49 W. 27th St. Mezzanine B, New York City 212-904-1399 www.movementsafoot.com

I am starting a Pilates Equipment class for Special Populations starting Thursdays 2 PM in February.

If you know anyone interested, they can sign up online or call the studio.

The class is designed for students with injuries and special conditions.
Since most classes can be too fast, this class is designed at a slower pace with modifications depending on each person. 

There is a 3 person minimum.  Limited to 6 persons.

Single class signed online $32
5 class card  $155

If you have students interested in this kind of class, please pass the word.  If this time does not work,  have the client call/email about other times.  I would love to start other times if there was interest.

Start your education this year to become a Pilates Teacher through Balanced Body.  Here is Movements Afoot’s Upcoming Schedule

49 W. 27th St. Mezzanine B, New York City 212-904-1399 www.movementsafoot.com

“Good Morning BBU!!

I am proud to say that I passed the BBU PilatesTeacher Comprehensive Exam on Friday night at Movements Afoot!!

I am writing to thank you and everyone at Balanced Body University.  The program is excellent.  The information is written wonderfully and organized beautifully!  I received great support from you, and everyone at BBU whom I contacted, as well as the Customer Service Representatives that I spoke with to order my equipment, DVDs, etc..

So, again, THANK YOU!

I also want everyone at BBU to know what a tremedous asset you have in  Lesley Powell as your New York, New York  BBU Educator.  She is truly a gem.  Her knowledge is unparalleled and her feedback is essential.  She ran the BBU program seamlessly!!

I am the mother of three small children, I teach classes/train clients in the mornings/evenings/on weekends and care for my family when I’m not “working”.  Having the ability to take the modules at Movements Afoot once a month allowed me the time to do everything I needed for BBU, for my family, for my profession and for myself.  I love the way Lesley set up the program!

She made me a better teacher AND a better student!  During my observations at other studios, I found my appreciation and admiration for Lesley grow.  Most Pilates Teachers, while good in their own right, do not have the extensive biomechanic/body-mind knowledge that I have gained from doing my training with Lesley!  It takes an incredible teacher to make great teachers and BBU has that in Lesley Powell!

I look forward to doing my continuing education as a Teacher and Student with Lesley and BBU!”   With gratitude, and, Kindest regards,  Cheri Wild

• Mat I        11/19-21/2011
• Mat II        1/7-8/2012
• Reformer I    2/17-19/2012
• Reformer II    3/24-25/2012
• Reformer III    4/21-22/2012
• Apparatus I    5/19-20/2012
• Apparatus II    6/23-24/2012
• Apparatus III    7/21-22/2012

To register, go to www.bbupilates.com 
or call 877-PILATES (745-2837).

One of my friends had this picture on Facebook.

At Movements Afoot we jokingly talk about mooning.  Why?  It gets you to learn how to use your hip joints which is needed in most activities.

A lot of people locked their hips.  The hip joints is a much stronger mobile joint to hinge at then from your spine.  Many people blow out their backs because they are using their backs as the fulcrum to pick thinks up.  A safer action is to squat to lower your body to the floor.

By learning to use the hip joint correctly,  the legs have to do more work. When the legs are working correctly, it also changes the quality of tone in your core.

Stand poorly and tighten your abs.
Your posture doesn’t change.

Now stand well and engage your abs.
Notice how your posture immediately changes.

]]> http://movementsafootblog.com/2011/10/14/mooning-techniques/feed/ 0 40.745342 -73.990191 40.745342 -73.990191 Body thinker Mooning http://movementsafootblog.com/2011/10/03/clients-w-low-back-pain/ http://movementsafootblog.com/2011/10/03/clients-w-low-back-pain/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:51:59 +0000 Lesley Powell http://movementsafootblog.com/?p=3046 Read more]]> When working with clients with low back pain, your first thing to address is the history of medical evaluation of the problem.  If a client has any kind of tingling/nerve pain, I push that they have seen medical attention before working out.

49 W. 27th St. Mezzanine B, New York City 212-904-1399 www.movementsafoot.com

Working out with certain kinds of pain can weaken the nerves and/or exacerbate the injury.

When a client has back pain that is not disc or nerve related, I look at their posture and how they move during their sessions.  Many injuries are caused by poor habits, repetitive motions and poor support/mobility of the body.  I use the Bartenieff Fundamentals/movement principles to evaluate their form and teach better function.  Teaching extension exercises of the spine and hips are very important.  Most lowback clients are very weak in their backs and legs.

Sometimes when teaching extension work, clients complaint of pain.

A lot has to do where the movement is being initiated.  For instance, neutral pelvic bridge is an excellent exercise for backs.  Because they are weak in their legs, they will push from their backs.  Too much posterior tilt at the beginning of the bridge can kick out important muscles of the hips and legs that help extend the hips.  These muscles are important in standing.

Another big problem is getting clients of understand pelvic stability with leg mobility.  Some clients unleveled their pelvis to lift their legs.  This could lead to back discomfort.

Differentiation of thigh bone

Irmgard Bartenifeff’s Thigh Lift is a precursor to all Pilates mat exercises.

Can the client differentiate the thighbone from the pelvis?  So many are tight around the hip sockets.  They lift the leg up partially from unleveling the pelvis.  My goal is to teach them the amazing hip socket as the hinge for movement instead of the disks.

Balanced Body’s Orbit™

I just took a teacher training course on Balanced Body’s Orbit. I can’t tell how great my body feels and I am even sore.

This deceptive simple tool invites a 3 dimensional fitness.  The Orbit opens your spine, legs, hips and shoulders in such a unique way.  I have been having some hip problems from my dancing career.  With the Orbit, I was able to gently invite new mobility in my hip.

When you use it to enhance your fitness, it will up the ante.  Ahhhh, pushups with either your hands or feet on the Orbit will make it so much harder.

Balanced Body’s Orbit™

With Lesley Powell 11/13  9:30 – 4:30
Roll through a fun, full-body workout that strengthens, stretches and challenges on multiple planes!
Super fun and super circular, the Orbit™ rolls into your classes or personal training sessions to enhance flexibility, stability, strength, balance and coordination. This 6 hour course includes standing, seated, all fours, plank, prone and supine exercises creating a full body workout for any client. Workouts are included to teach you how to format a group class.
Workshop package includes:

• Six-hour workshop (value $229)
• Orbit and Level 1 DVD (value $229)
• Training manual (value $50)

Note: prerequisite for workshop is Mat 1 or personal training certification.
Register early and save!
Just $399 for a package that includes the Orbit, six-hour workshop, DVD and complete manual. Must register at least 30 days prior to workshop date. (You save $109.)
Just $429 if you register within 30 days of workshop. (You save $79.)

If my schedule does not work for you, go to Balanced Body for other faculty teaching the Orbit.
Call Balanced Body 1-800-pilates or www.pilates.com to register

Moving backwards

Centerworks Blog

Walking backwards is good for your brain

From Google's Body Browser

Work IN vs. Workout

There were so many gems from the workshop with Marie-Jose Blom.

To get to the deep stabilizers, you need to concentrate on working slower to turn on the correct muscles.  Our large global muscles are like rock and roll.  Lots of power and pizzazzz.

The “Work IN” invites the deep stabilizers to facilitate movement without compression.  Many injuries are happening when overtraining prevents the body from moving well.

Try walking with bracing your torso in a crunch.  How does it affect your legs?

Now imagine a gentle corset like the new Spanx.  You should walk and dance with freedom.

From Google's Body Browser

Marie-Jose brought in newer info about the abdominals.  It really made me rethink how I was cueing and thinking of them.

Muscles have different qualities of tone; fast and slow twitch.  Another way to think about them as global and local.  Marie-Jose’s image for these kinds of muscles is of a light switch.  Your superficial muscles are like the light switch that you turn on and off.  The local muscles are your deep stabilizers that are like dimmers.

We need to turn the dimmers on slowly before adding the big lights switching on or off.

The transverse abdominus  is a corset especially the old fashion where you tie in back.  The fibers do not have the same contration as other muscles.  Widening the transverse to the back will flatten the front and give support for the spine.

• Widen the transverse
• In towards the spine
• Up with the pelvic floor

This is the wiup (whup).  This is a quick nickname that I came up with.  It has been amazing to bring this imagery into my session with students.   It made such a positive change!!

What is Core?

This weekend we ran BodyMind fitness: Core.

I shared the teaching with Dr. Martha Eddy, Doris Pasteleur Hall and Kim fielding.

Core is more than your abdominals. It is the torso that houses important organs for breath, circulation and digestion. Giving 3D support is not only important for backcare; it gives the organs room to function. If a person’s posture is chronically slumped, can you see how it will affect breath and the movements of the diaphragm and lungs. With diminished breathe, comes poor circulation without the right amount of oxygen getting to the blood and heart. A domino effect!

A lot of fitness’ core training is bracing down on the torso. Great core support should uplift you. Getting to the deeper
muscles of the core takes great awareness and sometimes backing away from more superficial muscles such as the rectus.

Training of the Pelvic floor, transverse abdominus and the multifidus have a different quality of tone than many muscles. It is the coordination of these in dynamic movement that it becomes complex. Take the plank pose, a full body action.  Bonnie Baindridge Cohen has a great image about deeper muscles.  They current into the joints for stability where our larger muscles groups current out.  When you see poor torso stability,  you see the larger muscles groups compressing the torso down.