reposting a good story on mind body connections

here's a great story from a student: she was carrying her groceries down a flight of stairs and suddenly she lost her balance. in years past, she tells me, she would have dropped the bag, spilling the contents and fallen immediately, surrendering to gravity and most likely obtaining a few bruises, scrapes, maybe pulling a muscle and such. in essence, she gave up immediately to the situation.

this time around, things were different for her. she lost her balance, but she fought to regain it. she focused to stay on her feet. she not only managed to do that, she reported, but she also kept the contents of the grocery bag from spilling out! she proudly told me of this accomplishment, saying that it was because she used her powerhouse to control her balance and prevent her fall. she also was pleased with the fact that she could focus on her ability to coordinate these things WHILE still holding onto the bag, keeping it upright. she had changed not only her physicality, she changed her whole attitude as well.

she fought and she focused instead of surrendering and giving up. of course this is my personal interpretation of this story, but i think it's a pretty good one, do you?

this is how pilates can help us all. as we strengthen our physical powerhouse, that strength will automatically fortify our mental state. a strong powerhouse means having great posture, and having great posture communicates confidence to the world. think about it - what connotations do you think about when you read the word "spineless"? we aim to support our spine with pilates exercises so that we can live our lives fully and healthily.

if you have a good story on how pilates has helped you, please share them with me. i've love to hear from you.

what we mean by "core"

i often sense that the word "core" is misinterpreted and sometimes misused. when pilates teachers refer to one's "core", i remind you that we are referring to the innermost muscles that support the trunk of the body. some people think that the word "core" means just your abdominals. we mean way more than that. imagine what an apple core is like when the rest of the apple has been eaten. the shape that it makes is actually a little similar to how we want our clients and students to envision their own core. when we speak of the "core" in pilates (and yoga) we mean those muscles that support the spine, the muscles that connect the ribs to the hips and other muscles that connect the spine to the hips.

we speak of creating a girdle for oneself, pulling all of the surrounding muscles in to establish a strong foundation. abdominal muscle groups like the rectus (along the front), the obliques and transverse (along the side of the body) are included in this definition, but so are the other muscles along the back of the body like the inner spinal erectors and quadratus lumborum as well as the latissmus dorsi which run close to the surface along the lower back. all of these muscle groups with many more, support the torso.

imagine how many muscles work together and how strong the many layers could be as they work together. with this strong core, your posture is at its best and you stand upright. when you stand upright, the benefits are endless to your body and overall well being. your lungs are able to fill with ease, your diaphragm is positioned to contract and relax maximally and your spine is stacked to serve most efficiently. with this posture, you have the capacity to take in the most oxygen as you breathe, therefore, increasing the circulation of blood throughout your system. with more blood and fresh oxygen through the system, the heart and brain work well. and yes, you guessed it, when your heart and your brain work well, you make the best decisions for yourself and you are confident with what you do.

a strong core in pilates will yield so much more than a 4- or 6-pack (so much of that is diet, anyway!), it will yield a strong spirit and strong foundation for living. and that's mind body connection at its best.

Gourmandise hosts baking class for Haitian relief

Gourmandise hosts baking class for Haitian relief

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the method

new year greetings! here's to a 2010 filled with the fulfillment of all of your desires!

at the end of last year, i was carrying quite a bit of tension and grief in my lower back. every day for over two months, this area would tighten up and i found myself in a lot of pain with very little mobility. the only relief i found was through my pilates practice, specifically with mat work and leg springs. as i worked my powerhouse, my lower abdominals engaged to pull the burden and brunt of the stress away from my lower back. i was able to stand up straighter and go about my busy days without grimacing.

pilates is so much more than a workout. it is a method through which one can achieve better living - a better quality of life. the stronger our powerhouses are, the better we are able to deal with life's challenges and stress-triggers. 90% of illnesses are triggered by stress - thankfully by now, this is no longer a secret! a regular pilates practice will help you stay healthy and get stronger to better handle a dynamic and exciting life. hope to see you in session soon!

water or coke?

just HAD to repost this one!! water or coke? hmmmm shouldn't be a tough choice

my 80/20 theory

80% healthy choice and 20% indulgence, because life's too short to live it unhealthfully and too short to live without the guilty pleasures. i will elaborate more in a little bit, but for now, let's think about 80/20.

getting needled

i totally get acupuncture (yes, i mean literally and figuratively!). i'm a firm believer in what chinese medicine calls "chi". chi, in its simplest meaning, is the energy that our bodies transmit/possess as living organisms. its that immeasurable influence that is analogous to what is considered the "virtual domain" where deepak chopra refers to as "the level of the spirit that connects, orchestrates and synchronizes everything". the easiest way to understand this concept, in my opinion, is to think about identical twins. how is it that you hear endless stories of when twins, who live thousands of miles apart from the other, still can feel each other when one is hurting, sick, happy or going through something? not that i'm here to make a case for quantum phyics, but i figure for the skeptics, this is always a good example.

i found dr. rena zhai from a referral, and i would recommend that you find your healers in the same way. i'm so lucky that i did find her because she is a true healer. she is thoughtful, inquisitive and knows her stuff. she will recommend a treatment program according to your need, not according to how often she can bill your insurance company - which, unfortunately so many health practitioners do - both western and eastern alike. i go to her for almost any concern, this last session was because i came down with a terrible cold bug and i wanted to knock it out. i also had some major neck tension from stress and being in bed too much. you can get needled for many things, muscular issues or internal issues. you can even just get it if you're feeling low on energy or just super stressed out. i like the idea of going once a month to getting a body "tune up" - much like what happens when you get your car tuned up, get things tightened up, loosened up and encouraging all the systems in your body to work as efficiently as possible. the thing about dr. zhai is that she asks for your medical records, like your blood work and is really great about combining western medical practicalities with eastern modalities. this type of care is the best that anyone in modern day los angeles can ask for.


some people tell me that they have had bad experiences or never really felt anything. i'm here to tell you folks that you have to be very discriminating when it comes to choosing your healers and in my opinion, especially when it comes to this incredibly complex yet simple and delicate healing modality. think about it, someone is manipulating the energy in your body by accurate placements of needles! i don't know about you, but i'm terribly picky about massage therapists as well, someone who is a novice can easily aggravate a tense area if they dont know what their doing. well, apply the same rules to acupuncture, and then multiply by 1000. just like with anything regarding your health, you have to be very careful and smart about who you chose to treat you, okay?