standing at work, by keeping his weight evenly distributed over the center of his feet, slightly bending his knees (not locking them), keeping his belly pulled to his spine to engage his core, and keeping his shoulders relaxed and pulled back slightly. Then we learned how to squat - which he found revolutionary.

The squat is often done incorrectly - usually by putting too much weight into the knees. I showed him how to first engage his core, then bend at the knees, and then hinge at the hips, reaching his arms forward and maintaining a neutral pelvis while he squats. (James bends and lifts a lot for his work.) The knees should never go too far over the toes - if they do, it can put too much pressure on the knee joint. By hinging at the hips and sticking out your butt (think of the last time you used a port-a-potty) you distribute your weight differently, taking the weight from the front of your body to the center of your body. When you return back to a standing position, consciously press your weight into your feet and use the "ground force" to help you stand back up. (This is a concept from Aston Patterning that I've begun to incorporate into my teaching.)

We did about 3 squats this way and he said it totally changed his understanding of how to squat, bend, and lift. Wow! These are the moments every Pilates instructor looks forward to - the moment a student changes their awareness and discovers a new way of moving -- the moment that a person's "walk in the park" will never be the same. :)

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