Week 57 - “Grounded Footwork”
"Every moment of our life can be the beginning of great things."
-- Joseph Pilates
Hello Pilates People!!!!
HAPPY EARTH WEEK!
Yup, that's right, we're so excited about Earth Day this coming Thursday that we're going to celebrate ALL WEEK!
How, you ask? Well we've got a new piece of merch for you! The Pilates People tote bag! Let's minimize our waste together and take this bag out shopping!
And if you purchase this week (4/18 - 4/24) we'll donate $10 from your purchase to WE ACT!
So hurry up! Check it out, click the link below and get yours TODAY!
Click here to get your Earth Day tote and support WE ACT.
And we're just going to keep reminding you about our special Mother's Day LIVE class to support Covenant House . Please join us Sunday May 9th for our first hybrid virtual AND outdoors class at 10am! If you're in NYC and can get to Domino Park (in Williamsburg), PLEASE BOOK YOUR SPOT NOW! We can only take 15 people in person for this first class so GET YOUR SPOT WHILE YOU CAN!
Not in NYC or miss that first 15 people mark (or just don't want to go to Williamsburg)? No worries! Sign up and join us online!
To join us virtually, please click here
To join us in Domino Park, please click here
Oh! And we're doing the physio ball LIVE class! Starting this Thursday at 6pm, we'll be using our physio balls as our prop every Thursday evening! SO GET YOUR PHYSIO BALL AND JOIN US!
In conjunction with Earth Week, we wanted to focus on something related, in a round about way. And coming out of our week of "Eyes + Soles" we figured this would be a nice follow up.
We're going into footwork - one of THE things Pilates is known for. This one goes all the way back to Joseph Pilates himself (the founder of Pilates, originally called "Contrology"). It's a series that can be performed on every piece of equipment - including mat - but it's most well known on the Reformer.
For those who aren't familiar, head up to the first picture at the top of this email. Traditionally, footwork is done laying supine (on your back) with your feet on the footbar. The carriage of the machine is attached via springs that provide resistance as you press the carriage out and in with your legs. The springs are adjustable so you can take the resistance up and down to adjust the focus of the exercise. The series involves adjusting the position of your feet on the bar to target different muscles/alignments and if you look at the third picture in this letter (the one right above this text) you'll see an example of how this exercise can be transferred to the Wundachair (Yup, that's the real name. You can't make this stuff up).
Classically, footwork is the first exercise on the Reformer, and we think that's notable. As an instructor, I use footwork for a myriad of reasons - assessing leg/foot/ankle alignment, training leg/foot/ankle alignment, working through hip dissociation, introducing external/internal rotation in a supported way, playing with coordination and choreography, and getting someone settled, focused and ready to work.
I have a few exercises in my pocket that I use for that last reason. It used to be my thing to take a class that I felt like I'd "lost control" of and make them snap into The Hundred to get them back. It worked, every time, and now you know why you very rarely see that from me - you're all A+++ students and I forget The Hundred exists because I don't need it in the way I used to.
But footwork is the one that I use when someone walks in with a lot happening that they either need a second to settle in their own heads or they need some time to relate to me. It's valuable work that I can gather information from, is generally safe and is something they CAN really focus on, but if they're not in a place to just yet, it's not make it or break it.
As a student, footwork is comforting. It's straightforward - my feet go here, I press in and out, I lift my heels and then they lower, I can close my eyes, tune in and feel safe. It's the same thing as watching "The Office," or "Friends," or "The Nanny" for the millionth time - you know what to expect so in some way, it feels like going home.
Footwork is the "going home" of Pilates.
And because it's familiar and you generally know what to expect, it provides you with an opportunity to notice subtle differences and shifts in your body from day to day/week to week.
Because when you're doing those really complicated movements, you don't necessarily have the mental space to think "Hey, what's my pinky toe up to these days?" But that's absolutely a worthwhile thought. Your pinky toe is part of you - what's it doing? Footwork is your space to notice, and then you can take what you notice and what you work on with you into those more involved movements.
What we're getting at is, this is important, and we've neglected it, so we're going to give it a full week of attention. DON'T PANIC! Your classes won't be ONLY FOOTWORK! That's too much. But they will all bring you back home at some point, so that you can get a feel for what's happening and see how many different ways it can be done - to keep it familiar, but interesting too!
And as it relates to Earth Week, your feet are the connection, friends. They connect you back into the ground. Giving them some love and is NECESSARY.
So let's take the time to pay attention to our feet and what they have to say. No matter what it is, let's try to respond with a "Thanks for literally carrying me around and putting up with all the uncomfortable shoes, insane amount of stairs and standing for hours on end that I put you through," because that's real and they deserve a "thank you."
Can't wait to see you on the mat!
All our love,
Cassandra + Pilates People
