Recently, I attended a course lead by one of the experts in the Gyrokinesis field, Kathy van Patten. She was sharing stories of “the old days” when she was training PIlates teachers. I found her comment interesting and showed insight into a conversation circling...

The following is a guest post from Carolyn Johnston, who I’ve known and had the pleasure of working with for several years. Through her background as a dancer and performer, she discovered the Alexander Technique. We will be welcoming her into the studio for a special...

“The transition is the exercise” popped out of my mouth one day in a session a few weeks ago.  It really got me thinking, and I began watching how people use their bodies and minds between sections of the class, both in terms of the groups of exercises and of course,...

If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young. - Joseph H. Pilates   Our spine connects to our entire body. This includes our nervous system, the brain, our limbs, the intrinsic core and our organs. Our...

Thank you Allie Castello for writing this piece. Hug the midline is a cue many teachers use and clients hear on a regular basis. But what does it actually mean?  To understand this cue, we first must back up and understand what a cue is and why we use it. Cues are...

The intrinsic core consists of the Diaphragm Transvesrus abdominals Posterior fibers of internal oblique Pelvic floor Multifidus (back muscles) and the Lumbar portions of longissimus and iliocastalis I share this breakdown of intrinsic core not to go deeper in the...

A joint is a movable body part in which adjacent bones are joined by ligaments and other fibrous tissues. A joint is constructed to allow for different degrees and types of movement. When your Pilates teacher gives you the cue, "Open up your hips, Open your shoulders"...

Tower is Pilates most popular class. It offers a very work-out experience, one which our society has come to know as “Oh I got a good workout” because in Tower class, you move every part of your body. Students love it because it is well balanced, and has the feel of...

Have you ever wondered why all this fuss about “scooping” of the abdominals? How exactly are you supposed to bring the Abs In and Up anyhow? Unlike many other forms of workout, Pilates focuses on the deepest most innermost layer of your abdominal muscles, the...

For this week, we polled the teachers. We asked them what are your three favorite Mat exercises and why? Read below and hey, you know you can use one or two of these in your home routine! Ask at the studio how to create a home routine next time you are in. VIVIANA 1....

“The Box” is a Pilates term referring to the box frame made by your Shoulders and Hips. Think about it, the hip bones and the shoulder points do form a box! When beginning any exercise you want to strive to engage the abdominals pay attention that this Pilates "Box"...

Defining quality of movement can be elusive, difficult to define or describe. To help with this, we use our six Pilates principles.

TONE BODY IN PILATES What does having a tone body in Pilates mean? How do we get you there? One of the main requests we receive from clients is Can you tone me up?  Or, I want to increase the tone of my body. So we started talking about it in the studio in the past...

HISTORY OF JOSEPH PILATES Joseph Pilates was born in a small village near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1883. His father was a prize winning gymnast and his mother was a naturopath. He achieved some success as a boxer, a gymnast, a skier and a diver. During World War I, he...

PRENATAL PILATES We are happy to announce an exciting new program coming to the Pilates Center of Pittsburgh: “Prepare the Body™” and “Repair the Body™”a specialization in prenatal and post-natal body work. Based on conversations with the teachers at the studio and...