Pilates Spring Cleaning
As I move into the YogaWorks family in Woodland Hills, I find myself looking into my own Pilates practice as a student rather than a teacher. A new studio means new people from different walks of life. Maybe my future students already have a solid practice, maybe my style is different to them, maybe this is their first try at Pilates? Whatever the case may be, I have been there myself.
When I meet a group of people for the first time, I like to do what I call a “Pilates Renewal”. As a person passionate about what I do, I love to take classes and private sessions from my fellow instructors. In the past, I worked hard and pushed my body as far as I could, but then I had knee surgery this past October and my practice had to change. I went from an advanced practitioner to a beginner again.
The origin of Pilates is to bring balance back into the body, to have a “Return to Life”. This experience gave me the pleasure of cleaning house on my practice: going back to the fundamentals and fine tuning them, relearning what the purpose was, staying with the exercises until my body was ready to progress to the next level, reconnecting to my breath and, most of all, being patient with the results.
It’s easy to forget how powerful it can be to pull back after pushing forward. Though progression is important, cleaning up is the best way to really know how far we’ve truly gone. I tell my students that even though they may have advanced their Pilates practice, the fundamentals should still be challenging because we should be present, precise and engaged in the movement.
Pilates spring cleaning is a great way to check in with our bodies and see how far we have truly come.
I come here renewed and ready to share my love of Pilates with you.
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Andrea Flores began her journey into Pilates 15 years ago when a debilitating illness left her barely able to walk after over 20 years of being a fit and accomplished dancer. She was able to strengthen and create balance in her body that made her stronger than ever before. From her rehab with Pilates, Andrea continued as a dancer and was inspired to begin her career in fitness with emphasis on rehabilitation to help others achieve the same results. Her approach is to help her clients go beyond their own goals and limitations through the Pilates Method. No two bodies are the same, and should not be trained as such, and you do not need to be a dancer to receive the benefits. Andrea has become one of the top and most sought out instructors by Physical Therapists and studios in the Classical Pilates field by reading the body in front of her and having the knowledge to be versatile and dynamic so the client continues to evolve.
Most people do not know that Joseph Pilates himself was not a dancer but a boxer. Dancers were attracted to his method because it was the only form of exercise that stretches and strengthens the muscles at the same time without creating bulky muscles. Joseph Pilates wanted his method to be attainable for everyone so that they could experience a “Return to Life”.
Find out more at andreaflorespilates.com
Awe Andrea! True Story! I have always loved Pilates for the consistent challenge it brings. The moment you think you have it there is still another inch to get! When I broke my leg a year and half ago I was floored. But, then Pilates was the only thing I could do. Also, because of this injury I changed my practice for the better. No longer doing things the way I used to just because that’s how I used to do it. I love that you had this similar experience. May our practices always change, may we learn that we are always learning and may we have fun doing it! Thank you for sharing xx~LL