For this entry I have asked my instructor Kelly to tell a little about herself, her training, and thoughts on how our sessions are going...Hi, this is Kelly Planck, Mary’s Pilates teacher. I have been practicing Pilates for over 8 years and have been focusing and practicing classical Pilates for almost a year now. I am an apprentice at Body Mind Balance, now 300 hours into my 600 required hours. I will test out of 300, 400, and get certified after testing at 600 hours. All of my tests include a practical and a written part. When approached with the opportunity to work with Mary on this project, I am excited. What better testament to my teaching, right? Yikes, all of the worst case scenarios also went through my head. What if I am not inspiring or effective? Well, I am only getting my feet wet with teaching but I was up for the challenge. Good or bad, this is what it’s all about.
When I met Mary she was nervous and excited to get started. We started with Beginner system, focusing on precision and abdominal connection. I can see she is determined to do well and I admire her enthusiasm. After about 3 to 4 sessions, I can see she is improving. She is able to keep her head and shoulders up throughout the ab series. She no longer has to stop for water between each exercise. She has told me her lower back pain is gone. This is inspiring in itself and we’re both excited to see progress.
We’re now about half way through Mary’s experiment. I am noticing so many improvements in Mary since our first session. She is definitely getting stronger and moves with more fluidity through her workout. The best and most promising thing is, she is truly connecting with her powerhouse and moving correctly through each exercise. While doing a roll up last week, I had a small celebration in my head watching her. She rolled up her spine with control, lengthened her spine long over her legs, pulled her abdominals in and up, all while maintaining shoulder connection. She then rolled all the way down her spine one vertebra at a time, keeping her abdominals in an up the whole time. “Woo Hoo!” I then watched her move correctly through several other exercises in our system without my having to cue her. This is so exciting. My job as teacher is to help people move correctly in their bodies on a consistent basis. Once a client is able to connect with their powerhouse and is conscience of how their body should feel moving and sedentary, they will continue to improve no matter what. Mary is able to connect and understands the correct movement of each exercise. This allows us to progress and challenge her even more.
I see Mary at the mat class on Saturday’s along with our two sessions. She can hold her own in the class and I am so proud at how far she has come. Last week, while we were talking, I noticed a physical difference in her as well. She looks smaller and more defined. Yay!! I am so happy for her. While Pilates is not in itself a weight loss program, it most certainly is a gateway to a healthier body and lifestyle. It is a life change and will give more energy to the body and mind. As a mother of 3 young girls, I can attest that Pilates gives me the energy and strength I need to keep up with them. One of Mary’s goals and reasons for taking on this challenge is to have more energy and to be a better example for her daughter. She is achieving that. I know she will continue to grow and will inspire others with her testimonial. I am so happy to go through this with her and hope I can continue to encourage her as she moves forward.
And I am so proud of Mary too!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for giving us your perspective on how she is doing. So fun. ...geri
ReplyDeleteYEAH Mary!! So EXCITED FOR YOU!!!!
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