Workshops and Classes with Jessie Zalla

This summer at Rhinebeck Pilates, we are so thrilled to offer a fantastic workshop taught by Jessie Zalla-

Matwork From the Inside Out.



And... Jessie will also being teaching a mat class and tower class!

Jessie is one of the best instructors I have ever had, not to mention one of the instructors who certified me! Its an honor to host her at the studio and to share her pilates and anatomy knowledge.

On July 18, Jessie will teach a mat class, tower class, and workshop. See below for details.

Mat Class
Simultaneously strengthen and lengthen in this rigorous mat class. You will be challenged to find more flexibility in your spine, to breathe more fully and tease gravity while you perform the old school mat exercises. Standing work, breath work, visualization and props will be incorporated into the class.
July 18, 2010
11am-12
$25 /12 people max
Tower Class
Put your mat work into action on the Tower machine. Let the machine help you to find
stability while you perform your leg springs, arm springs, mat work and Tower work. The
Tower gives your body the proper amount of resistance needed to feel more thoroughly your way through the exercises. Standing work, breath work, visualization and props will be incorporated into the class.
July 18, 2010
12-1pm
$40/5 people max
Matwork From the Inside Out
Cues, tips and challenges to help deepen and understand your mat work from your true core, your spine. How to use the mat work exercises to develop your body uniformly, correct wrong posture, restore physical vitality and invigorate your mind.

This workshop is for Pilates teachers or serious students who want to deepen their understanding of mat work, the original exercises of Joseph Pilates. Jessie will guide you through both classical Pilates exercises and modifications of the exercises to learn how to systematically and progressively strengthen both your understanding of the exercises and your structure within them.

You will leave with a new understanding of how we do the mat work, why it works, and how to advance into the work called Pilates.
July 18, 2010
2-5pm
$100/3 hr workshop

About Jessie Zalla
Jessie Zalla is a master level Pilates teacher described by students and colleagues as warm, intelligent and genuine. She is a highly trained, intuitive teacher who has studied with several of the Pilates elders including Kathy grant, Ron Fletcher and Mary Bowen. She has also studied with and has been highly influenced by Pat Guyton’s teaching and guidance.

Jessie’s teaching draws from her study of Physiology and her back round as a professional dancer and yoga teacher. For Jessie, Pilates is as much about a new self awareness as it is about movement and exercise. Jessie cultivates in her students the ability to perceive, identify, and direct their own bodies with precision, subtlety and grace.

She currently teaches out of her studio, Jessie Zalla Pilates, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She also teaches Anatomy at Abhyasa Yoga Center in Williamsburg Brooklyn and offers summer Catskill mountain weekend retreats with Pilates, hiking, evening yoga and farm fresh cuisine in Stone Ridge, New York.

http://www.jessiezallapilates.com/

For more information, or to sign up for Jessie's classes and workshops, contact Elaine at Rhinebeck Pilates:845-876-5686elaine@rhinebeckpilates.com
http://www.rhinebeckpilates.com/ Read more!

New Beginner Tower Class with Special Rate

If you are new to pilates or would like to try a few classes, we have a Beginner Tower Class on the schedule with a special beginner rate to help you get started!

This beginner tower class is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals and beginning exercises in pilates matwork and tower. Learn about neutral pelvis, how to properly connect into the “core”, how to use the pilates equipment and change the springs, Joseph Pilates original order of exercises, and more. As you advance through this beginner class, you will feel comfortable joining other tower classes as well.

The pilates tower is one of the most awesome pieces of equipment to work out on. The tower uses springs to create resistance (as well as assistance) in each exercise. Adding weighted springs to the controlled movements of pilates creates and challenging and powerful workout.

In addition, the using the springs, bars, and straps of the tower brings the body into proper alignment while exercising. It is nearly impossible to hold the body in misalignment while under the watchful eye of one of our pilates instructors in a tower class. This provides a wonderful way of working out for anyone with misalignment issues, recovering from an injury, back problems, or a weak core.

Beginner Tower Class
Wednesdays, 5-6pm
$280/10 classes, $35/single class

Contact Rhinebeck Pilates to sign up and reserve your space in class! Read more!

Exercise of the Month- The Teaser

This month is May... time for spring, time for flowers, time for sunshine- time to work on our teasers!

The teaser is one of the hardest exercises in pilates. Why? There are actually a number of reasons why many people find the teaser to be a real challenge. My hope is that this month, we will work from the ground up to find a version of teaser that works for everybody!

Purpose of The Teaser
Joe Pilates named this exercise "The Teaser" because it teases gravity. The body must be in balance in order to hold the teaser position. Once that position is found, we can further tease gravity by adding arm and leg movements while still mantaining our balance. The challenge of the teaser increases as we attempt it on each piece of equipment.

Benefits of the Teaser
-improved posture
-strengthens back and core muscles
-stretches hamstrings

Teaser can be done on the following pieces of equipment:
-Reformer
-Tower
-Chair
-Barrels
-The Mat
-Any prop can be added to challenge or modify the teaser

Relates to the Following Exercises:
-Stomach Massage
-Elephant
-Push Through
-Open Leg Rocker

Common challenges of the teaser that we will work on this month:
The Legs Won't Straigten
Are the legs supposed to be bent or straight in the teaser? The most advanced version of the teaser is with straight legs. However, the straight leg position does not work for every body. It usually takes lots and lots of practice to get to that point. People with low back issues may chose to always keep their legs bent and not work towards the goal of straight legs. Tight hamstrings also affect one's ability to straighten legs.

The Back's Position
Is the back rounded, or straight, in the teaser? There are pictures of Joe doing the teaser with a rounded back and leg straight. However, rounding the back in teaser often puts pressure in the low back. Therefore, we now teach teaser with a straight, or neutral, back. At the same time, most students with very long legs need to slightly round their backs, or lean back more, in order to straighten the legs completely.

Low Back Pain
If you have low back pain in general, certain positions of the teaser may affect you negatively. This is where the "mind-body" part of pilates comes in. Its so important to stay in tune with your body and be aware through an entire teaser series, especially as you near the end of the series and begin to grow tired. Your back can begin to do all the work in holding your legs up, or you could start slumping into your low back. If you do feel low back tension, pressure, or pain during the teaser, you could try any of the following modifications:

-First, talk with your instructor and make sure you're in the correction position
-Make sure you're staying connected in your abs.
-Try bending the knees slightly, or come into Table Top position with your legs
-Place your feet on the mat, knees bent
-Look straight ahead at your toes
-Lift your chest up through your arms, keep the collar bones wide

-Bring your legs into external rotation, keep the heels together and knees apart, like a Frog Leg position. Slightly bend the knees.

Advancing in Teasers
The Teaser has a number of varitions, each becoming progressively harder:

This month, we will work from Teaser Prep all the way up to the most advanced version of Teaser (Shaving the Head in Teaser on the Long Box, anyone?). Like I said, there is a teaser for everyone! This month our goal is to find it, and challenge it.

Here is a good example of Teaser on the Reformer with some added arm movements:




Here's the teaser on the chair, quite challenging! He does some non-pilates arm movements, but you get the idea:




Some advanced teaser work on the mat, with a transition into Hip Circles:


Read more!