Ante/postnatal Pilates with Judy Difiore
In November I attended a course covering pilates during the ante/postnatal period, it was taught by Judy Difiore and has been accredited by The Royal College of Midwives. Judy Difiore is one of the foremost experts in this field and her knowledge is astounding, I now know more about my pelvic floor than I thought possible and I'm really looking forward to sharing my new found knowledge with my classes!
Lolita San Miguel Workshop
At the end of May I attended a workshop with Lolita San Miguel who is one of only two teachers to have been qualified by Joseph Pilates himself. Lolita is in her seventies and was able to demonstrate advanced level exercises without breaking a sweat, proof if ever you needed it that the pilates method works.
She heavily stressed the importance of breath control and of working your core muscles by "zipping up" your pelvic floor. We spent time working on every part of our bodies from toes to fingers and everything in between and it has to be said that I felt muscles I never realised were there before, but the most important message that Lolita wanted to get across was that Pilates is a way of life not just an exercise class that you do once a week. To really feel the benefits of Joseph Pilates work you have to incorporate his basic principles in your everyday life, always looking at your physicality and ensuring that you hold yourself tall and have the correct muscular balance even when waiting for a bus or sat at your desk.
It was a privilege working with her and I consider myself very lucky to have done class with someone who worked with Joe on a daily basis, I hope to pass her enthusiasm and love of the method on to my own classes.