Boerne Course in May

Carolyn Bell with conduct the Pilates For Stylist: Posture and Alignment course on Wed, May 21st from 1-3 pm. Register now at 210.380.6800 or pilatesforstylists@gmail.com.

Next Course: Synergy April 14

Call now to register for the upcoming class on Monday, April 14, 1-3 pm at San Antonio's Synergy studio.

Stylist Shoulders

In the last Posture And Alignment course, all the participants were dealing with discomfort, pain or some limitation of range of motion in the shoulders. These stylists were exhibiting symptoms almost all of us have experienced. By applying the knowledge and skills they gained in the course, Patricia, Damian and Jade will restore functional movement in their shoulders, and bodies in general, in and out of the salon.

Here are some insights that were shared in the course...

• The shoulders refers to not just what is most visible, the ball and socket joint. The shoulder girdle includes the collar bones, the shoulder blades and the arm. The shoulder blades and arm positions are obviously important for without them, no hair would be done.
  
• The blades attach to the body at only one bony point. Muscles connect the blades to the arms, therefore no action of the arm is possible without the blades. Muscles attached all around the blades must be developed uniformly, versus what is commonly found: elevating muscular overworked, depressing muscular underworked.
  
• Arm position and movement needs to be controlled in the blade/back area rather than the shoulder and elbow joints. Shoulder blades need to pulled down as if the tips were being put in pockets on the hips. Arm design while working will often include the elbow being lifted to the sides of the room versus the floor.
  
• The blades move in 4 basic motions: up (elevation), (depression) down, forward (protraction) and back (retraction). The blades also upwardly and downward rotate in relation to the lifting and lowering of the arm.
  
• Conscientious stylists will expend time and effort to develop the opposing muscles in the back, and near the blades in particular, to combat the overuse of the pectorals prevalent in stylist lifted/arm forward position.
  

In the course, a few of the simple but effective exercises shared were...

Shoulder shrugs: Lift the shoulders as close to the ears as possible. Pull the shoulders low until you feel the armpit and side muscles engage.

Shoulder rolls: Make circles forward and in reverse.

Shoulder blade squeeze: Pull blades together in back as close as possible then release. Arms may be lifted chest high in front or on the side of the body. Imagine you are trying to crack a pencil with the blades.

Triangle Pull To W: With arms chest high, make a put index fingers and thumbs together, forming a triangle. Pull the arms to the sides in a "W" position, elbows alongside the torso with wrists and hands in a straight line above elbows.

*These exercises are provided here for the physically healthy. Discontinue these movements and/or consult your physician if you experience any pain.

Pilates For Stylists invites stylists to come and experience Pilates at Synergy Studio for Final Friday. Its Free at 5 pm March 28!

Girdle Of Strength

Place your thumbs on the lowest points of your rib cage. Now place your fingers on your front hip bones. Ron Fletcher refers to the space between your thumbs and fingers as the "girdle of strength." In contemporary Pilates and fitness language, it is also referred to as the abdominal "core" or "powerhouse." What is the state of your girdle of strength?

In the late 1800s, women would cinch their waists to create shapely silhouettes. Thankfully, at the turn of the century, women became interested in sports and athletics and corsets lost their whale bones and lacing for more comfortable and movable elastic shapers. Men had their own versions of fashionable torment, a waistcoat layered on top of high waisted pants, that were fastened in the front. In modern times, our girdles of strength do not come from reality-defying corsets. Rather, it is a combination of attentiveness to diet and exercise that creates toned abdominals reflected in flat bellies with waists smaller in circumference than our chests and hips.

As stylists, it is a health hazard and a risk to our artistry when we have weak abdominals or bulging bellies. We sentence ourselves to routine low back discomfort and/or pain when we ignore the torso. The demands of our profession require that we maintain a strong girdle not only for our health but because our profession is one that glorifies beauty.

What you might find fascinating about the powerhouse, or girdle of strength, is that the spine is supported by the muscles of the torso versus the spine supporting the torso. Think about that. The spine is like an elevator shaft in the center of a high rise. The elevator does not hold up the building. The building holds up the elevator. It is the same with the portion of your back that is located between your ribs and hips.

Here are some tips, based on the philosophy of Pilates, for maintaining a healthier back and stronger core:

1. Actively lift your ribcage away from your hip bones. This should be done without arching the low back or allowing the chest to come forward. Think of straightening the spine into a rod that doesn't bend.

2. Practice breathwork where you pull the belly to the spine as you exhale. This is most comfortably done lying down on your back. Make sure your pelvis isn't tilted and your ribcage, the back of your arms and shoulders maintain contact with the floor as much as possible.

3. Perform abdominal exercises such as the Pilates 100s. Check out other fitness disciplines to discover exercises that build the abdominal core muscles.

4. Eat a healthy and nutritious diet.

Unlike hip huggers, the waist whittlers of old aren't likely to make a comeback. Our girdles will have to become strong the old fashioned way; with hard work and thoughtful food consumption.

Posture And Alignment at Synergy Studio 3/18

What to expect at this workshop:

· The Stylist Body: 7 Key Areas

· Fun, Informative And Interactive

· Proper Posture And Alignment Practices In The Salon

· Pilates Principles & Movements

· Learn Valuable Cues For Standing, Sitting, Kneeling And Bending While Performing Salon Services

Class Protocol

• Arrive to sign attendance roster before start of class. CEU courses also require a photo ID and a Texas Cosmetology License number.
  
• Wear clothing that allows for freedom of movement and body assessment.

Pilates For Stylists accepts cash, business checks or money orders only. We apologize for any inconvenience. Course is open to stylists non seeking continuing education units.

The Synergy Studio is located at 300 East Grayson, Ste 100, San Antonio, 78215. Look for the Pearl Brewery Beer Can overhead. Across the street from the Aveda Institute.

See class details in column to right.

Breath

Breath is one of Contrology's (what Joe Pilates called his exercise method) fundamentals. It is also one of 6 Pilates principles adhered to by any competent Pilates teacher today. Joe taught that life began with an inhale and ended on an exhale. Master teacher Kathy Corey remarks that life longevity is simply always following an inhale with an exhale.

One of my clients recently observed that he would have to learn how to breath all over again in his study of Pilates. It is likely that we all need to learn how to breath again to enhance our feelings of vitality and well being.

Mary Bowen shared that we are all "sipping and sucking." These are really tied to infantile behaviors and they prevent us from optimally oxygenating the body. Ron Fletcher and Pat Guyton teach me that the inhale must be so filling as to press the ribcage out to the sides and back, that the exhale returns the ribcage to so that it encircles the spine and organs. The chest should lift rather than the shoulders and the belly does not protrude. Ron admonishes, just as Joe did, that the inhale should match the exhale in depth and length.

Breath isn't something attended to when one is meditating, relaxing or exercising. Breath is the physical expression of life. Breath is literally life.

Stylists benefit from developing a greater awareness for symmetrical movement of the ribcage and lungs while breathing. Asymmetry, or breath filling one side of the lungs more than the other, hinders fully oxygenating the body. It is possible that breath function is inhibited by the routine forward bending and flexed rotating Stylists engage in as they dress hair. The result can be mental and physical fatigue and it may contribute to other health concerns as well. Stylists experience relief from job stress when they incorporate deep inhalations and exhalations between clients and during breaks, very much like a yoga student at the end of a class.

Really breath today.
Really feel the ribcage open and close in symphony with the lungs expanding and contracting.
Inhale.
Exhale.

Synergy Studio

Starting in December, Carolyn Bell will be teaching Pilates Matwork at the Synergy Studio, located in the Pearl Street Brewery complex. Classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 am.

Carolyn will also be conducting a 6 week Introduction to Pilates Matwork on Tuesdays beginning in January from 12 - 1:30 pm.

Please visit the Synergy Studio link above for more details or email inquiries at pilatesforstylists@gmail.com.