Brooke Siler
Pilates Teacher Training
Pilates Teacher Training With Brooke Siler
The world of Pilates is like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, except one or two degrees is better, and Joseph Pilates is Kevin Bacon. Pilates guru Brooke Siler is one degree away. Meaning she trained with Joseph Pilates' protege Romana Kryzanowka. So if you train with Brooke, you're only two degrees away. There's that, and there's also the fact that Brooke is a true Pilates athlete with a lot of cool things to say about transformation, lots of cool videos and books, and then there's her studio, re:AB which is a hub for the Pilates nation.
So, should you be interested, her next teacher training program kicks off this December, with applications due November 1, 2010. All the details after the jump.
More...New York
Far Flung Correspondents
My Day as a Pilates Olympian
Bright and early on Saturday morning — way too early, in fact — I went to the Pilates Olympics. The participants at the event fell into three categories: Superstars, teachers, and teachers-in-training. And then there was me. More or less, I hadn't been on a Pilates machine in years. Imagine showing up at the Beijing Olympics and just sort of walking on to the track for the decathlon. "One of these things is not like the other..." ran through my head all day.
Now, you may have read Mr. Mohawk's excellent overview of the event, so you know the day was dreamt up by the owners of Pilates on 5th and the publishers of Pilates Style, who hope that it will become a yearly thing. People came from all over the country, and from as far away as Spain, to attend. The room had serious talent, and I mean that in all senses of the word. The Judges were Pilates greats, women whose books I have studied, and articles I have poured over. But that was a long time ago.... A little background: Twelve years ago, Pilates changed my life. I was overweight, and my doctors told me that 1.) normal exercising would be impossible, and 2.) I would have a heavy limp for the rest of my life. I believed them, until I met a woman who had trained under Joseph Pilates, and, even though she was mean — and she really was — she changed my body completely.
New York
Events
Win Free Tickets to the First Annual Pilates World Games
Hello my Social Workout friends — Pilates Style has asked me, Brooke Siler, to be a judge at the first ever Pilates World Games this Saturday. I am totally psyched that Pilates will finally have a day of officially being considered an unofficial sport. (Those of you that know and love Pilates will understand my joy). I'd love for you to come laugh, play or just gawk!! Since all the proceeds go to helping fight childhood obesity (through the organization "Pilates in The Schools"), and since the dream of Joe Pilates was to see his method being taught as school curriculum, this event feels doubly worthwhile. For more info on the day visit Ultimate Pilates Workouts. See you there!
Ed note: We have one free ticket to the Pilates World Games! Wanna go? Comment on this post, and your name goes in a hat. We'll announce the winner tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M.
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Progress Reports
176,656 Down and Steady as She Goes!
Mloggers! We've arrived at Day 15 of the Million Minute Month, and the ugly truth is our minute pace is a little soft in the belly. Clearly, it's time for the Day 15 award ceremony: Please give it up for maymay, who is currently topping the charts* in the Dance, Pilates, and Aerobics category! Maymay has knocked off over 1,000 minutes of steamy hip hop, funk, and cardio tai boxing, and so she will receive a Pilates book-and-DVD care package courtesy of her category's Spirit Guide, Brooke Siler. Go maymay! Please recall that we have much more to give away, including two full years of Crunch gym membership and full makeovers from Jack Rabbit Sports. Um, drag yourself out of the apartment, log a few minutes, and the next thing you know you may be sporting some hot new kicks! Read on for today's leaderboard....
More...Spirit Guides
Pilates Stress Buster in One Smooth Move
Joe Pilates said “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.” Too much oxygen and not enough CO2 can create a nervous state in the body. And too much CO2 with not enough oxygen can create feelings of exhaustion. But get the balance right, and the body releases stress and functions at its best. Slow and controlled Pilates breath — with exhalations twice as long as inhalations — does the trick. Here is a perfect Pilates move with which to practice this slow and controlled breath.
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Ten Minutes to Soothe and Strengthen Your Back
Million Minute Month Spirit Guide Brooke Siler is back with more every-minute-counts encouragement. Today's installment, at-home Pilates moves to ease your aching back ~ the Eds.
Back pain anyone? Nothing feels worse than being disciplined enough to work out and still having pain. But I have good news for you—you're not stuck with it. Back pain is often correlative with a weak abdominal structure, therefore work done to strengthen the core is usually immediately helpful. Counterbalancing your body habits with opposite motion helps, too. So does releasing tension in the major muscle groups of the back and hips. And what do you know? Pilates does all that and more. Spend a few minutes with these four Pilates exercises, and you'll be on your way to banishing back pain.
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Brooke Siler's Two Minute Transformations
Introducing Million Minute Month Spirit Guide Brooke Siler. Founder of re:AB Pilates and the author of Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge, she's all about the small changes that really add up. In this month of minutes, take a few to check in with Brooke's body-awareness raising exercises. Give her two minutes, she gives you Pilates posture. Her five favorite assignments ("I give these as homework to all my students, including the celebs") after the jump.
More...My Body
Brooke Siler on Pilates Consciousness and Slowing Down
Brooke Siler is the founder of re:AB Pilates and the author of The Pilates Body and Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge.
I was working at a very small gym in the West Village back in '91, and one day a woman brought the Pilates equipment into the front space of this gym, and I got to watch her training there. I couldn’t afford the private sessions, so I started taking the mat classes, and I couldn’t do them. And I thought, what? I was very fit, what was there I couldn’t do? I’ve always loved the gym. I have four brothers. I was very athletic. I was shocked that I was not flexible enough and strong enough from my core to really perform the moves well. That to me was frustrating and exciting at the same time. It was really just a matter of minutes before I decided I had to know everything about this.
More...PIlates Life
re:AB is a Hub for the Pilates Nation
A journalist friend worked for a while for a Pilates website that went bust. Why didn't it make it, I asked. "Pilates is not a lifestyle," she said. I understood what she meant. Yoga has several thousand years of Hindu religion and Indian culture behind it. The music, the food, the clothing. Even Capoeira has Brazilian music and history. Pilates doesn't have a national culture, it's got a German-American fitness visionary and a tribe of loyal dancers and midtown media women with excellent posture.
If Joseph Pilates had had a TV show, things would be ..." More comments...