#Stay-At-Home — What Day is It?
Practice Pilates Breath Control
Your Pilates practice is built on proper breath control we refer to as lateral breathing. It’s achieved by actively expanding and contracting our rib cage, versus diaphragm breathing as taught in yoga classes.
This five-minute video provides an excellent definition of what we’re talking when we refer to controlling our breathing, along with an easy to follow example of how to achieve Pilates breath control. And it’s easy to practice while watching, which isn’t always the case with Pilates demos.
Pilates is first and foremost about achieving the mind-body connection, and that starts with how we breathe during a workout. If you can master the art of Pilates breathing, you’re a long way towards achieving what Joseph Pilates defined as Contrology (see below).
Are You Missing Your Pilates?
Hope everyone’s getting by in good shape. As we head into month two of shut down and physical distancing, I feel fortunate we’re able to find what we need on our every two weeks shopping forays. Thanks to the dedication of the service workers who are stocking the shelves and doing their best to keep everyone in groceries.
So far that means Winn Dixie and Publix, but I see Mazzaro’s is open and Fresh Market is a favorite destination. Of those two, Fresh Market seems to be setting the bar in making sure we stay as safe as possible by instituting a wide range of required behaviors for customers to follow while grocery shopping.
Stay-Cation Anyone?
Not that long ago, everyone called the behavior we’re now following a “stay-cation”, minus the eating out and beach activities. Like everyone else, I’m anxious to get back to teaching Pilates, but at the same time I want to do everything possible to prevent community spread of this horrendous disease.
While we’re doing our part by staying at home, it’s also important to keep up with the role exercise and fitness play in maintaining an optimal immune system. Maintaining your Pilates muscle memory doesn’t take much. A few basic mat exercises to stretch, bend, and lift make it much easier for us to reconnect when we’re able to resume our practice.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Once upon a time, my back yard garden was a no-brainer. Twenty some years ago it was just dig a hole and drop in a tomato, bell pepper, or squash plant, then wait a few weeks.
Years of soil neglect and the transition of the former gardening space into a shade garden meant that renewed efforts trying to grow from seed over the past couple of years have yielded bumper crops of disappointment but that's about all.
This year, an early start in January of a few traditional favorites is now bearing fruit, literally.
Even though we're working in cramped quarters, thanks to a mature oak that’s destined for the chipper one day in the not too distant future, the results are encouraging.
We’re growing two indeterminate varieties, Beefstake and Better Boy both heading for the sky, and one that’s sure to surprise named Chef's Choice. These selections are filled out with a couple of cherry tomato plants, which with any luck will look nice and taste great on salads.
Other garden occupants include Swiss chard, above left, and collard greens, right, tucked in between the tomatoes. Swiss chard is especially handy for combining with other vegetables, in addition to it’s popularity as a stand alone sauté star that’s quick and easy to prepare.
As of this writing, we have vegetable liftoff, but that doesn't factor in the exquisite timing of squirrels and roof rats to sniff out the exact perfect time to take a bite out of a ripening tomato or two.
Need A COVID-19 Mask? Shop Local
Just down the street in Gulfport, Be-Bops is sewing fashion forward masks for non-medical use in horizontal and round styles. These fabric masks are made to accept easy to find filter material - Tyvek, and a/c and vacuum cleaner filter media, are just a few of the acceptable options to help keep you stay safe when you’re out and about.
Wearing a mask whenever you're in public is a painless way to help protect yourself and those around you — especially our heroic medical workers battling the enemy on the front lines. It’s as easy as buckling up whenever you start the car, or putting on a helmet for a bike or motorcycle ride, and wearing one seems like a simple trade between life and the alternative.
Please stay engaged with your practice, and keep in touch. For my clients, who are also my friends, I can’t wait until we’re once again able to resume our Pilates journey. There will be a few changes made to make sure we stay safe — look for them in future newsletters.
And if you’re a client with remaining sessions, they won’t expire. Any unused classes will be extended for everyone currently signed up.
Stay safe, and well, at home.
The Pilates Contrology System
When Joseph Pilates created his fitness training method, his focus was on controlling the body by engaging the mind. He named his theory Contrology, and when understood and followed greatly improves the results you’ll experience at every level.
It isn’t easy to combine the physical with the mental. When we do The 100, for instance, it’s a lot easier to simply go with the flow than it is to concentrate on proper form, breathing, engagement, and the other factors that could be called multi-tasking.
You can learn more about the mind-body connection in this short article that does a good job of explaining the rewards of pursuing a Contrology workout.
At Your Pilates Lifestyle, my Classic Practice focuses on achieving the rhythmic harmony that naturally occurs when mental focus and physical conditioning are in synch. The feeling experienced after powering through the challenge of a Classical workout is one of accomplishment, control, and exhilaration.
member: Pilates Method Alliance
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I use social media to stay in touch with my profession and my great YPL clients. For Pilates and fitness news, visit my Do The 100 blog. I also tweet and post on Facebook, so please follow and like my channels to find out what’s on my mind and to let me know what’s on yours.
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