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Celebrating Mary Bowen on her 92nd Birthday “The main motivating spirit in my life is Creativity, growing into “new and deeper ways” of doing everything…even of being.” “I believe that the teacher should always remain a student.” Today, on her 92nd birthday, the eldest of the Elders, Mary Bowen presents us with her fascinating story. A gift to cherish from an admirable woman still teaching to this day. MY STORY I am Mary Bowen, Pilates’ most Senior Elder in the world today still actively teaching….often 6 days a week.  Born in 1930, this coming January 18 I will have lived…

Announcing our new Member Relations Officer and fond farewell to Carolyn It is my great delight to announce that Sharan Simmons will be taking over the role of Member Relations Officer (MRO) for the PAA. Sharan brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served on PAA committees over the past nine years. She understands the specifics of the role & will hit the ground running. Carolyn Antony will be retiring on Friday January 14 after eight years as MRO and the prior seven years as PAA Administrator. Carolyn has made an enormous contribution to the PAA over that…

Apparatus, why not machine? While reading an essay about Pilates last week, a sentence stood out for me. I read it in the first essay of a collection of twenty-eight essays from “Voices of Classical Pilates” volume 1, published in 2013. David Freeman, the writer of the text, reflects on how Pilates completely changed his life. Discovering Pilates led him to make a big career change; he left his attorney career at the age of 45 to study and become a Pilates teacher under the “watchful eyes of Romana Kryzanowska”. He was nearly 20 years into his new career when…

Welcome to 2022 It is so difficult not to look back at the last two years and wonder what may be in store for us this year. Regardless, I am hoping you all got a chance to relax and enjoy some time with friends and family over the festive period. I managed to make it to my parents’ place on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland but unfortunately was involved in a car accident in Northern NSW as we were leisurely making our way back home to Sydney. I ended up spending a week in hospital, but I am recovering well….

Bradley Inness Studio Atœm, Melbourne, VIC Emerging Instructor in Focus Name: Bradley Inness Studio(s) you work at: Studio Atœm – My own home studio. I created it during the Pandemic in my mudbrick house in North Warrandyte. @atoem_ Location: North Warrandyte, Melbourne VIC Instructor Training: Tensegrity Integrated Diploma in Contemporary Pilates and Methodology PAA Level: Student What originally motivated you to try Pilates and then go on to train as an instructor? I’d been dancing professionally for 13 years. I took to Pilates after discovering an opportunity to go further into details on the why behind the movement. I also…

Strokes are a major health problem in our society and patients undergo health and fitness challenges that lead each person to change their lifestyle to assist with their rehabilitation. Modified and specific Pilates exercises assist with significant changes in obtaining more movement in the affected side with increased mobility, balance, core strength. This in turn promotes self esteem and an increased ability to perform daily activities. PAA Committee Member Andree Lupton shares her experience of using Pilates with a client recovering from a stroke and gives us an insight into the journey.   Robin’s Stroke Journey Robin’s stroke happened at…

©I.C. Rapoport Joseph Hubertus Pilates, born 9th December 1883, spent his entire adult life crafting a gift to us all; a present of life, movement, and health. The many divisions and turbulences that Contrology or the Pilates Method have undergone over the years have also united us universally with an undeniable passion for it. Today, his birthday, we leave the turmoil behind and remember the man, his vision, dedication, passion: His work. Today we remember Joe through the voices of those that met, studied, and worked with him. Memory is personal; an event can be perceived and affect lives differently….

For almost ten years, I’ve been exploring and advocating the amazing combination of Pilates and strength training, even building my business’s brand around it. While Pilates teaches motor control, body awareness and mobility, strength training creates the ability to lift heavy stuff (off the ground, over head and above bars). Both modalities have amazing benefits and fill in the gaps for each other. Together they are the dream team! Functional Training Anatomy (by Kevin Carr and Mary Kate Feit, published by Human Kinetics), is of similar mind, in that it recognises the importance of mobility and movement preparation, alongside plyometrics,…

Meredith Brooks Wellcentred Pilates, North Sydney NSW Instructor Name: Meredith Brooks Studio(s) you work at: Wellcentred Pilates Location: North Sydney Instructor training: 10867NAT Diploma in Pilates Movement Therapy PAA Level: Professional Level 2 What originally motivated you to try Pilates and then go on to train as an instructor? I started 30 years ago with Lesley Ackland London, working in the finance industry but doing classical ballet regularly. I subluxed each SIJ separately and one of my ballet friends suggested Lesley and Pilates, which was quite unknown then. It was a revelation – doing ballet in open adult classes is…

Photo credit: Blausen Medical Communications, Inc., CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons Ana Carolline Pinto Souza, Lidiane da Silva Barbosa, Sheila da Cruz Nascimento Cruz, Ludmilla dos Santos Lins Souza, André Raimundo França Guimarães, Matheus Souza de Jesus, André Luiz Lisboa Cordeiro Published:September 25, 2021 Link to full article and detailed methodology/results: https://www.bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(21)00206-0/fulltext   Abstract Introduction Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can compromise pulmonary function and range of motion (ROM) of the shoulder and knee joints due to median sternotomy and saphenectomy, the Pilates method being a strategy for reducing loss. Objective To evaluate the effect of applying the…