Before I became a professional Pilates instructor, Mat Pilates was my conditioning workout when I was still dancing. It was the perfect warm up and my body was ready for bigger and stronger movements without incurring in cramps etc.. Mat Pilates was not only my training before dance but as I started to become more and more passionate about it for its efficiency, I kept practicing on my own during vacations or weekends, so it became my routine. Sometimes it [...]

How many times Pilates teachers or Pilates practitioners have to answer this question: Is Pilates like Yoga? Of course not. Even in California, the fitness land, there are still people that don't know what’s Pilates and especially that can be done also with machines. The majority of the gyms offer classes of Yoga, Pilates etc.. so even if you have never practiced Pilates in a studio, it’s possibile that you have taken a Mat Pilates class, but still somehow there’s [...]

When I take Hatha Yoga, it reminds me how important it is not only to work out but also to lenghten your body. After a long flight my hips are usually screaming at me. Sitting for long hours make your hip flexors shorter and shorter and your lumbar spine compressed so that you don't feel anymore your natural spine curvature. One of the suggested pose from the tYoga teacher that you can do is a backbend position like the Supported [...]

Props are incredible helpful to challenge or facilitate an exercise. Sometimes it’s fun to discover how your body reacts when you add a prop into the equation. 1 THERABANDS Lot of therabands, different strength and colors: inexpensive and space savings. The only thing is to watch out for the heat, keep them out from source of heat. The theraband can be a facilitator with some exercises, but it’s amazing to tone arms and legs. My favorite exercise with the Theraband [...]