Celebrating Joseph Pilates 130th Birthday!

Via Well + Good NYC http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/
Full article here

A birthday tribute to the (half-naked) father of Pilates

Tomorrow (Today, Dec 9) would be the 130th birthday of Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1883–1967), whose namesake fitness method, originally called Contrology, is now practiced in thousands of studios around the world.

Vintage Life Magazine articles may document the pioneer in poses, contraptions, and outfits that would make us nervous (or LOL) today, but Pilates was always serious about his practice and the stellar health-promoting benefits that came with it.

Of course, the lineage of Pilates teachers who cite him as an anatomy and movement genius clearly lives on, and his concepts of alignment in daily life and core stability, for instance, have infiltrated the fitness world at large.
To celebrate the often half-dressed, German-born visionary, who lived to the flexible age of 83, we took a closer look at how Joseph Pilates reformed the way we move. (See what we did there?) —Sarah Sarway
Continue full article here: http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2013/12/08/a-birthday-tribute-to-the-half-naked-father-of-pilates/

(Photo: HeidiMillerPilates.com)

SOMN Polar Bear Plunge

Polar Bear Plunge for the Special Olympics of MN

Pledge Susie! plungemn.org/plunger/susiequarstad

Susie Q and Her Crazy Crew 

It was early January 2006 when a flyer on a bathroom wall for the Special Olympics of MN was spotted presenting an interesting and somewhat strange way to raise money and awareness for their wonderful cause. So along side two friends and many other crazy strangers I plunged into White Bear Lake in the middle of January on a very cold day. As cold as it was (still the coldest yet) I made the decision that day to plunge for the SOMN every year for as long as I was physically able.
When January of 2007 rolled around five of my friends plunged along side of me and marked our first year as an organized team.
The third year we came up with a name, Susie Q and Her Crazy Crew, t-shirts and a photo team with a crew of eight plungers.
Every year the plunge season kept getting bigger and more exciting for the Crazy Crew, in 2010 we started our own Facebook and Twitter pages.
In January of 2011 we had our first Crazy Crew Pledge-Raiser and with a total of 24 plungers the Crazy Crew raised just under $10,000!
In 2012 with 36 plungers we raised over, $14,000 and in 2013, 39 plungers raised over $18,000!!!

2007

2008

On January 11th 2014 the Crazy Crew will be holding it's FOURTH ANNUAL PLEDGE-RAISER Silent Auction at Sweeney's Saloon in St. Paul! Click for more details!

2009

2010

Holding up my end of the deal I will make my 9th consecutive plunge in the year 2014, plunging on January 25th at White Bear Lake! For the 2014 plunge I have set my personal pledge goal at $1,000 with hopes of reaching beyond $1,500! Please consider a donation to assist me in getting closer to my personal goal, consequently helping the entire Crazy Crew in reaching our collective teal goal of 20K.

The following link
http://www.plungemn.org/plunger/susiequarstad 
will send you to my personal pledge page. Here you will be able to make a secure online donation and you will also receive an automatic receipt.
You may also send a pledge in the form of a check to the address below. Be sure to include the my name name so they know who to give credit to at the main office. 
Your generous contribution that IS tax deductible.

Mail pledges to:
Special Olympics Minnesota

Attn: Polar Bear Plunge

100 Washington Avenue South

Suite 550, Minneapolis, MN 55401

2011

2012

Polar plunge events help support thousands of SOMN athletes around the state of MN. Special Olympic athletes around the world follow the oath: "Let me win. But if I can not win, let me be brave in the attempt." Polar Bear Plungers follow this example by bravely taking a chilly dip for a wonderful group of people. http://www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/


On behalf of Susie Q and her Crazy Crew from years past, present and future, I thank you for your consideration and support of the 2014 Special Olympics Polar Bear Plunge! Stay Warm, I will do the plunging!! -Susie Q

2013

 

Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® November 25, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus: Pilates Towel Workout for Strength and Mobility

Post by STOTT PILATES.

Fall 2013 Community Education Registration Is Open!

Registration is now OPEN! http://www.mplscommunityed.com/

Fall 2013 classes begin September 23rd!  

Pilates 1 Mat Class- Experience a low-impact, gentle-to-the-joints body conditioning class. Improve your posture, balance, and flexibility with this unique method of conditioning through stretching and strengthening exercises. Build strength in your abdomen, lower back, and hips with the focus of making your torso the power center of your body.

Pilates 2 Mat Class- In this class is for those of you who have taken Pilates 1 and are looking for a little more. This class is sure to test your conditioning with both strengthening and stretching exercises. The focus is on making the torso the power center of the body. 

Pilates/Yoga Power Sculpt Mat Class- In this Class we begin with Yoga Sun Salutations to heat the body then continue with Pilates at an intermediate level adding resistance-bands for resistance. Resistance-bands are available through me to borrow or to purchase for $5.

Minneapolis Community Education 2013 Class Schedule. 
*Monday and Tuesday evening Winter/Spring/Fall session Classes are held at Washburn H.S. in the Black Box Theater Room. 201 49th Street W., Minneapolis, MN 55419 Enter Door 3 (the community ed entrance) on 49th Street at Washburn H.S. walk through the double doors and make your first right. The room is down a short hallway with black doors labeled The Black Box Theater Room.  It is a nice private, quite comfortable room for pilates!  

http://www.mplscommunityed.com/ OR call 612-668-3450 (Washburn H.S.)

Monday (8 classes) 
September 23-November 11, 2013

6:00pm-7:00pm Pilates 1

7:15pm-8:15pm Pilates Yoga Power Sculpt

Tuesday (8 classes) 
September 24-November 12, 2013

6:00pm-7:00pm Pilates 1

7:15pm-8:30pm Pilates 2

*Wednesday evening Winter/Spring/Fall session Classes are held at  
Lake Harriet School in the lunch room located in the center of the school.
4912 Vincent Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN  55410 Located between Washburn and Vincent Avenues South and between 49th and 50th Streets West.
http://www.mplscommunityed.com/ OR call 612-668-3330 (Lake Harriet School) 

Wednesday (8 classes) Please Bring a mat! Mats are NOT provided at Lake Harriet School
September 25-November 20, 2013 (no class October 16)

6:15pm-7:15pm Pilates 1

7:15pm-8:15pm Pilates 2

*Please note Lake Harriet School does NOT provide mats! If you are attending this class as a make up and do not own a mat please contact me prior to the evening of the class and I will bring a mat for you to use. *

http://www.mplscommunityed.com/ OR call 612-668-3450 (Washburn H.S.) 612-668-3330 (Lake Harriet School) 

The Good Life: Home Practice Myths from the Yoga Journal Blogs

Home Practice Myths

by Erica Rodefer Winters; writer and yoga teacher in Charleston, South Carolina. Visit her blog, Spoiledyogi.com

Read full article here: Yoga Journal Blogs / The Good Life / Home Practice Myths 

"There are a million reasons to practice at home, all by yourself. From having the freedom to do whatever poses you like, learning to listen to your own intuition about what suits your energy, and an opportunity to play and explore to learn more about yourself."
Read full article here: Yoga Journal Blogs / The Good Life / Home Practice Myths

"While, I’ve always known that a home practice would be beneficial in myriad ways, but for years I just couldn’t do it no matter how much I wanted to. Why? I was buying into some of the most common myths about how a home practice should be instead of making it work in my situation.
Thankfully a few years ago one of my teachers taught a class about “demystifying” home practice. It doesn’t have to be so complicated, he said. In fact, most of the people he knew who have consistent home practices enjoy their asana along with a cup of coffee, a newspaper, or at the very least a bit of conversation. When I heard this, a light bulb went on in my head. All of those times when I got back from class and just had to try that new pose I had learned again and again really does count as a home practice?! Maybe I’m not such a bad yoga student after all! Suddenly it wasn’t quite as challenging to practice at home, and I was able to do so with more consistency.
Here are a few of the myths that have halted my home yoga practice in the past, but no more!"

"You have find a time a place to be uninterrupted.

If you’re waiting for the perfect window to practice at home, it’s never going to happen. The second I get out my yoga mat, my dog comes running. (She sees it as an opportunity to shower me with licks. This is sweet, but not exactly conducive to a relaxing asana session.) In fact, this is one of the best lessons I’ve taken away from my home practice. There will be interruptions. There will be surprises. There will be plenty of “uh ohs” and “oh nos.” Can you take a deep breath, gather your focus, and start again? If you practice doing this when something disrupts your home practice, you’ll be better prepared for when it happens in life." (Seriously, another great read by Erica on her personal blog Spoiled Yogi; 10 Most Annoying Home Practice Distractions)

"You need a dedicated space just for yoga.
That’s nice in an ideal world. In my world, my mat is often surrounded by baby and/or dog toys that I don’t feel like cleaning up because as soon as naptime is over they’re going to find their way onto the floor again. Sometimes, I don’t even bother to unroll my mat. Maybe it’s lazy, but I think of it as putting my energy into what really matters. I don’t have an altar. I don’t light candles. I just move and breathe."

"You have to practice for an extended period of time.
Just taking five minutes to stretch your hamstrings and take deep breaths can completely shift your day."

"You need to be a yoga teacher and know how to sequence a class.
Even if you do know a lot about sequencing, it can be way more fun to experiment and to see what works best for you. I love practicing at home because I can break all the rules, do what feels good to me in the moment, and just have fun."
Read full article here: Yoga Journal Blogs / The Good Life / Home Practice Myths

While Yoga and Pilates differ in technique the similarities of how and when to practice seem to go hand in hand as well as the home practice myths that go along which each.

Please visit Erica Rodefer Winters blog here Spoiledyogi.com

Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® June 3, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus:  Total Body Tone with Tubing, Lower Body & Core (more John Garey!!)

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**In the video above Ankle Strength Tubing is used and could be replaced with a resistant band for smaller movements. Ankle Strength Tubing is available for purchase at an affordable price online at http://www.merrithew.com/**

Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® May 27, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus:  Morning Mobilizer for Strength & Agility

Once again John Garey is featured along with co-founder herself, Moira Merrithew! Enjoy!

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Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® May 20, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus:  Strength & Agility: Pilates with the Medicine Ball
This weeks video features John Garey whom I have had the great pleasure of training with (have I mentioned this a hundred times already? ;-) ). He is one of  few Stott Master trainers and quite a spitfire!  

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**In the video above the Medicine Ball is used and could be replaced with a small stability ball or a volleyball or basketball for a bit more stability.**

Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® May 13, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus: Weight Loss Circuit Training, Level 3

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Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® May 6, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus: Armchair Pilates with Hand Weights

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Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® April 29, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus: Intense Body Blast: Pilates Interval Training Level 3.

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Mindful Mondays by STOTT PILATES® April 22, 2013

Via Stott Pilates® on facebook "Mindful Mondays" https://www.facebook.com/stottpilates 

Welcome to "Mindful Mondays"; starting the week off on a positive note by taking a moment to think about quality exercise and movements. Check out a demo clip from our latest DVD series and incorporate these exercises into your routine.
Today's focus: Stability Barre Training (with footwork).

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**In the video above the Pilates Reformer with the Cardio-Tramp addition is used as a stability bar, at home a stable piece of furniture can be used.**

     To understand better how and why the exercise method we know as Pilates came about as a highly acclaimed way to keep a body in top form, we need to meet the man whom founded this set of body changing movements. Take a moment for this very interesting read!

the History of Joseph Pilates
Pilates Technique
http://www.josephpilates.com/

Read full article here: http://www.josephpilates.com/

     "Joseph Humbertus Pilates was a man who believed completely in his method and practiced what he prescribed to others well into his eighties. Even as an older man he was quite robust and vital until his death, at the age of 87." 

*full article*

     "As a child, Joseph suffered from several health ailments: asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever.  In an effort to restore his own health, he studied anatomy books and reinforced what he learned by observing animals in the woods. “Take a horse,” he later said in discussing body conditioning, “If a man wants to race him, he keeps him in top form. He makes the horse move. Why not keep humans in top form too?” Joseph studied Eastern disciplines, like yoga and martial arts, and blended them with more Western forms of physical activities, such as bodybuilding, gymnastics, boxing and recreational sports; even incorporating ancient Greek and Roman forms of fitness practices. By the age of fourteen he had sculpted his physique to such an extent that he was posing for anatomical charts." 

*full article*

     "Joseph and Clara taught their method of using the mind to control the muscles to a devout following in New York. Local dancers came regularly to heal injuries quickly and improve their strength while maintaining their flexibility. George Balanchine and Martha Graham became devotees to Joseph Pilates’ method and often sent their dance students to “Uncle Joe,” as some called him affectionately.  Joseph also taught his mat work at Jacob’s Pillow in the summer to young dancers in Becket, Massachusetts. His hour-long classes began with deep breathing--a fundamental element of the Pilates method."

 *full article*

    "In 1938, dancer Eve Gentry commenced studies with Joseph and Clara, and she taught alongside them until 1968. She then relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico and opened a studio.  Carola Trier came to Joseph Pilates because of a non-stage related injury that kept her from performing in 1940.  In the late 1950s, she opened her own studio of Contrology in New York, with Joe’s blessings." 

*full article*

     "Joseph’s obituary, appearing in the New York Times in 1967, reads like an advertisement for his methods. He is described as a white-maned lion with steel blue eyes (one was glass eye from a boxing mishap), and mahogany skin, and as limber in his 80’s as a teenager."

*full article*

     "Dance companies all over the world use Pilates’ exercises to keep their dancers in top form. Today his method is taught around the world in studios, gyms, in universities and even grade schools. Due to the attention the mainstream public gives to Hollywood celebrities, the name Pilates is now a household word thanks to the many film and television stars who credit Pilates for their toned-physique." 

Pilates Technique 
read full article here: http://www.josephpilates.com/
http://www.josephpilates.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=183

Spring Registration Is Open!

Registration is now OPEN! http://www.mplscommunityed.com/

SPRING classes began April 15th 2013!  

Pilates 1 Mat Class- Experience a low-impact, gentle-to-the-joints body conditioning class. Improve your posture, balance, and flexibility with this unique method of conditioning through stretching and strengthening exercises. Build strength in your abdomen, lower back, and hips with the focus of making your torso the power center of your body.

Pilates 2 Mat Class- In this class is for those of you who have taken Pilates 1 and are looking for a little more. This class is sure to test your conditioning with both strengthening and stretching exercises. The focus is on making the torso the power center of the body. 

Pilates/Yoga Power Sculpt Mat Class- In this Class we begin with Yoga Sun Salutations to heat the body then continue with Pilates at an intermediate level adding resistance-bands for resistance. Resistance-bands are available through me to borrow or to purchase for $5.

Minneapolis Community Education 2013 Class Schedule. 
*Monday and Tuesday evening Winter/Spring/Fall session Classes are held at Washburn H.S. in the Black Box Theater Room. 201 49th Street W., Minneapolis, MN 55419 Enter Door 3 (the community ed entrance) on 49th Street at Washburn H.S. walk through the double doors and make your first right. The room is down a short hallway with black doors labeled The Black Box Theater Room.  It is a nice private, quite comfortable room for pilates!  

http://www.mplscommunityed.com/ OR call 612-668-3450 (Washburn H.S.)

Monday (6 sessions) 
April 15- May 20, 2013

6:00pm Pilates 1

7:15pm Pilates Yoga Power Sculpt

Tuesday (6 sessions) 
April 16- May 21, 2013

6:00pm Pilates 1

7:15pm-8:30pm Pilates 2

*Wednesday evening Winter/Spring/Fall session Classes are held at  
Lake Harriet School in the lunch room located in the center of the school.
4912 Vincent Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN  55410 Located between Washburn and Vincent Avenues South and between 49th and 50th Streets West.
http://www.mplscommunityed.com/ OR call 612-668-3330 (Lake Harriet School) 

Wednesday (6 sessions) Please Bring a mat
April 17- May 22 2012 

6:15pm Pilates 1

7:15pm Pilates 2

*Please note Lake Harriet School does NOT provide mats! If you are attending this class as a make up and do not own a mat please contact me prior to the evening of the class and I will bring a mat for you to use. *

http://www.mplscommunityed.com/ OR call 612-668-3450 (Washburn H.S.) 612-668-3330 (Lake Harriet School)