Are you having a love affair with your body? Here is a little present that you can give your body to tell it “I Love you!” Get your mat out and enjoy 20 minutes of pure classical Pilates with Andrea Maida. Andrea is an inspirational Pilates teacher who lives and breathes classical Pilates. Her teaching […]
View PostThe Ultimate Pilates Guide to Hip and Knee Replacements

The number of hip and knee replacements has increased by 84% in the past decade making these surgeries the 12th most common inpatient procedures in 2010. Due to the nature of a Pilates workout, it is the perfect program to facilitate recovery after hip/knee surgery. Osteoarthritis is the most common reason for a total or […]
View PostThe Ultimate Pilates Guide to Hip and Knee Replacements – *PRO Version*

The number of hip and knee replacements has increased by 84% in the past decade making these surgeries the 12th most common inpatient procedures in 2010. Due to the nature of a Pilates workout, it is the perfect program to facilitate recovery after hip/knee surgery.
Osteoarthritis is the most common reason for a total or partial hip and knee replacement. Just in the United States alone osteoarthritis affects 13.9% of adults ages 25 and up and 33.6% of those 65 and up (according to CDC statistics.)
This Ultimate Pilates Guide will look at the following questions:
- What unique benefits does Pilates offer after a knee/hip replacement?
- Why is it ideal to do Pilates before surgery?
- What muscle imbalances are most common after hip/knee surgery?
- What are the main areas of focus of a Pilates workout?
- When is it safe to start a Pilates-based rehabilitation program?
- General precautions after hip/knee surgery
- How does Pilates therapy compare/differ from PT?
- What are some of your clients saying about the results of their Pilates program?
- Best Apparatus/Reformer exercises for this population
- What is the best Pilates homework after surgery?
- Best Pilates mat exercises after hip/knee replacement
7 Practical Tips for a Perfect Post-Baby Body

What does a real post-baby body look like? It’s beautiful, if you ask me. Does this body look Vogue-cover ready? Probably not. Is this body exactly the way it was 9 months ago? Absolutely not. Does this body bear several “trophies” after triumphantly completing its most amazing and challenging 9-months-long marathon? Definitely yes. Sometimes it’s […]
View PostHow to Run a Successful Pilates Home Studio (with Andrea Haritan)

Have you ever considered running a home-based Pilates studio?
Many passionate Pilates instructors find that running their business from home is a wonderful opportunity to do what they love without the hassles and risks of a traditional storefront studio. The biggest perk of working from home is having minimal overheads (or none at all.) However, there is more to running a Pilates home studio then just putting a Reformer in your spare bedroom. Listen as I talk to Andrea Haritan, a Pilates instructor who is living her dream of running a home-based Pilates studio in the Lake Norman area, NC.
Andrea is a movement professional with over 40 years’ experience as a dance student/performer/teacher, group fitness instructor/personal trainer, and Pilates instructor/student. Before becoming a fully-certified STOTT Pilates instructor, she earned a master’s degree in Human Movement from Boston University and was certified by the PhysicalMind Institute to teach Pilates Matwork and by Alternative Fitness to teach Pilates Reformer. Andrea enjoys encouraging her students to move more efficiently which results in them ultimately feeling better and looking better.
Questions discussed in the interview
- What is better, running your own studio or working at a studio?
- What are some of the challenges of running a home studio?
- What is the best strategy for finding clients for your home studio?
- What are the benefits in your opinion of a home studio?
- What Pilates equipment/props are a must for a home Pilates studio?
- Are there any aspects of running a Pilates home studio that you would like to warn other instructors about?
- The most important piece of advice for any beginner instructor.
- Bonus: comparison of STOTT Pilates training vs Balanced Body training
Andrea Haritan’s profile on Pilates Bridge
View PostHow to Enhance Your Pilates Teaching Career and Pre/Postnatal Pilates Tips (with Leah Stewart)

Passion for learning is what sets apart great Pilates teachers from the mediocre ones. The more we learn the thirstier we get for new information, deeper understanding and more specialized approach to teaching different populations of students.
Talking to Leah Stewart was a blast because she is definitely one of those awesome Pilates instructors.
Her personal prenatal journey (which she shared on the BASI blog) has motivated her to specialize in pre/postnatal teaching and create her certification course. She is the author of Pilates for New Mothers DVD and the creator of as LiveLife Pilates Pre- and Post-Natal Pilates Specialization Course for Pilates professionals. She gladly shared some of her favorite Pilates moves for prenatal and postnatal clients as well as the overall focus of any prenatal workout.
Leah is a former BASI faculty member so I asked her to share her experience with BASI and offer some insider’s tips on what distinguishes BASI training from other Pilates schools (make sure to listen to her tips if you are considering a Bridge program or are just looking to start your Pilates training.)
She also holds several fitness-related certifications and offered valuable insights into how you can grow your Pilates expertise through pursuing training in other fields.
Questions discussed in the interview
- What sets BASI apart from other Pilates teaching schools?
- How did your pregnancy change your teaching style and your focus of interests?
- Why is Pilates a perfect workout for pre/postnatal clients?
- What is the main focus of a prenatal workout?
- What are your favorite Pilates exercises for any prenatal and postnatal client?
- Is it important for Pilates instructors to search certifications/training in other fields? Are some of them more beneficial than others?
- What are your favorite resources (books, websites, DVDs etc) that would be helpful to other instructors?
- What is your personal definition of Pilates?
Leah Stewart’s profile on Pilates Bridge
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