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- Written by Jill Cassady
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One of our most recent PTC graduates came to us from San Francisco. She moved to Los Angeles to enroll in our program and follow her passion. Here is Chaele Cooper's road to Pilates:
I have been passionate about the mind-body-spirit connection since my teens and for over a decade I have wanted to make health and well-being the focus of my professional life. The affects of exercise, nutrition and meditation on the mental and emotional state have always fascinated me. I've studied everything from Shiatsu massage, yoga, Ayurveda and Eastern religions to nutrition, amino acid therapies and recently EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, a therapy similar to acupuncture but without needles). In my twenties, while toiling away at an advertising agency, I envisioned going back to school and becoming a psychotherapist who uses physical activity, diet and meditation to augment therapy.
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- Written by Jill Cassady
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Here is another story about how Pilates has changed someone's life for the better. This is Megan Densmore's Pilates Story.
"I started gymnastics at 3 years old and by the age of 6 I was competing and training daily. At 7 a typical week for me consisted of being picked up from school and going directly to gymnastics practice until late in the evening Monday through Friday and traveling to competitions on the weekends. As part of my gymnastics training I started lifting weights at about 6 years old. I competed until age 12 at which point I decided to focus on ballet, track, and basketball.
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- Written by Jill Cassady
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As the job market starts to recover, people all over the world are beginning to make career moves again. A recent study shows more people voluntarily left their jobs than were fired or discharge for the first time since October 2008. The study says that many individuals had felt it was too “unsafe” or “unreliable” to make a move to a new company during the turbulent economic times of late. At PTC we have already witnessed many of our students turn economic uncertainty into opportunity. Unlike other industries, Pilates teachers were weathering the storm quite well. So now as the economy seems to be shifting and changing and even adjusting to the new reality, how might we as a teaching community adjust? In reading this study I asked myself if our teachers might be broadening their horizons and thinking of the job market as a chance to make a move. I asked two PTC graduates and one soon-to-be graduate to write about how they re-imagined their lives with Pilates. Their responses were so wonderful I have made this into a three part series.
I hope you will find their stories as interesting and as inspiring as I did. And please feel free to post your thoughts or share your stories on our Facebook page.
Here is Julie Gustafson’s story:
Read more: Changing Lives & Bodies: Pilates Careers During Economic Crisis
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- Written by Jill Cassady
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Our next account of Pilates career transitions comes from Brandi Albright. Like Julie, Brandi had a full-time corporate job when she fell for Pilates. Ever a goal-setter, Brandi determines what she desires and achieves it. From part-time teaching in the evenings to presently teaching at 3 studios and averaging 25-28 hours a week, she is an example of being a Pilates instructor and maintaining the lifestyle corporate jobs have to offer. Find out how she does it...
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- Written by Jill Cassady
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On Thursday, May 27th, Kathleen Stanford Grant passed away. Her career as a dancer and Pilates instructor has touched many and inspired people around the world. Born August 1, 1921, Kathy started her life-long commitment to movement at the Boston Conservatory of music. She danced on and off Broadway, in television and toured in companies in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Her accolades in the dance world abound, but for many of us, it is her skill as a Pilates teacher for which we know her.
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- Written by Jill Cassady
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Our next Teacher Training Program will begin September 18, 2010! If you are interested in becoming a certified Pilates Instructor, sign up today. Enrollment is first come first served and spots are limited. You can begin accruing observation hours NOW (we have several locations available for observation throughout LA and the Valley). All you need to do is to complete the registration forms and place your deposit. Just click on the "Contact Us" button to get started on your new career as a certified Pilates Instructor. Don't forget, spots fill up fast, so sign up TODAY!
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- Written by Jill Cassady
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One of the most common injuries that Pilates Instructors see is Shoulder Injuries. The injuries can be for any number of reasons: Torn Rotator Cuff, Bursitis, just a general ache over the cap of the shoulder, or loss of strength when lifting items overhead. Once a client has been OK'd by their Doctor to participate in Pilates, we begin by creating a session where we avoid any exercises that affect the shoulder. Our aim is to increase circulation, to create better posture and assess the ability and range of the shoulder.
Once we can see that the client is ready to begin working with the shoulder as well, there are some general guidelines that we work by in order to help the process of healing or prevent a recurring injury. These are: