As a Pilates professional, how curious are you about the way the human body moves?
I must admit, I am an information-junkie when it comes to the human body. Every client that I teach, every class that I take makes me want to learn something else and dig a little deeper into human anatomy and biomechanics. And then apply this knowledge to Pilates. Brrr! Just the thought of learning sends goose bumps of excitement down my entire body.
As Pilates professionals, we stand in a unique position to educate our clients about their movements and their bodies. We don’t teach Pilates because it is the latest fitness craze or because it is guaranteed to chisel a sexy booty or abs of steel.
We teach Pilates because we know the POWER of the method to change our client’s lives, to help them move in ways they never could or never thought they could again.
“Pilates is Empowering,” it’s the thought that Shari Berkowitz and I kept coming back to during our conversation a couple of weeks ago. Shari has been on my “priority list” of people to get in touch with ever since I seriously got into Pilates. My first introduction to her teaching was through Pilates Style magazine. Soon after that first article, I discovered Shari’s teacher blog The Vertical Workshop and I was hooked (it’s the best in-depth Pilates resource for any movement teacher or student – and it’s free!)
Shari Berkowitz teaches numerous Pilates workshops, seminars and continuing education courses in the US and world-wide. Her mission is moving scientific theories forward into practical application in Pilates and in any other movement modalities.
Questions discussed in the interview (NEW: practical worksheet and full transcript!)
- Application of modern biomechanics to Pilates.
- Simple Pilates definition for new clients.
- Most valuable modern scientific theories in application to Pilates (and best resources to follow!)
- Safe Spinal Articulation from the perspective of modern biomechanics.
- How to establish proper spinal articulation and muscle engagement from the very first session with a new client.
- How to excite a client who is interested in purely cosmetic results about creating a mind-body connection and learning Pilates principles.
- Best ways to successfully teach group Pilates classes.
- How to teach multi-level Pilates classes.
- Three crucial tips on being an empowering Pilates instructor that clients want to come back to.