If you’ve ever taken a Pilates class, then you’ve probably heard the term “neutral pelvis”.  It’s a term many contemporary teachers use, but Joseph Pilates didn’t actually use the term when he taught his students, he would just sort of push them into place and make them feel it in their body.  

Once his students felt that incredible stability in their body, they never forgot the feeling.  It feels superhero like!  It’s the most shock absorbing position for the body. Meaning, when you have a neutral pelvis, you’re in the strongest and most aligned position so the rest of your body is free to move without overworking, and all of the support comes from your center.  

The pelvis is the center of your body.  It includes your hip bones and your pubic bone, forming a triangle in the front and back of the body. 

The pelvis is home to the powerhouse or core, where the upper body...

It happened.  The breakdown. 

The weight of it all hit hard.  It was suffocating, frightening, confusing, exhausting, and overwhelming all at the same time.    

And I let myself feel it.  I didn’t label it. I didn’t judge it. I just felt it. I let it take over me.  I let it consume me.

And then I allowed it to move through me.  I could feel it wanting to move. I kept it moving by breathing through it with big deep long breaths like we do in Pilates. 

And then I felt it. I felt the release. I could actually feel the weight lift. I felt lighter. Calmer. And then something big took over me and it felt lovely.  It was magical.

It was Faith.  And it was taking over the fear.

At that moment I felt strong. Calm. Clear. And most importantly, OK.  I felt OK.

We are going to get through this.

I’ve got two young boys who are watching my every move during this crazy time.  I want them to remember...

Currently I’m reading Outwitting The Devil by Napoleon Hill.  It’s one of those books that has been sitting in my bookcase for months, maybe even years and I decided to pull it out the other day.  Talk about Divine Timing.

Hill wrote this book in the 1930s, right after he wrote Think and Grow Rich, one of the bestselling success books of all time.  His wife and close friends talked Hill into not publishing the book, they worried how his audience would respond to it, since he’s talking to the devil for most of it. The book was not published until 2011 by the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

In the book, Hill and The Devil discuss hypnotic rhythms - when large populations get caught up in a similar way of thinking and living (it’s why surrounding yourself with uplifting people is so important).  Hypnotic rhythm affects our habits - how we think, what we do, our daily vibration, our circumstances. They also discuss the concept of drifting - like...

I’ve had several conversations recently about back pain.  I did some research and did you know 80% of doctor visits are due to some sort of back pain?  80%!

In my experience as a Pilates instructor and working with hundreds (if not thousands) people in my 20 years of teaching, much of our back pain results from how we hold ourselves and how we move.  With our modern lifestyle, it’s imperative we learn how to control our body. Things like movement patterns, posture, and alignment need to be part of our daily awareness.

Currently, I’m sitting at Starbucks.  It’s packed with people at every table.  As I look around, there is NOT ONE person holding themselves in alignment!  There are teenagers, middle aged, and elderly people - no young kids - and EVERYONE is hunched forward, slouched, and sinking into their spines.  More than half of the customers are in front of a phone or computer, but even those not on a device are also...

Recently I received a pretty harsh comment on my YouTube channel.  It’s interesting because, years ago, the reason why it took me so long to start a YouTube channel was because I worried about the negative comments .  Always a people pleaser, I was nervous about people not liking me. I was worried I wasn’t good enough.  

You name it, I was worried about it.

Not sure how I did it, but I started anyway.  I think my mission was much bigger than the fear.

I can remember all the negative comments throughout the past three years.  I can actually repeat them word for word. It’s amazing how the negative things can stick so closely to us, yet the positive?  They come and go…

Here’s the thing, the reason I’m writing about this particular comment from this week is because...are you ready????...it didn’t bother me!  I read the comment and quite honestly, was taken back by my inner dialog. I didn’t go down...

I’ve been in pain for months.  At least three months. Two weeks ago, when the pain was at its worst, I pulled out all stops.  I went to my tool belt and took my own advice. 

The pain was radiating down my arm and through my fingers.  It was constant and dull - with spurts of shooting intensity, that would wake me up several times a night.  Before doing anything drastic, I wanted to see if I could feel better with my tools.

I had already stopped writing and kept typing to a minimum, I outsourced a bunch of my editing so I wouldn’t be hunched over my computer for hours.  (On a positive note, it made me prioritize what I did spend time on.)  I made all the adjustments, but still...the PAIN…

Instead of searching and honing in on the actual pain, I re-evaluated “me”.  I went back to the basics.

• Fuel my body with nutrients.
• Move my body.
• Rejuvenate with rest. 

Most importantly, I needed to...

Over the past 15 years or so, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about Pilates.  I thought it would be helpful to answer the most common in a blog post in order to help you with your own Pilates practice. OR maybe you're just starting out and want to know if Pilates is right for you.  The following FAQ’s will help!

What is Pilates?

Joseph Pilates created his body contrology system (later named Pilates) during World War One to help rehab the injured. 

Pilates is a full-body exercise system that uses a series of machines (apparatus), props, and exercises. It works the entire body, both the right/left sides and the front/back in unison, as well as the flexibility of the spine.  Pilates focuses primarily on what Joseph Pilates called the "powerhouse" or the group of muscles that begins two inches below the navel, goes two inches above the navel and then wraps completely around the front and back, like a corset. It also includes the...

20 years.  Half my life dedicated to teaching health and fitness.  Kickboxing, step, bootcamp, HIIT, TRX, Body Pump, Spinning, and of course Pilates…

Always trying to fit a mold.

Never fitting.

What I realized - there is no fitness ideal.  And when I stopped trying to achieve it, I found a joy so deep, I made it my full time career.

The fitness industry is an unhealthy place for someone like me, who has struggled with weight since age 8. 

In the beginning, I loved the idea of teaching, but the thought of being in front of people terrified me.  I imagined them thinking, “Why would I want to take her class when she looks like that?”

But I had a huge desire.  20 years ago, fitness was SOOOOO different.  And I yearned for a community of like minded people coming together to support each other - no matter what our goals. I yearned for acceptance, compassion, balance, and most importantly - FUN!  I craved a place where we could...

Do you know that when most people get older, they also get shorter?

Over time gravity compresses the spine along with other organs, tissues, muscles, and bones.  The vertebrae grow closer and closer to each other, gradually causing nerve and spinal issues. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. When you know how to move your spine mindfully, gravity can actually be our friend.  Instead of compressing us over time, it can help us develop strength, flexibility, and suppleness to withstand a lifetime of movement.  

Our spine is living.  It’s not just a stack of bones in our skeletal system.  It is a living and moving part of us. I know for me, I always moved in a way to protect my spine.  Bracing my core in order to protect the "vulnerable and delicate" bones of my spine and back.

However, this idea is so far from the truth.  Our spine is one of the strongest, liveliest, and flexible parts of us.  It has the capability to...

The Magic Circle is one of my favorite props - talk about getting DEEP into those core muscles!  It also takes a lot of control and concentration to be able to use it correctly and most efficiently.  Joseph Pilates actually created The Magic Circle using the ring around a beer barrel!   

The shape of the ring mimics your body.  As you breathe in, the circle will open, as you breathe out, the circle will close.  When the circle compresses, so do your abdominals, which can help you feel your abdominals on a deeper level.  However, you never want to compress your body in Pilates, so instead of bearing down as you squeeze the circle, think length and lift.  It will help you to strengthen the body while also lengthening it at the same time, a major benefit of Pilates. 

I talk a lot about this concept in my free cheatsheet "How to enhance your Pilates practice using the 10 Most Common Pilates Mistakes".  You can get a copy <HERE>.

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