Movement Tour®, Minneapolis

A look at the familiar supine exercises and how they support and provide the foundation for skill building in attaining the more complex and challenging inversions and inverted exercises. With Portia, you will explore the basics of supine from ab curls to bridges and then bridge the gap to more advanced inversion exercises like Rollover, Bicycles, and Jackknife on the mat and the reformer/tower.

A Yoga Pilates fusion “WERKShop” is a unique and dynamic practice that combines the best of both worlds – the precision and focus of Pilates with the fluidity of Yoga. In this workshop, you can expect to move through a series of postures and exercises that will challenge you. This fusion class is a great way to build strength, increase flexibility, and cultivate mindfulness, all while enjoying a fun and dynamic practice you can share with your clients.

The EXO chair is an amazing tool and especially suitable for dynamic and fun group classes. Join Bonnie for a creative exploration of the Pilates chair. Bonnie will also show you some innovative ways to integrate your sitting box with your chair to add a whole new level of programming opportunities.

This workshop is based on the published article “Aging and the Cost of Inactivity: How Mindful Movement and Pilates can stem the Tide” which reveals what many of us already know….to stay healthy throughout our lifespan, we must move. However, the strategies of how to train and move clients evolves throughout the adult experience. Training for adaptability and agility is key to success and not uniform from decade to decade. In this workshop we will discuss the realities of aging on our health and the role of movement/exercise as a tool to hold off age related decline. We will discuss falls, fall prevention, the importance of eccentric training and how our unique Pilates environment can support longevity.

Clients frequently exhibit repetitive muscle activation patterns, often neglecting certain muscle groups while overusing others. Under-utilized muscles like the hamstrings, adductors, hip rotators and deep core muscles require targeted retraining. This workshop aims to equip you with effective strategies for teaching balanced neuromuscular activation patterns in the lower body. By addressing muscle imbalances and promoting optimal integration in your clients, their overall movement and functional performance will be enhanced.

Do you have clients that are in love with Pilates, but also need to build a more traditional strength protocol found in the gym? In this workshop, you’ll explore unique and dynamic ways to get the best of both worlds using a reformer. Come join and get tips, tricks, and tools using movement patterns on the reformer that will provide the total package AND help anyone build confidence should they like to step inside a traditional gym setting.

CrossFit, Tough Mudder, American Ninja Warrior…oh my! This workshop will radically expand your potential to retain clients who love the extreme. Learn to speak their language while you showcase the importance of the Pilates system in “their world”. Discover creative movement sequences on the Pilates chair and small Togu ball that will surely keep your extreme clients asking for more.

You’re invited to dive deeper into the realm of Pilates by discovering the endless possibilities of the 10-inch inflatable ball! This dynamic and interactive workshop is designed specifically for Pilates instructors who are seeking fresh and exciting ways to enhance their teaching and captivate their clients. We’ll not only dive into the common uses of the Pilates Ball, but also challenge you to think outside the box and unleash your own creativity. Together, we’ll explore exercises that go beyond the conventional, pushing the boundaries of what this simple prop can do, and expand your repertoire so you can help your clients experience the transformative power of the Pilates ball!

Compassion, knowledge, and inspiration are all part of what makes our Pilates spaces safe and open to possibilities. Here we will look at the evolution of Pilates from its remote beginnings to today, where the name Pilates is synonymous with health and mindfulness accessible to all.

When should you assist someone during a stretch? How much pressure is too much? All hands on deck will show you the essentials on “how to” perform assisted stretches on your client during Pilates sessions. Learn the five fundamental stretching principles and how they apply within Pilates. Walk away with “feel good” techniques that will keep your clients asking for more!

Gone are the days when studios required people to take three private sessions before entering group reformer classes. This presents a serious challenge —how do you successfully teach a reformer class consisting of individuals who have never seen a reformer before with those who have been practicing Pilates for years or who have different injuries, may be pregnant, and everyone in between? Join Brooke as she teaches her unique system designed to effectively manage the challenge of teaching a diverse group of clients. Learning this system ensures you will be able to appropriately challenge each student while keeping everyone safe. Join Brooke to learn how to create classes that are sought after, have waitlists, and high retention rates.

It’s time to hustle for that muscle. Let’s get up to get down together as we journey into strength and performance of the lower body, its simplicity, along with its profound importance. It’s time to find the meaning in the muscle and bring the balance into the legs and backside. Often in “Pilatesland” we think that leg and footwork is the holy grail of the lower body work. But, training the lower body is SO much more and involves squatting, hinging, lunging, ankle mobility, and training the hip in various ways. In this workshop, we’ll explore creative and functional ways to bring lower body POWer into your sessions.

Many of us have clients struggling with managing the symptoms of hypermobility. As Pilates instructors we have a golden opportunity to help these clients. Pilates-based exercise is unique in addressing dysfunctions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), and general hypermobility. This course will define EDS/HSD symptom profiles, educate on how Pilates is useful in challenging the multiple body systems affected in these clients, as well as teach specific exercise programming using the roller and props.

Join Bonnie and Cathy as they show how similar exercises can be done on multiple apparatus (the reformer and tower) to create group classes and class variety to your current sessions. This dynamic duo will certainly take you through your pace as you move, learn and play utilizing the best of both the reformer and the tower.

During a female lifespan training needs change based on structure, hormones, metabolism, age, and more. Join Joy for a look at how these influences affect training options, explore training options to meet the needs at different stages of maturation, and learn how the Pilates environment can create positive changes for all your female clients. We will discuss specifically the adolescent body, take a glimpse at how the body responds and changes during pregnancy, explore pelvic health and menopause and develop exercise strategies to meet each life moment.

Introduce safe and effective cardio drills that hold true to the Pilates principles within your current Pilates sessions. Neither foot plate nor shoes required! Here is your chance to combine strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular movements all in one fun filled core focused class. We always tell our clients to remember the Pilates principles while they do other activities outside their sessions; here is our chance to showcase simple cardio moves within the Pilates system. In this workshop we will discuss all the precautions necessary to deliver seamless transitions from equipment to standing sequences that will elevate your heart rate safely. Alternate powerful chair sequences with action packed cardio movements that will leave your clients sweating like never before.

Discover the fusion of Pilates and group fitness foundational exercises with rhythmic movements in this dynamic workshop for a group fitness setting. Designed for instructors seeking to add an innovative twist to their classes, this workshop explores the integration of rhythmic elements into Pilates mat exercises. Participants will delve into the foundational principles of Pilates while incorporating rhythmic elements such as breath synchronization, tempo variations, and fluid transitions between movements. Through experiential learning and hands-on practice, instructors will learn how to create a seamless flow of movement that enhances both physical and mental engagement for their students.

Do you have clients that are in love with Pilates, but also need to build a more traditional strength protocol found in the gym? In this workshop, you’ll explore unique and dynamic ways to get the best of both worlds using a tower. Come join and get tips, tricks, and tools using movement patterns on the tower that will provide the total gym experience. Learn how the tower can be the perfect environment to build strength and endurance.

This is the first part of a two-part workshop.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), whether mild, moderate or severe, has strong implications for an individual that are as unique as our fingerprints. In this workshop we will discuss tools and techniques to work effectively with this population and cover the foundational guidelines and recommendations. Techniques to soothe the nervous system will be covered to help regulate. We will also discuss techniques based on Somatics and PolyVagal Theory. We will end with a 20-minute mat session that will be useful for clients to practice at home as well as in the studio.

Revolutionize your teaching approach by increasing your client observation skills. By exploring beyond what you see on the surface and learning to see what is “unseen,” you’re able to make creative and powerful exercise choices to guide your clients toward relief, strength, and joy. We’ll discuss various techniques and methodologies, and practice interactive exercises designed to enhance your ability to see beyond the surface. By tapping into this deeper level of awareness, you’ll develop the ability to read between the lines and make informed decisions that cater to your clients’ unique needs.

Join me for a captivating journey into the realm of the unseen, and empower yourself to become a transformative force in your clients’ lives.

This fun and creative “WERKShop” is a movement-based exploration that focuses on mat Pilates and integrating Yoga mat exercises. This session will explore the precision and focus of Pilates, and the fluidity and mindfulness of Yoga. In this class you can expect to move through a series of postures and exercises that will challenge your strength, flexibility and balance. The connections to rhythm, breath and movement will also be explored. Expect to learn strategies to create sequences to add to your studio or group fitness classes. Expect to stretch, sweat, flow, and experience “The Werk” with a twist to music.

This workshop is a continuation of lecture focusing on how and when to safely incorporate equipment for individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury, and how the different apparatus impact the body, brain and nervous system. We will specifically explore how the reformer can impact the body and autonomic nervous system to support or challenge the system.

Prerequisite: An Introduction to Working with Traumatic Brain Injury on the Mat

Strength training and Pilates collide in this immersive workshop. Strength training is a necessary component to overall health. Exercise Physiologist, and Pilates Teacher, Bonnie Benesh will explore ways to add lifting to your Pilates classes. She will also teach you how to incorporate strength building techniques while keeping true to your Pilates roots.

Our tissues tell a story, the story of who we are, of where our strengths lie and for how we organize ourselves to move through space. Join Joy Puleo and explore how physiology, anatomy and culture come together to inform our structure and how this information can be optimized to train for maximum results. In other words, training the body in front of you means understanding more than just muscles and bone, it is seeing the whole person to truly understand how to train the whole body.

Pilates instructors these days are often required to teach a wide variety of clients all within one class. I have developed a system that has worked successfully for me for many years. My classes continue to have lengthy waitlists and I have a strong retention rate with a community of “regulars” in every class. This workshop will teach you the skillset needed to keep people safe, challenge all student levels appropriately and make sure that everyone has fun and wants to come back for more. Learn to teach mat classes that challenge every student appropriately and help you build a community of returning clients.

Equipment availability and education accessibility have helped to lead the Pilates industry into this current time when Pilates is more sought after than ever. Now that we are here, what is next and how can YOU, WE, contribute to the future of Pilates.