Conversations for Pilates teachers and new and experienced Pilates students about the Original Pilates Method.
Latest Posts
Student Shoutout – Leslie, Melissa & Jay
by Kerry De Vivo She was always active and never felt the need to exercise. But at age 77, Leslie noticed that washing her hair in the shower became a challenge. “Lifting my arms was exhausting… so l knew I needed to exercise.” So she did something about it and Leslie began Pilates sessions at…
Student Shoutout – Milena
Milena has been a client of EPA since 2020. If I was asked to provide an adjective that describes Milena as a student, it would be hard to choose between, dedicated, committed, or steadfast. So let’s go with all three! “Remember, too, that ‘Rome was not built in a day,’ and that PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE…
All Posts
- Student Shoutout – Leslie, Melissa & Jay
by Kerry De Vivo She was always active and never felt the need to exercise. But at age 77, Leslie noticed that washing her hair in the shower became a challenge. “Lifting my arms was exhausting… so l knew I needed to exercise.” So she did something about it and Leslie began Pilates sessions at EPA about a year and a half ago. But Leslie didn’t go at it alone. She started her Pilates practice with her daughter-in-law Melissa. Later her son Jay joined as well. And this trio is going strong. Leslie, Melissa and Jay, have Pilates sessions a… - Now Hiring – Pilates TeachersFor more information on how to apply please contact us.
- Student Shoutout – MilenaMilena has been a client of EPA since 2020. If I was asked to provide an adjective that describes Milena as a student, it would be hard to choose between, dedicated, committed, or steadfast. So let’s go with all three! “Remember, too, that ‘Rome was not built in a day,’ and that PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor. Practice your exercises diligently with the fixed and unalterable determination that you will permit nothing else to sway you from keeping faith with yourself.” -Joseph Pilates This passage in Pilates’ book Return to Life goes on…
- Student Shoutout – VictoriaVictoria started Pilates with us in September of this year. For her first session, Victoria came in with a big smile and an open mind. I could see the twinkle in her eye, that spark of “I think I just discovered something amazing”. Fast forward two months and it’s official, Victoria is hooked. Victoria has made it a priority to grab sessions we offer and manage her schedule so she can be in the studio and progressing with her Pilates practice. And indeed Victoria has been making great progress. I asked Victoria a few questions about her Pilates experience, and…
- Rolling Like A Ballby Amanda Turner The rolling exercise is the first one in the Mat work. It’s a beginner level exercise with many variations to make it easier or harder. It’s between Single Leg Circles and the Stomach Massage series. This exercise is great for working and developing your scoop, working on balance safely, and massaging the spine – let’s dive in! Let’s learn the exercise as if you have a healthy spine. Set Up: Movement:Inhale, drop your chin to your chest, roll back to your shoulder blades. Exhale, return to your balance. Repeat 8–10 reps total. Sounds easy enough, but we…
- Student Shout-out/Bethby Kerry DeVivo Beth started Pilates with us in 2021. She quickly shared our passion for Pilates. Beth started with one session per week, then she became and EPA Mobile Member, and now you can find Beth at the studio a few times per week. We’ve seen great progress for Beth in meeting her goals and transferring what she learns in Pilates to her very active lifestyle. Beth owns Sage Vintage* which keeps her lifting, pushing, pulling all day long. Something Pilates has helped support. I asked Beth three questions about her Pilates practice. Here are her responses. What inspired you to start Pilates sessions?…
- It Matters How You Get There: Descending and Ascendingby Amanda Turner As with every other piece of apparatus, there’s a prescribed way to descend to the Mat as well as ascend from the Mat. Both require the strength of the Powerhouse and balance, which is why it’s not introduced to you in your first session, and may not even be taught to you until you have many sessions under your belt. The gist is, you don’t use your hands to lie down and you don’t use your hands to get up – it’s a great way to measure your strength, flexibility, and balance. To Descend: 1.) Stand at the very…
- Student Shoutout/EmilyBy Kerry De Vivo The first time Emily and I met was at the 2013 Classical Pilates Conference in Chicago. After an inspiring weekend of Pilates workouts, workshops, workouts, events, and workouts (a Pilates teacher’s dream weekend), it was at the airport on the way home that I was able to get to know Emily. In waiting for our flights, a small group of us happened to find each other and had time to talk more about ourselves, our studios, and where we are from. Our meeting was ten years ago, and we have since shared so much together. Emily…
- It Matters How You Get There – Reformer Stomach Massage SeriesI’ve seen it all! Stepping inside the tiny space between the springs and the edge of the Mat, stepping on the edge of the Reformer and crouching to sit on the black pad, and the biggest offender of all – straddling the Reformer *gasp*. So, maybe you’re flexible and agile and straddling is not a problem for you or maybe you’re really stiff and tight and you swing your leg over and hope for the best. Either way, don’t do it! We never work outside the width of our body. You always hear the cue, “only as wide as your shoulders” or “only as wide…
- STUDENT SHOUTOUT – PILATES IN ANTARCTICAby Kerry De Vivo In September 2013, I was at Drago’s Gym in NYC attending the reception following the funeral of the extraordinary Romana Krzyanowska (this is a good read). Romana was the protégé of Joseph Pilates and my mentor. While at the reception, my very first Pilates teacher, Steve Giordano, asked me “What do you do Pilates for?” I completely understood where he was coming from with this question. I responded, “To hike, go on walks, teach Pilates, dance, and for the enjoyment of it.” You see, Joe Pilates wanted us to do his exercises so we could live our lives…
- IT MATTERS HOW YOU GET THEREIT MATTERS HOW YOU GET THERE By Kerry De Vivo February 2023 This issue’s focus: How to efficiently get on the Reformer for Footwork 3.) YUP, the absolutely forbidden straddling of the Reformer to then sit down. This is a definite way to get “the glare”, at minimal, from your teacher 😉 WHY? you ask? Well for one, it’s a wide step over the Reformer and not easy for balance. But also, nearly all of your exercises on the Reformer will be done within the width of the Reformer demonstrating the intense control of this method. So why would we start…
- DIGGING DEEPER- Get to know your Pilates exercises: Kneeling Knee StretchesKneeling Knee Stretches by Amanda Turner Hello Hello Hello! Rounding out the last month of the year, let’s clean up and refine Kneeling Knee Stretches on the Reformer! This is a beginning level series that you’ll likely learned in your first few sessions at the studio. I have a love/hate relationship with this series and I know many of my students do as well. I love them because they feel good (the first two that is) and I know that my Reformer work is coming to an end. I hate them (I’m being dramatic, I don’t actually hate…
- Student Shoutout – HeatherStudent Shoutout – Heather By Brittany Martino This month’s Student Shoutout is highlighting Heather who has been a client at EPA since 2016! Heather is a shining example of Joe Pilates’ quote “Time and progress are synonymous terms – nothing can stop either.” When Heather first started her Pilates experience at EPA, who knew it would be the makings of a Rockstar. That’s how we often refer to Heather as she executes some of the hardest Pilates exercises with excellent form and mindfulness. Heather is focused and has great balance between being motivated and humble; two great characteristics to…
- DIGGING DEEPER – Get to know your Pilates exercises: Spine Stretch ForwardSpine Stretch Forward by Amanda Turner Let’s get into it! Spine Stretch Forward is a beginning level exercise and more than likely you’ll learn it in your very first session! To be completely honest, I have a love/hate relationship with this exercise and maybe you do too! When I was beginning my personal practice, I used to think why am I doing this, am I doing this right?, this doesn’t feel like I’m working my abs (back when I thought Pilates was just an ab workout). Well – let’s examine what I was doing wrong and go over why I…
- DIGGING DEEPER – Get to know your Pilates exercises: SwimmingSwimming by Amanda Turner At the height of summer, I think Swimming is a great exercise to dive into 😉 Swimming is an advanced level exercise that is a part of the Mat repertoire, but there are several other places you can execute this exercise. Two being theReformer (on the long box) and the Spine Corrector, each increasing in difficulty. Amanda performing Swimming on the Spine Corrector Set Up: After your Can-can or Hip Circles, turn over to lay on your stomach. Arms reaching overhead, forehead resting on the Mat, legs extended. Scoop your abdominals away from the Mat, squeeze…
- Student Shoutout – DinaStudent Shoutout – Dina By Kerry De Vivo The Student Shoutout goes to Dina who has been a client at EPA since 2019. I asked Dina- What inspired you to start Pilates sessions? “My Orthopedist suggested that I use Pilates as a rehabilitation from an accident to strengthen my core. I had had two surgeries on my right side after a terrible fall from my bicycle and was really struggling to feel good and resume my previous activities. I love sailing and sailboat racing and had really not been able to do any since my accident. I started at…
- Student Shoutout – DeliaGiven that this month we celebrate our 20-year anniversary for Excel Pilates Annapolis, it seems very appropriate for our Student Shoutout to spotlight Delia, as Delia has been a client of the Excel Pilates family since 1999! Yup, Delia has been with Excel Pilates all this time!! Back in the 1900s (1999 to be specific), Delia stepped into Excel Pilates DC (our affiliate studio) for her first Pilates session. There she saw a floral arrangement honoring the one-year anniversary of the studio. This past week, we received these beauties from Delia in honor of our 20-year anniversary here at EPA. And…
- Student Shoutout/EddieBy Kerry De Vivo The Student Shoutout goes to one of our newbies, Eddie. It’s fun to look at what has inspired someone who is relatively new to Pilates. Eddie started sessions at Excel Pilates Annapolis in July 2021. He has been attending very consistently on a weekly basis. Eddie doing beginning level exercise Single Leg Stretch My mentor, Romana Kryzanowska, protégé of Joe Pilates, always taught us to stay with the beginning level exercises for the first 10 sessions. This lays down the foundation upon which we build our repertoire to the higher levels. A…
- DIGGING DEEPER- Get to know your Pilates exercises: Single Leg KickSingle Leg Kick By Amanda Turner Hi Everyone! Welcome to February, hopefully the worst of Winter is behind us, which means it’s time to work on getting our behinds in shape ;). Let me introduce you to Single Leg Kick. This is an intermediate level exercise that targets the the whole body but specifically the glutes, while stretching the quads, strengthening the extension (arching) of your spine, while challenging the abdominals. However, it is an exercise that you can cheat yourself out of all these goodies if you just move through it – so, let’s get into it! …
- Student Shoutout: Susan/A Pilates VoyageStudent Shoutout: Susan/A Pilates Voyage By Kerry De Vivo The portability of Pilates was on display this past month. EPA client, Susan, and her husband took a boating adventure from Annapolis down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida. And, as her Pilates teacher, I had the pleasure of joining them. Well… remotely via Zoom sessions once a week. How fun it was to arrive to Susan’s weekly Zoom Pilates session and be surprised as to where she was. I had a feeling this voyage would be special when Susan sent me a video of her Pilates practice on the bow of the boat….
- DIGGING DEEPER- Get to know your Pilates exercises: CorkscrewCorkscrew By Amanda Turner Happy Holidays Everyone! I thought this would be a great time to review and clean up Corkscrew. I love Corkscrew, it is a teacher’s dream – it can be modified, it can be progressed, it can be done on several different pieces of apparatus and that all around keeps the exercise fresh and exciting. Let’s start with the basics: 1.) After Open Leg Rocker, bring the legs together, and using control, walk the hands down the legs so that you are now lying on the Mat with your legs toward the ceiling. 2.) Pressing your arms down into the mat, squeezing…
- Student Shoutout: DawnStudent Shoutout: Dawn By Kerry De Vivo “With just a few sessions I could feel my core strengthening, my spine elongating, and my posture both standing and sitting improved.” -Dawn Earlier this year, Dawn began practicing Pilates at EPA. When asked what inspired her to start Pilates sessions, Dawn’s response was ” After a debilitating back injury, my doctor suggested I give Pilates a try as a way of recovery. I should say, not just any Pilates, he specifically suggested Excel since they teach classic Pilates.” Dawn’s initial goal was to “learn core strengthening techniques”. Well, Dawn has definitely achieved that goal! I asked Dawn…
- DIGGING DEEPER- Get to know your Pilates exercises: Leg Circles/ FrogLeg Circles/ Frog By Amanda Turner These are one of the first series of exercises you’ll learn on the Reformer and, surprisingly, the only exercise series that is “replaced” in the Reformer order as you progress. I find, and perhaps you’ll agree, that the most challenging part of this exercise is the set up. Actually getting the feet into the extension straps – it can be a little awkward and even intimidating. Trust me when I say that you’re not alone if you feel this way!! Let’s dive into these two exercises so you can become more confident and precise. Leg Circles Set up:…
- DIGGING DEEPER- Get to know your Pilates exercises: SawSaw By Amanda Turner Saw, oh how I love thee – let me count the ways 😉 I love the concept of it whittling your waist (strengthening the abdominals and upper back), I love the stretch I feel between my shoulder blades, and I love the strength I feel in my lower body while it stabilizes throughout the duration of the exercise. Saw is an intermediate Mat exercise that combines your breath with rotation and lengthening – think of it as Spine Stretch Forward with a twist. Set Up: Sitting up, legs are wider that your hips, arms are shoulder height and…
- DIGGING DEEPER- Get to know your Pilates exercises: Stomach Massage Series on the ReformerStomach Massage Series By Amanda Turner Hi everyone! We’re digging deep this month so let’s get into it!! We’ll be dissecting Stomach Massage Series on the Reformer and, as you know, with any beginning level exercise there are a lot of intricacies. Keep in mind that there is a Stomach Massage Series on the Mat which can be used on other pieces of apparatus – but this Stomach Massage is different choreography. When teaching this to new students I see excitement in their eyes with the word massage. I get them set up and then I see the grimace. Then comes the…
- DIGGING DEEPER – Get to Know Your Pilates Exercises: RunningRunning By Amanda Turner Happy May, everyone! With the warmer weather, I’m finding myself outside much more and, while I’m not a runner, I thought this would be a great time to dive into Running ;). Running is such a great exercise and it shows in the reactions of students when I tell them it’s time for Running – I’m met with a response of relief, excitement, or a combination. Performed on the Reformer near the end of the Reformer workout, it’s a great time to focus on alignment, lengthening the spine, and reminding yourself to use the powerhouse. This…
- Student Shoutout: MaryStudent Shoutout: Mary By Kerry De Vivo My goodness, our clients sure make it easy to boast about them. This Student Shoutout goes to Mary, EPA client since 2002!! Woot! Mary is featured in the cover story in the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center’s February issue of Maryland’s Health Matters. The article, “Staying Strong with Osteoporosis,” is informative in an empowering way. Mary discusses how she uses Pilates, daily walking, yoga, and dietary choices to support her bones. Thanks for inspiring us all, Mary! You are strong to the core. Click the link below to read the full…
- Foundational Fridays: The MentalistThe Mentalist By Diane Adams-Strickland “Be certain that you have your entire body under complete mental control.” -Return to Life, Joseph H. Pilates I have a confession to make…I don’t always follow this rule. In all honesty, this is my current obsession in my own practice. It is easy to think Joe just meant the actual muscles you needed to employ for a certain exercise; but he also meant the muscles that you didn’t need to employ. What does that mean? Well, Joe was all about efficient movement. He didn’t want you to overuse your muscles or bring tension into…
- Student Shoutout: JimStudent Shoutout: Jim By Diane Adams-Strickland Although Jim has been a student of Pilates for three years, I have only had the privilege of teaching him for the past five months. He is an athlete and competes in distance running events and regularly cycles. Using the Pilates Method, Jim has been focusing on skills to help him excel in his chosen activities (and life!). In our short period together, I have witnessed an opening of his shoulders, increased flexibility in the back of his legs (almost touching his toes!), and better alignment. We celebrate every incremental change in his body!…
- Student Shoutout: Youth ClassStudent Shoutout: Youth Class By Kerry De Vivo Welcome to our new series, Student Shoutout, where we teachers get to brag about you, our amazing clients! I’m kicking this series off by bragging about my online youth class. This group of middle and high school students from four different states, meet up EVERY week for our class. Some now do individual sessions too. Each session they make amazing progress and prove that Pilates (even once a week) makes a difference. These students are focused and fun and I have met a lot of their pets (as you can see in…
- Foundational Fridays: The Scoop (Really This Month)The Scoop (Really This Month) By Diane Adams-Strickland The Hundred with proper Scoop The Hundred without Scoop “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice – in practice there is.” -Yogi Berra I love this quote; it is going to be my mantra for 2021. Less talk about the practice of Pilates, and more practice of Pilates. 2021: A new year, another chance, a redo, a renaissance. Never has there been a more perfect time to rethink your Pilates practice…and put it into practice. I started Foundational Fridays so we could all dig deeper into the foundational elements…
- DIGGING DEEPER – Get to Know Your Pilates Exercises: The Up StretchThe Up Stretch By Amanda Turner Happy New Year! I often get my inspiration for these articles from students – asking questions, needing modifications, wanting progressions. I love it when something connects a student to the exercise and suddenly what seemed really challenging and maybe even scary, becomes accomplishable and maybe, dare I say it, FUN! The Up Stretch is one of those exercises – it can feel really scary but once you understand choreography and how to use your Powerhouse throughout the movement, it’ll start to feel less intimidating, more doable – and you’ll feel like a rock…
- DIGGING DEEPER – Get to Know Your Pilates Exercises: The Roll UpThe Roll Up By Amanda Turner Happy Holidays! I personally use the month of December as a time of reflection – thinking back on the year, all of the accomplishments I’ve made, and maybe some areas I’d like to work on in the new year. I thought that this month would be a great time to dive into The Roll Up as it is a foundation for so many exercises. Want to work on your Teaser? Strengthen your Roll Up. Want to improve your Jackknife? Strengthen your Roll Up. Want to feel strong and in control during your Up…
- Putting Your Best Foot ForwardPutting Your Best Foot Forward By Diane Adams-Strickland I have participated in many kinds of exercise systems over the course of my 45 years on this planet. However, Pilates is the only exercise system that places a lot of focus on the feet. Joe invented the Toe Gizmo, the Foot Corrector, various feet exercises, and the 2 x 4; and you can do footwork on many apparatus all over the studio. I guess you could say that Joe had a foot fetish; but we should, too. The feet. The glorious feet that hold us up, that let us walk through the neighborhood,…
- Foundational Fridays: “Back” to the Beginning“Back” to the Beginning By Diane Adams-Strickland “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” -C.S. Lewis Welcome to the first installment of Foundational Fridays. I was motivated to begin this series after watching many of my clients become frustrated as they struggled to advance in their practice. It is hard to advance in any practice, let alone Pilates, unless you have fully mastered the basics. By recognizing that Pilates is a system in which many of the exercises and shapes reappear in different ways, it is easy…
- DIGGING DEEPER – Get to Know Your Pilates Exercises: Side Kick SeriesSide Kick Series By Amanda Turner We are at the beginning of holiday season and I wanted to review an exercise that gives you a lot of payoff for your effort – Side Kick Series. Your Side Kick Series is an intermediate level exercise, but has progressions that can make them quite advanced. I love this series because it’s the foundation for many exercises to come and challenges your balance without risk of injury – and no, I haven’t seen anyone fall off the Cadillac while performing the kicks (knock on wood ;)). Set Up: Lie on one side and stack your shoulders…
