cyclical thoughts

we recently entered into the autumnal equinox which symbolizes many things, the bounty of nature in the year that had passed; the harvest of fruits or even a melancholy association signifying the impending cold weather, depending on the culture.

i know that autumn for me has always been a good time to evaluate the "fruits" and contributions of my existence. during this time, i myself just got a new tattoo with symbols extracted from a philippine mandala that (to oversimplify) signified my commitment to teaching as part of this community. i did it to reinforce a fulfilled - and happy - sense of union with the world around me. as a yogi who practices transcendental meditation, it was just a logical symbol to chose.

as we go through this life, it's really important to check in with oneself on occasion, perform a "gut check" if you will. we should be happy with our present existence, celebrating our our lives thusfar. sometimes it's what we imagined for ourselves, sometimes it's a total surprise!

whatever you have in your present, always make sure to find the happiness in it. celebrate who you are and what you've done. the best way to be prepared for an uncertain future is to relish in today.

update on pilates today

this is a great in depth article from a fitness trade point of view. it's pretty cool that pilates is reported to be the nation's fastest growing activity, up 450% since 2000! read here to get a big picture on where this method is today and where it's headed

how a strong core helps your play

one of my newer students shared a great story with me the other day. after a couple months of pilates, apparently he was able to use his newly found core muscles to prevent a small basketball injury!

prone to turning his ankles, during one game, he caught and re-centered himself just before he was about to land improperly. he said that before, he would have just landed and then hurt himself (and in turn, putting himself out of commission, unable to enjoy more play time with his friends). since he felt more centered and stronger with his core, he quickly recognized the danger and avoided landing wrong all together. after several lessons, he had quickly developed more control over his overall movement.

pilates is amazing for applications in cross diagonal, multi-directional movement, as in playing basketball. this is why pro-basketball players like kobe bryant, lebron james and jason kidd practice pilates. the more stable your core muscles are that support the movement of your limbs around your spine and torso, the more control you will have over your body. it all makes perfect sense, the better functioning your axis, or midline is, the more control you will have over movement around this axis.

it's pure physics. think about a spinning top. a top that is spinning upright on its tip will spin much longer than one that is spinning on an angle. as a matter of fact, the one spun on an angle will quickly topple over. a strong core is analogous to the straight axis upon which the top spins by centrifugal force. the stronger the core is, the faster and more effective the spinning movement is and can be.

whether you're a recreational athlete or one that makes a living off of your sport, pilates will not only help your execution, more importantly, it will help you with injury prevention so you can keep playing for a long time!

continuing education

one day i was talking about handstands with a friend of mine after taking a yoga class. i revealed to him that my tense shoulders were what made them challenging for me and that coming to classes really helped me find methods to relax them. he responded by asking, "a pilates teacher has tense shoulders?" i said, "why yes i do!"

teachers all around are human beings too, with strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else. we are all results of heredity and conditioning. my students come to me for my expertise and i do my best to provide thoughtful and customized coaching. conversely, i seek the same in my teachers. specific to the above-mentioned case, i do attend yoga and pilates classes partly to remove tension from my shoulders.

when looking for a teacher or a coach, i find it best to find those who continue to challenge themselves and stay open to learning. the human body is a magnificent wonder, with the potential to reach some incredible states - both in health and disease. if you really think about it, our bodies are perpetually in motion, with cells dying and regenerating everyday. we must continue to evolve as our bodies do every day; therefore, there is no finish line when it comes to learning or teaching. there are endless corrections and progressions we can make with our wellness and daily existence.

so to my friend who questioned my tight shoulders, please remember, teachers need to be taken care of too. john wooden, one who inspired so very many beyond basketball, really said it so well - "it's what you learn after you know it all that counts." better believe that those teachers and coaches who stay open to learning are the ones that will take care of you the best.

matters of my heart

i am sharing my humble experiences and reflections today. between the excitement of entertainment through basketball playoffs and the tragedy of the most massive oil leak in united states history, i don't know whether to be extremely sad or girlishly giddy. i find myself wanting to cry but unable to.

in times of joy, we come together as a people, in times of loss, we come together just the same. when our loved ones are ill, we love simply.

we continue to through some startling changes in nature and are forced to face our responsibilities to one another and to this earth that we are blessed to be a part of.

i find myself appreciating my fellow human more, aiming for a sincere connection and opening my heart as much as i can. these times are calling me to service, way beyond my duties a pilates teacher, way beyond my passion as a yogi and way beyond my motivation to help those who experience extreme hardship. i find myself thinking so grand that i have to go back inside and within, because that's where the true answers and true peace lie.

if we can all just today appreciate each other as we do during these extreme times, then we will be able to honor our life on this earth dutifully and diligently. i guess my point is pretty simple. we shouldn't need these extremes to motivate our actions. if we can just keep a steady stream of thoughtfulness, selflessness and presence as a community every day, then we'd be in a better place all together.

namaste, love and light

a quickie for the quick

omg! the new busy person's favorite offerings from trader joe's must be their 'gourmet chicken meatballs'! there are two kinds, a spicy buffalo style with blue cheese, and a milder flavored option with romano. all i can say is "thank goodness" for another protein option! making veggies are fun, but sometimes proteins can be challenging if you're on the go in the city. hard-boiled eggs, chicken breasts or string cheese packs for lunch can get really monotonous sometimes.

these little savory balls are made with chicken that's humanely raised without any added hormones or antibiotics and fed 100% veg. and guess what? there are no fillers, gluten or nitrates!!! the sodium level is a wee bit on the higher side, but seriously, all you need is a few of them thrown in with a bowlful of roasted spaghetti squash and peas in tomato sauce garnished with parsley, and you've got yourself a filling, colorful and healthy dish! serve it with a little couscous and you're good to go.

making food for one can be really boring sometimes, and making food for many can be time consuming sometimes. i think i can speak for those of us who like to stay busy, that i honestly do love it if there is prepared product out there that we could really use and appreciate. semi-homemade can be okay sometimes!!

using pilates to open your chakras

wow it's been a busy month. and because of it, i confess, i've been holding alot of tension in my shoulders and neck. i've been doing my best to strengthen my lat muscles to ease the strain from my upper trapezius muscles (which make up a good portion of the shoulder area). i've also been doing alot of upper back extensions, working on keeping the shoulder blades down.

pilates is incredibly helpful in working the yogic chakra systems of the body which run along the mid line of our bodies from our head to our pelvis. in this photo, a client is in full spinal extension. of the many things she is accomplishing, she is opening up that front hip area by pushing that pelvis forward. although she is in this extension, her powerhouse is still well-engaged, protecting her spine and working her inner organs. as you can see, her head is tilted back all the way as well, opening up that throat area, which is considered the 5th chakra, associated with how one communicates. i guess i had been communicating quite a bit (or not well enough!) because my neck was killing me ;-)

according to the principles of yoga, issues that are dominated by certain body parts are tied to our lifestyle, i.e. the way we live, how we grew up, how we handle stress, etc...as you get deeper into your pilates practice, i guarantee that you will find ways to unlock certain tensions in your body that you had never imagined before. you will find a way to control your body and free yourself from being controlled by your body; how's that for process?