Update on Andrea's Pilates Instructor Course

    It's Sunday evening and I had an exciting weekend of Pilates instructor training. Thankfully, I am not as sore as I expected to be after many hours of discovering new ways of moving and using the muscles in my body. I admit it, I am a terrible Yoga snob and didn't care to learn much about other forms of physical refinement, but the fabulous Susan Church, our teacher, showed me the other side of the coin, as she put it, if Yoga is all about flexibility, Pilates is all about stability.

     That was an eye opener! So I stabilized my core like I never stabilized before, and it is very hard work indeed, maybe more so, since my body is formed and kind of trained towards yoga moves, yoga posture. I feel like I am gaining a brand new angle on how to move and use the body!

Karina and Eilish, fellow students

Andrea is starting Pilates instructor training today

"I've been pondering back and forth now for years, if I should add Pilates to my repertoire, sneezing a bit about the purely physical approach of the Pilates method, as opposed my beloved yoga, that hopefully one fine day will bring us spiritual enlightenment. So I googled a bit, and this is what I found, a quote from Mister Pilates himself:"

Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities.

 

"So it's not just about a flat tummy after all" (Though a flat tummy is of course a nice thing to have). 

Here is another one of his quotes:

"The acquirement and enjoyment of physical well-being mental calm, and spiritual peace are priceless to their possessors....[and] it is only through Contrology that this unique trinity of a balanced body, mind, and spirit can ever be attained."

- Joseph Pilates, Return to Life Through Contrology

Now, that sounds like yoga to me. I am getting more and more curious and will report more when I have recovered from my first training weekend.