Connected, again!

YAY YAY!
I'm finally connected to the internet. My house has internet. I have internet. We have internet. Connected. Reconnected to the world, thank you!
I had to wait two and a half weeks. Crazy eh? Guess we have technician shortage here in the DC area. Any way, as of this past Saturday we had our FiOs cable and internet installed. Somehow the tech guy managed to have the order incorrect and did not have our phone connection listed on his job list.....gonna have to wait a few more days for our house phone. The blackberry can continue to hold the fort down until then.

As we begin to settle here, I have found myself making connections with old friends. Whether through our children's play dates, on the phone or in the grocery store, it is starting to happen. This helps tremendously with the transition and is a sign that we are beginning to take root. It does feel good.

Boy am I exhausted.
It is as if for the past year and a half I have been on the fight or flight mode, I've kept my head above water, barely and now that we have found our spot and are taking root and slowing down, my system is starting to shut down. I am in need of some kind of retreat, full of self nurturing, a tune-up. Where I can reflect, acknowledge, make plans, sleep a lot, do yoga, eat well, and move on and forward. This is something I am starting to look into and will make an asserted effort to do even if for a night away. I need this.

This past week showed signs of routine! Henry is in his new school. www.communikidspreschool.com and he is really happy to be making friends and creating new relationships. Maestra Samantha, is one of his teachers with whom he has created a special bond. She cuddles with him a lot. This is a very good place for him and am so happy we found it. On the 21st his class is going to go to Butlers Farm in Maryland to pick pumpkins and apples. I've taken the day off so that I can be a chaperon. So excited about going!

As for the work front, I am keeping busy and enjoying teaching tremendously. There is much going on at the moment. From establishing the class calendars, to finalizing all the marketing...waiting waiting on others is VERY hard. The graphic designer is very talented and has loads on his books, but it is very hard to wait for him to complete things like business cards, to web pages and postcards. It is hard to market the business without these things. YIKES!

This past Friday I went to an excellent organic restaurant for a girls night out with one of my oldest friends Christina. We had a blast! We chatted about friends and family including who what and where. We probably could have stayed for at least five hours longer then we did! Christina and I have many many childhood memories together (the middle school ones are simply the best..puberty is such a poignant time in ones life) and I look forward to creating new ones with her and her family. I am very blessed to continue to have her in my life!
We ate delicious swordfish at a restaurant in Bethesda called Redwood. The was the food delicious, as was beautiful, and so is the restaurants decor! It's exterior has mixes of earth (wooden slats) and metal. This continued on through the simple design of the interiors. Despite it's modern decor the (red)wood, creates an abundance of warmth. I will be frequenting this place. The owner has a few other restaurants in the metropolitan area so I will be hopping to those as well!

Tis late and I must go and get some shut eye!

Can I get a WOOT WOOT! (Yes, I am tooting my own horn here)

Yes! It is all FINALLY coming into place. Our move to DC has been one epic journey. We have now, crossed off all our major to do's in order to go from being newly transplanted to being PLANTED! My biggest bridges to cross have been:

• Get Pilates Studio up and running

• Find a house

• Find a preschool for Henry (Spanish Immersion)

Check, check and check! Of course these were being accomplished all at the same time. I've definitely been running around with my head cut off, which is why I've left my blog to linger alone. As Labor Day approaches, I must get ready to move this weekend, prepare Henry to start school on Tuesday AND teach my first classes also on Tuesday. YIKES!
Needless to say, I am completely prepared to know that my house will be in complete disarray and that things will not be in "their places" before our big day.
I don't want to even get started on what excitement I will have when it comes to decorating my new home too. Yes, I have tons of ideas but must not get hasty here. Breath, and one step at a time PLEASE.
Can I tell you how excited I am? Excited that I am back here in DC, that my family is with me, that we have wonderful family and friends around us and that this is our HOME!

As we nest into our new space, I'll be back more, here in my little blog world too!

Yoga and Pilates

On twitter, I got an update to an informational website on Yoga. The topic was "What is the difference between Yoga and Pilates?" I decided to check it out not only as a Pilates teacher but also an avid Yoga student. The person asking the question was curious as to the differences as well as looking to gain flexibility. She wanted to know which was the better choice. Yoga? or Pilates?
I think that IS a great question to ask, but I was so so annoyed by a few of the answers that were given. As a student of both disciplines, I feel one should answer with the facts, not based on complete opinions. Before peeps can make an educated answer they must know both topics (and perhaps those few who annoyed me, haven't studied Pilates, which, hell, it is a site dedicated to yoga info any how). By all means, I can't say that I am an 'expert' in either discipline, but i do have some experience in both (yoga for 13 years, Pilates for 15 years).
So I decided to "comment" and provide a few more facts (and a little opinion) on how both disciplines can be applied to her question.."Which one can make you more flexible"... My stance is both yoga AND Pilates can help you get flexible. So I write out my suggestion and press "post." A new page then opens and tells me I must be "logged on." What? I search the site looking to register or logon. Can't find it. So, to cool my frustration, I decided I would post it on my blog (and it is one long comment....I'm now off the salt box, sorry)!

Very good question to ask! First I would like to help make a correction to the above comments.. Pilates IS a mental practice and does involve the mind body connection if taught correctly (sometimes Pilates can be taught incorrectly in ways that remind me of people doing nautilus on Pilates equipment..that's a no no. Pilates works on the whole body in conjunction with breath). "Contrology" was originally the name for this system of exercises which Joseph Pilates (1880-1967) was inventor and founder. In fact, Joe utilized yoga philosophies in his teachings. So a large foundation of Pilates comes from yoga. To this day, this "contrology" concept honors alignment, flexibility, circulation, strength and sometimes forgotten by instructors, BREATH. There are 6 principals of Pilates; centering, concentration, control, precision, breath and flow. I started learning mind body connection as a dancer, then as a Pilates student starting in 1994 and then as a yoga student in 1996. For me personally, I honor my yoga practice as it is a means for me to DEEPEN that mind body connection for both my Pilates exercises and yoga asanas. And whatever you are "working on" be it flexibility, strength, or even if you are trying to heal chronic pain, Yoga can help you (as does Pilates). Yoga is a mind body discipline, that takes you through asanas (poses), along with breath. It not only stretches you, but strengthens as well as improves circulation. Like Pilates, Yoga takes deep concentration, in order to help you achieve maximum potential in any given asanas (whether it's a balance pose like the tree or a 'resting' pose like child's pose). I am now a Pilates teacher, but I also still practice Yoga, which I LOVE. I think that both disciplines can give you flexibility (and strength too). They both challenge your inner most physical self, your nervous system, which is your information highway connecting your mind and body. However, I think it is very indicative of who you take from. My advice is to start by taking intro classes to both, but be sure to test the waters in a studio that is specific to the discipline (like a yoga studio or a Pilates studio). Good luck and have fun! Joe Pilates always said, "you are as old as your spine is flexible."

If you haven't already,
http://www.yoga.myinfoweb.org/what-is-the-difference-between-yoga-and-pilates
Let me know what you think too!

Timeless!

Came across 2 excellent timeless Pilates videos. Thought you might enjoy these (I sure did)!


First video is of Joseph Pilates doing arm circles. It is pretty darn classic. Footage is from the early 40's.



This video is of both Romana Kryzanowska and Joseph Pilates. Romana was Joseph's muse of sorts. She continues teaching to this day! Footage is also from the early 40's

Pilates for Pregnancy

Hope you enjoy the three part videocast below for those mama's who are pregnant. The INTRO gives a brief description as to why and how these exercises can be helpful including some reminders to listen to your body.
The other sections are PART 1 and PART 2. You can choose to watch them separatly or you can do them all together. These exercises are gentle enough and easy to follow. Even if you are not expecting, these exercises are wonderful fundamentals and great for those just starting out their Pilates practice. Feel free to leave any questions you might have in my comments box. ENJOY!

Clearing Clutter

Spring is round the corner and I am feeling as though some much needed cleaning both physically AND mentally is in order!
I am in the process of setting up my Pilates business website, www.intrinsicpilates.com (not live yet so you won't find anything yummy there yet). Am very stoked about it and am taking my time to put it together in a cohesive manner. Aside from bits about my classes, as well as my background, I will have my professional Pilates blog attached to that site. This is where you will get insights of the benefits, exercises to do at home, quick tips and so on. I'd like to have this pro blog be more specific to Pilates and Wellness versus the personal bits I like to spew on the screen at this blog.
These changes will help me organize my thoughts and keep concise as I have about 3 other websites and businesses in mind that I would be keen on starting someday in the near future. *head spins round and round at this notion*
So will keep you up to date on the launch of my site.
My plans for the week is to SPRING CLEAN and clear out the clutter (aka get rid of my piles of paper). Organizing and cleaning my space, de-cluttering the office, and other parts of the house as well as simplifying my thoughts by getting it all down on a piece of paper as a list of to do's. Maybe I should take cues from Peter Walsh over at Oprah and make a "messyhouse" pledge. I must commit!
As for the Pilates biz, some really exciting news is that I will be giving a chat in May or June to a great group of women cyclists on the benefits of Pilates for their riding (core strength will improve balance and efficiency on the bike as well as improve their endurance). Can't wait as I am looking forward to working with a committed group of gals who are passionate about their sport (whether a novice or elite). The group is called Venus de Miles and they are a women's cycling club here in Boulder. They also host a ride in the summer (this year is on the 30th of August) which benefits Greenhouse Scholars, an organization providing mentorship and scholarship support to high-performing, under-resourced students. Yesterday I went to a spinning class organized by the group. It was awesome! Looking forward to linking in with them. Too bad I just sold my bike (which means I will just have to build a new one)! Ha ha.

Pilates video casts up and coming

Planning to post my first video cast of some Pilates exercises. I am really excited about this and a bit nervous too. Kind of strange doing exercises in front of a camera. I know it won't be quite as nerve wracking as when I did a Pilates mat video shoot that I co-produced with my friend Jon Belanger for his Jonny Pilates business. The video is called Discovering Pilates . It was fun to do as we compiled exercises for a beginner mat session with a lot of specifics (including what not to do) as well as a more intermediate/advanced mat session. You can find this video HERE at amazon. So before you start watching these videos and hearing me spew about Pilates, I'd like to share with you my experience with Pilates and how my journey in this Pilates world began. So here goes...
Back in the day, a large portion of my life was consumed by ballet. Dancing began at 3 and then really started to take it more seriously (mainly ballet and some modern) from the age of 15-22. As a dancer in college, I found that my body was getting really tired and my hips could not take much more. I ended up hearing about Pilates through my dance teacher at Washington University in St. Louis, Christine O'Neal (she was in one of my fave movies Turning Point). I began in 1995 over at Karen Prechtl's studio, The Pilates Center of St. Louis which was then located in the COCA Center in University City near Wash U. I loved it from the moment I got on that reformer. The way it made me feel so invigorated, strong, taller, stretched out and less compressed (those hips of mine had been slowly starting to squeal to a halt really needing some oil for those joints and Pilates was it). My dancing was no longer at a plateau and I started moving again. Now Rehabed and hooked and in search of continuing my Pilates training, I started taking lessons at the famed Pilates Center in Boulder Colorado. Even though I wasn't yet living in Boulder as I was now graduated from Wash U and living back in my hometown, Washington DC. I had heard what a spectacular program they had and that making trips back and forth there would suffice for awhile (helped that I had family and a long distant boyfriend who lived there at the time). Long story short. I ended up moving to Boulder taking the training course that started in 2001 and continued on through 15 hours a week for over a year. LOVED IT completely(and sometimes hated the intensity, but they are great teachers and expect to get the most and the best outta you..even if it nearly kills ya). At the end of the program you are not guaranteed your certification. You must take many exams (written, teaching and performance) and you may pass your written but you very well could fail your performance (they watch and critique while you perform a series of the advanced exercises). If your body isn't ready to do these then you aren't ready to teach (all eyes on you). So insanely intense, but truly the best training by far! I have been teaching Pilates for the past 8 years. My training has included traditional Pilates training as well as therapeutic Pilates training. I worked with both Marianna Amicarella MA and Cass Reich PT to start Avanti Therapy in 2001. I worked the Pilates therapeutic program along with Marianna. Cass worked the PT and Cranial along with a few other practitioners including acupuncturists. After being there for over two years I moved to San Diego and opened my own Pilates practice called Intrinsic Movement. I collaborated with Physical Therapist Ralph Havens at his clinic Mission Hills Physical Therapy. We worked with patients with chronic pain as well as worked together doing running clinics. To this day, I still continue to educate myself taking courses, reading and chatting with my mentors. I need to in order to continue to feed this passion.
What I hope to achieve in doing these casts, is to provide some fundamentals for those who never tried Pilates as well as give some specifics for those folks who want to further enhance their practice of the Pilates method. At anytime you'd like to bring up a question or even suggest an exercise you would like to see, please feel free to comment and I will be happy to do so! So enough is enough on all this jabbering and I hope you enjoy what's to come.

Tough Monday

Well this was meant to be a day of major accomplishments: drop the baba at school, work on commandos, teach a Pilates mat class, and meet with the CPA. Well, not going so good. My sweet heart woke up at 2 am with a terrible fever! He was coughing and had the rosiest cheeks you ever did see! Poor thing. After giving him some fever reducer, some liquids he crawled into bed with us. Needless to say, after that we all did not get much sleep (Hen's head at my side, Hen's feet on Dean's side). Today we've had the yo yo fever and continual runny nose. So we put on the movie Cars for the second time today. I was thinking with all this fever and not feeling so good he'd be sleeping up a storm, not so. He is just too uncomfortable. Of course this all doesn't help when it is simply GORGEOUS outside. I think it must be 75 degrees. I think however, we will make a trip to the store to stock up on sick items (Oranges, Emergen-C, Wellness Formula (liquid kind), Cherry Bark Root for coughs and perhaps some soup)! Oh I will be updating my blog with some pics of Hen real soon, so please check back! Got some super ones of him riding his favorite motorbike in action! Other things in the line of to-do's.....my video cast of some Pilates exercises. Check back! Cheers my dears!

Pilates Core Exercises

I've decided to jot down a few fab Pilates exercises (tried not to get too wordy with descriptions so that I can hold your attention) that you can try out in the comfort of your own home...
So right now, get off your chair, get on the floor and move your computer screen/laptop to an area where you can read and do! ~In the future I will post short videos a few times a week demonstrating Pilates exercises.
Enjoy!
Warm up w/ Breathing
Lying on your back with knees bent, pillow or ball in between knees, feet on floor.
Place your hands on on the tops of hips (hands in pockets). Imagine you have a suspension bridge connected from hip bone to hip bone. Every exhale you can feel your hands and your suspension bridge sink and drop. You can add a kegel on your exhale as well which will further support your core and pelvic floor.
Do 5 times.
Modified 100
Lying down, knees bent, ball or pillow in between knees, feet flat on floor. Hands behind your head. Exhale lift head and shoulders off the floor and look down at abs (keep the weight of your head in your hands). Stay here for 6 full breaths concentrating on watching your suspension bridge sink and drop. To maintain this upper torso curl, imagine curling and lifting from the spot between your shoulder blades (this will take pressure off neck straining).
Modified Roll Down
Sitting up straight, legs parallel, knees bent, feet flat on floor. Hold the backs of thighs.Exhale moving from hips, round spine, pull in belly (your suspension bridge) and roll back towards the floor. Stop halfway down and hold position for 2 full breaths. As you return to sitting bend elbows wide as you pull belly in and up along the front of spine. Keep gaze down towards belly throughout exercise. Do 5 times.
Modified Double leg Stretch
Lying down, knees bent at 90 degree angle, feet off floor. Place hands on the backs of thighs (closer to your bum. which supports your back as legs move away from center). Exhale lift your head and shoulders off the floor, again thinking that the curl of upper torso is coming from between the shoulder blades. Also make sure suspension bridge is sinking and dropping (aka scooping out the belly). Inhale legs straighten out at a 65 degree angle (keep legs together. A pillow or ball will help with this). Exhale bend knees in but keep a resistance by gently pressing backs of legs into hands and hands into legs. This will keep you from folding in and flapping legs out. Do this 5 times.
P.S. Feel free to post questions you might have to help clarify!

the biz

hello hello...yes, skipped a day from my new endeavors here in the blogoshere. Oh well...
I can't believe Friday has already arrived! Yesterday was a day full of admin for home and biz. Little 'hen' went to Sea World for the very first time with his nanny and her son (who 'hen' adores). My babe keeps talking about Elmo (have a Sesame Street theme for Toddler's at Sea World). Think he had a blast. While my babe was in full force play, I was out looking for a new space for my Pilates studio. For the past 5 years I have been teaching P-lots out of my home studio. This has worked out quite well, but now that the babe is coming into Toddler stages, showing independence and all, I think it is time I make a bit more separation between home and work. I feel very fortunate though to be able to work from home. That E, the nanny, and 'hen' are just a few steps away. This was especially important during the nursing stages too. Any who, I saw two spaces. One space was a room in a Wellness center. Unfortunately it was not that big especially for what they were asking per month. The pros are that it is within a Wellness center which supports the approach I take within my teaching (more on that, another time). Another big plus is it would promote referrals. The second space is above a salon and an esthetician in a hip part of town. It has great light and wood floors. The space would be my own. Yup, rent is a bit more too, but it has been vacant for awhile so perhaps I can talk em down? Am in no rush at this point so I will continue to keep my options open.
As for the weekend, am planning a quiet one (I need to catch up on my sleep, wishful I tell ya). Honey husband and I have planned a date (just dinner, no overnight unfortunately) for Saturday at this cute boutique hotel and restaurant called The Pearl visit www.thepearlsd.com. Very cozy easy going ambiance. It was an old 1950's motel, that has been completely refurbished and now sports some major grooviness including ambient groove tunes (also check out www.groove247.com), a dive-in theatre (a huge movie screen poolside), and a cute pet goldfish in each room! Food is delish and looking forward to sitting by the pool with hubby as well as glass in hand!