Holiday Gift Certificates and Extra Specials!

Its hard to believe that its already holiday gift-giving season again... now is the best time of year to give the gift of health and wellness of the mind, body, and spirit!

This year, we have our popular Holiday Gift Certificate Specials, plus a few extra specials on gadgets and apparel... plus an extra, extra special gift for you when you purchase a certificate for someone else!


Holiday Gift Certificate Specials
Privates Sessions
2 Privates: $160
5 Privates: $325
10 Privates: $650

Tower Classes
2 Classes- $55
5 Classes: $125
10 Classes $250

Mat Classes
10 Mat Classes: $100

Add to the Gift Certificate
Each gift certificate comes with a Rhinebeck Pilates canvas tote bag. Gift Certificates may be purchased in certificate form or as smaller, "Stocking Stuffer" coupons. Add a Real Alignment mat and a Rhinebeck Pilates water bottle to any gift certificate for an extra $30 and you have a fabulous gift to give!

Other Gift Ideas...
Alycea Ungaro's Real Alignment Mat
A great mat for pilates or yoga, with a nice design on it to help with proper alignment in exercises.
$25 (regularly $35)

Hardtail Apparel
$5 off ANY Hardtail clothing

Additional Info
-Holiday Specials run from Nov 1 to Dec 25, 2010

-The best way to make your purchases is to call the studio in advance. You can pay over the phone with a credit card and arrange a time to come pick up your items, or you can make a date to come in and pay with cash or check. Walk-ins are always welcome, though we are not at the studio 24/7 and it is much better to make an appointment to come in.

-Gift Certificates may also be mailed or emailed, please contact the studio to arrange.

-All gift certificates have a one year expiration date from Dec 25, 2010.


View our regular class package rates and descriptions.

View the class schedule. Read more!

Mommy With Baby Pilates Classes!

January 2011 marks the start of a new class I'm offering called Mommy With Baby Pilates. 

In this 8 week class, we will learn exercises that will help build the core strength, endurance, and upper body strength that new moms need to remain able to keep up with their babies and toddlers each and every day. In addition to strengthening, pilates exercises also tone and lengthen the whole body and require little to no equipment!

Toddlers and babies are most welcome to this class. Please bring toys and books to occupy the little ones while we workout, and plan to include them in some of the exercises. Most exercises will be easy to repeat at home on your own, while the kids are playing nearby.

Each student receives a theraband for home use, as well as a list of exercises from class that can be done at home. Please bring your own mat to class. Students may opt to bring 1-2lb weights for arm work. Pilates Magic Circles and foam rollers may occassionally be provided for class.

Moms must be at least 6 weeks post-partum with no serious injuries.  Toddlers up to 18mos or so are welcome.  Please call with any questions you have regarding yourself or your baby!

PLEASE NOTE: This class is taught at Waddle n Swaddle, directly across the parking lot from Rhinebeck Pilates!

Mommy With Baby Pilates
Taught by: Elaine Ewing
$100/ All 8 sessions
$15/ Single Class

Begins January 20, 2011
Thursdays at 10am
60 minutes Read more!

Alexander Technique Group Classes

Coming in January, we will be offering our first set of Alexander Technique Group Classes at Rhinebeck Pilates!

These classes offer a multitude of benefits.  Some of them are:

-improve posture and biomechanics
-decrease chronic neck and back pain
-improve posture while dressage riding
-improve your quality of movement in pilates and yoga
-discover true, whole body awareness and movement

It is quite a treat to offer Alexander Technique in a group class setting, as lessons in the technique are most often taught privately.  These classes will remain small (4-6 people) to allow attention to detail for each student. 

This is a great opportunity to try something new, with or without intentions to continue with private lessons once the 4 week class is over.  It is always a good idea to challenge the mind-body connection, and Alexander Technique will most definitely do that.  From personal experience, I know that the practice of Alexander Technique can literally, completely, and perminantly change the way you move your body and the way you move through life.  So this is a do-not-miss class!

The first of our 4-week classes is called Level 1, an introduction to Alexander Technique.  Following this class, there will be a second 4-week class, Level 2.  This class will build off the theories learned in Level 1. 

In Febuary, we will run another Level 1 class.  See below for details on all classes.

Alexander Technique Group Class- Level 1
This four week class is designed as an introduction to the principles of the Alexander Technique and will show you some simple and easy ways to improve your movement, increase the quality of your pilates exercises, and reduce stress and strain. Please wear comfortable loose fitting clothing.

$75/ all four classes

4 Wednesdays: Jan 5-26, 2011
9-10am

or

4 Sundays: Feb 6-27, 2011

12-1pm

Alexander Technique Group Class- Level 2

This four week class builds off of the Level 1 Group Alexander class, incorporating more complex techniques and movements.

$75/ all four classes

4 Wednesdays: Feb 2-23, 2011

9-10am

More info on Alexander Technique.

More info on Judith Muir.

Read more!

Demystifying the Pilates Equipment

The following post was written for Betterfly. 

Chances are that you’ve peered into the windows of a Pilates studio or even been inside to take a Pilates mat class. If this is true, then you’ve also probably seen some strange looking contraptions with springs and straps dangling from metal poles. Interesting and mysterious, Pilates is unique not only because it restores balance throughout the whole body, but also because it lends to a full-body workout that is impossible to recreate elsewhere. This article will hopefully encourage anyone who is interested in trying Pilates but feels too intimidated by the unknown pieces of equipment to try it. After reading this, you can go ahead and book a lesson with the confidence that you know a bit more about what goes on inside a Pilates studio.

Before we Get Started…

Why is Pilates called “Pilates”? Joseph H. Pilates, inventor and creator of this amazing exercise system, originally called his method “Contrology.” This name was chosen because of the control necessary to complete each movement. Throughout time, his method has simply become known as “Pilates.”

One of the most common mistakes made by beginner Pilates students is calling the equipment “machines.” They are not machines—they are apparatuses. A machine can work by itself or it can work you. An apparatus needs a body to work with it in order to function properly and get the most out of a workout.

Below is a rundown of the most common pieces of equipment likely to be found in a Pilates studio.

1. The Reformer
The Reformer always seems to intimidate beginner Pilates students more than any other apparatus, which is probably due to its no-nonsense name promising to “reform” the body. Joseph Pilates called it his “Universal Reformer.” The Reformer is like a bed frame with a padded mat inside that can slide back and forth within the frame. Four springs are attached between the mat (called the carriage) and the frame to create resistance on back-and-forth movements, with the option to unhook or re-hook springs to add or subtract weight depending on the exercise and resistance desired.

You might lie down on the carriage, and place your head on the headrest and feet on the footbar. Extending and bending the legs will slide the carriage back and forth, but this is just one way to move with the reformer. There are countless positions and ways to use the reformer, such as standing on it, lying on a box, sitting on a box, using the arms to move the carriage and laying on the side of the body. The Universal Reformer offers endless possibilities.

More info on The Reformer.

2. The CadillacWhy would a piece of exercise equipment be called a Cadillac? As the story goes, Joseph Pilates created this giant piece of equipment and placed it in his New York City studio. When a student walked in and saw it for the first time he said, “Wow, now that’s a real Cadillac!”

The Cadillac is indeed very large and, like the Reformer, looks like a bed with a raised and padded mat, but has an additional elevated frame of metal poles above it. Attached to the poles are a series of springs, wooden bars, loops and fuzzy straps that allow for a wide range of exercise and stretching movements. Most fun of all is the Trapeze Bar hanging from above, which allows you to hang from the trapeze, do pull ups through the bars, or twist the body into fantastic stretches while up in the air.


More info on The Cadillac.

3. The TowerThe Tower is very similar to the Cadillac, only smaller. It was originally created as a way to offer more students the opportunity to use the elements of the Cadillac in group classes without such large pieces of equipment all over the studio. The Tower is, in effect, a one-sided Cadillac with a lower bed (also called a mat). Tower classes can be found at just about any Pilates studio that offers equipment classes.

As a student of Joe’s, exercising on his original Cadillac would have been a true test of endurance as the “mat” was not a mat at all, but a flat piece of wood. Not the most comfortable base to lie down on! However, he also went to the other extreme and had towers attached to actual beds. There are films and photos of Joe teaching on both the Cadillac and the Tower, which are quite beautiful to watch.

More info on The Tower.

4. The Chairs

The Chairs have a fascinating history behind them. As part of his vision that everyone would have access to his exercise system in their own homes, Joseph Pilates created the Wunda Chair with the intention of it being a smaller version of the Reformer. In fact, the Chair is known as one of the first pieces of home exercise equipment ever made. Even more interestingly, his chair functions like an actual one that you could sit in when not exercising, making it a perfect space-saver!

Today in a studio, students are able to do many Reformer exercises on the Chair, as well as exercises unique to the chair. It is typically one of the most challenging pieces of equipment because it’s small and is capable of using light spring resistance, which means less assistance and a greater challenge to the user. To the eye, the Chair appears to be a little square with a simple pedal and only two springs. Common exercises include one armed push-ups and triceps dips, as well as using the deep abdominals to lift the pedal off the floor.

The Electric Chair, or High Chair, probably ties with the Reformer as “most intimidating,” due to its uncanny resemblance to an actual electric chair! In reality, the Electric Chair is easier to use than almost any other apparatus. The high back of the chair allows for just a little more assistance during exercises, which is good for students practicing before completing movements on the Wunda Chair without help.

More info on The Chairs.

5. The Barrels
The Barrels come in a number of sizes. The largest are called Ladder Barrels and are used for stretching and a handful of other exercises. Smaller barrels can be seen scattered around studios and are usually used in Tower classes as additional pieces of equipment. Then of course there is also the Spine Corrector—a medium-sized barrel with a foot on one side to allow for even more exercises.

There is a story that Joe Pilates took an empty beer barrel, cut it in half, turned it round-side-up, elevated it and attached a small ladder, thereby creating the Ladder Barrel. He was truly a genius inventor.

More info on The Barrels.

6. The Small Extras
There are other, small pieces of equipment used in studios to either add extra challenge to an exercise or to create entirely new exercises in themselves. The Magic Circle, the Foot Corrector, the Ped-o-Pul, the Sand Bag Set and Push-up Bars were all invented by Joe Pilates as ways of creating balance and strength throughout the whole body. Pilates students who have the opportunity to use push-up bars are in for a treat—not only are they beautiful to look at, but they are also quite large and thus allow for a great range of motion in exercising.

Interestingly, each of these additional pieces of equipment seems to isolate a particular body part at first glance. For example, the inner thighs squeeze the Magic Circle, the foot presses on the Foot Corrector and the arms move the springs of the Ped-o-Pul. However, that assumption could not be further from the truth: for each of these small pieces of equipment, the entire body must work incredibly hard and with deep focus in order to complete each movement properly.

More info on...
Push Up Bars
Foot Corrector

7. The Rare ExtrasJoe Pilates invented hundreds of equipment pieces and furniture to bring whole-body fitness to everyone’s daily lives. Many things that he invented are no longer seen today, though some studios do have rare pieces of his equipment. The Guillotine, The Baby Chair, the Breathacizer and the Toe Corrector are some examples and give even more ways to exercise and help to work on specific imbalances within the body.

Additional information and details about Joe’s visions and intensions, his original exercises, and photos of his equipment and furniture can be found in the two books he wrote, Return to Life Through Contrology, and Your Health. For even more information, and a firsthand experience with his amazing equipment and method, check out your local Pilates studio today! Read more!

Exercise of the Month- Swan!

Another one of my favorite exercises, The Swan, can be done on any piece of equipment and offer so many benefits to your body.






Purpose and Benefits of the Swan
-Spinal extension
-Abdominal stretch
-opposition
-chest opening

Can Be Done on the Following Pieces of Equipment:
-Tower
-Reformer
-Barrels
-Chair
-Mat
-Ball
-Magic Circle

Prepares the Body for the Following Exercises:
-Trapeze work
-Downstretch
-Waterskiier
-Semi-Circle
-Snake

History of The Swan
The Swan, as an exercise of its own, was not included in Joseph Pilates' original 34 mat exercises. Instead, he included Swandive- an exercise that we now consider to be an advanced form of Swan. Joseph Pilates included quite a few very challenging exercises like this in his basic routine. Did he just assume everyone could, or should, be able to do any exercise? Not sure... but he did insist that each exercise be mastered before moving on to the next, so we have to assume there was a method to his madness.

There are also a few differences in Joe's Swandive than the way we teach it now. His arm movement to start the exercise really reminds us of the wing movement of a bird flying up out of the water. Its so nice. This month, we'll practice Joe's version of Swandive and see how it feels compared to the Classical version that we do today.


These days, before teaching Swandive, we teach modified Swan, then the full version of Swan, as well as many variations. Once we are sure the spine is flexible enough, and is capable of that much extension, and there are no back problems present to begin with, we can enjoy the great fun of the Swandive!

One of my favorite places for Swandive is on the Wunda Chair. Very satisfying, a little scarey, an abdominal stretch and core work at the same time- PERFECT!

Swan is most commonly taught on the mat, and least commonly taught on the reformer. If you think Horseback on the Long Box is bad.... remind me to teach you Swan on the Long Box, on the reformer, next time you come in.

Common Issues with Swan

Do you feel your low back working, tensing, or shortening while doing Swan?Well, you shouldn't! This month, we will focus on lifting and lengthening the spine, rather than shortening the low back, while coming up into Swan.
Are you trying to come up into Swan as high as possible? Should you be?What are your shoulders doing? Do you have heels together, or legs wide apart? When you do pilates at home on your own, do you include Swan in your routine, or do you leave it out because you want to focus working your abs?

This month, we'll find the answers to these questions, and find the beauty and multiple benefits the Swan offers to your pilates routine. Read more!