Pilates On Tour®, Manchester

Conference opening remarks. Join Ken and Joy in exploring how we got here! They will discuss the business and education opportunities that have been realized since Joe created his Universal Reformer. From Joe’s patents to the trademark lawsuit to the availability of equipment and education an industry has flourished…and now that we are here, we can look forward to…What Is Next? #WIN 

Designing a Pilates class for older people requires careful consideration of their specific needs and abilities. Pilates can be a fantastic exercise option for the older generation as it focuses on flexibility, strength, balance, and posture. This workshop will give you a practical insight into the key issues and strategies which should be addressed when dealing with this growing demographic.

Extension based exercises are key to back health, strength, and flexibility. Side body strength has long been associated with back health as well as sound three-dimensional core support. Many of the Pilates exercises, particularly the more advanced/integrated whole body exercises, that incorporate extension and side body strength are often challenging for clients and intimidating and this is where Keeley shines. Join Keeley as she takes you on a journey that will build you up to advanced extension Swan exercises and Star on the Reformer. Learn how to safely progress your clients, building skill, strength, and flexibility along the way.

Posture and alignment are important Pilates training ideals. However, to be fully vertical and move freely upright, it is equally as important that we get down to the ground. In other words, to be healthy and adaptable we must go down to learn how to get up. Getting up from the ground requires lower limb strength and mobility, spinal alignment, and upper limb integration, and these skills require training, especially as we age. Using Pilates equipment, small props, and Pilates-informed movements, we will build the skills that create ease of movement from the floor to vertical. By improving mobility, alignment, and strength we can help people discover strength, coordination, and strategies for getting down and back up again!

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 LaBriece Ochsner and Joy Puleo as we move and explore how physiology, anatomy and culture come together to inform our structure and how that information can be optimized to train for maximum results. It is our hope that this workshop will literally move you, inspire your curiosity and provide you with the tools to train everybody to its fullest potential.

Have you ever considered the pivotal role footwork plays in your entire Pilates session?  

Whether your feet are on the foot bar, in straps, on the carriage, or elsewhere within the routine, it is crucial to anchor ourselves back to the fundamentals of footwork. This foundation not only builds alignment awareness but also enhances overall body awareness, prepping us for the more demanding segments of our practice. Join me in exploring how refining your footwork can revolutionize your entire Reformer and Pilates workout. Learn simple yet impactful foot exercises that not only prepare for Reformer workouts but also contribute to sustained foot health when practiced at home. Unleash the potential of your Reformer sessions by grounding them in a solid foundation of footwork and foot health. 

The Reformer is amazing and versatile for addressing the shoulder girdle, both as a functional movement education tool and as a progressive rehabilitation asset. The Reformer can be mobilizer, stabilizer, and a 3D wonder. Join Cameron as he shares his extensive experience with shoulder rehab on the Reformer and come away with some great reformer exercises that you will be able to apply to your clients on Monday morning. Cameron will demystify the complexity of the shoulder girdle and provide you with everything you need to bring those shoulders to life!

Poor posture, muscle imbalance, kyphosis, lordosis, are a few of the issues that, if not addressed before attempting the traditional Pilates mat and apparatus regime, could cause problems for new clients who are starting their Pilates journey. Pre-Pilates, with simple but targeted exercises, will help the client/student understand how their body works and which areas of that body need more attention and help. The exercises are designed so that they can be used as homework and warmup.

Work through Pilates & floor barre sequences with the small ball for challenge as well as assistance. This workshop is done to the beat of the music, for a fun, energizing session. You will learn how to add the ball to classic Pilates moves plus variations to add a twist to your mat Pilates classes.

Alan is a Pilates treasure! Come and spend some time with Alan as he talks about the early days of his practice and the growth of Pilates in the UK. Alan’s client focused approach reminds us that all the big and small moments that happen in your studios everyday are the path to longevity of practice. 

Current back pain research indicates that the fear of movement, or kinesiophobia, is one of the major obstacles to a pain free life. Join me and create a bigger framework of thought around pain, pain perception and pain biases which inform every interaction. In over 30 years of practice, I have witnessed and studied how a positive movement environment helps to produce optimum client results by giving people “permission to move”. This workshop investigates our own paradigms and thoughts and then looks at ways to move forward with our teaching by moving away from structure and toward the human being.

Athletes from all disciplines are constantly seeking ways to improve their performance, endurance, and overall physical (and mental) resilience. Longevity of sport is key and minimizing downtime and preventing injury is a necessity for success. This applies to the athlete in all of us as we all seek to perform at our best levels. This workshop aims to explore the unique benefits that arise from the fusion of athletic performance with the key principles of Pilates and the tool that is the Reformer. Come away with short programming sequences that you can apply to all your classes specially designed to stimulate the athlete in every–body.

The Pilates Chair stands as a pinnacle of challenge and reward within the studio apparatus. The versatility of the chair and how we use it in standing, lying, sitting, kneeling, makes it the ultimate mind-body tool. In this workshop Julie will explore enhancing balance, co-ordination and addressing asymmetries using the Chair. From fundamental exercises to the intricacies of the advanced Chair repertoire, this workshop will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to enhance your Chair repertoire and your client’s studio experience. Enjoy Chair progressions that will liven up and complement any private or group workout.

Explore how scar tissue and hormonal changes can influence the function of the female pelvic floor. In this workshop we will look at how the principles of biotensegrity can be applied to movement re-education, specific to pelvic floor dysfunction. We will also observe breath, pelvic movements, and intra-abdominal pressure, as ways to help women reconnect to their pelvis and regain confidence in their pelvic floor function.

Should I open a brick and mortar? What is the opportunity with virtual classes and education post covid? How do I augment my skills as a teacher? I want to offer workshops and continuing education, what is my path? Come hang out with Joy for a candid round table conversation…bring your questions. 

This workshop addresses how to keep your group Reformer class moving without compromising quality and control of the movements. Learn how to flow classic and contemporary sequencing whilst maximizing movement and minimizing spring changes for a seamless class. A Pilates ball will be used for some of the flows for added variety and intensity.

This workshop is quintessential Alan…Using students as case studies, Alan will present the footwork in depth and show how footwork can be used as an assessment tool to understand a client’s movement patterns. Using the information gathered in the footwork, Alan will then progress the client through the relevant exercises to address the alignment, posture, or movement limitations.

Joy loves teaching this 360° workshop series. One part anatomy, one-part practical movement application, all the way around a lot of fun insights and practical knowledge being shared. Let us look at the spine, not from the back or the front, but give it a 360° view. Then let us move the spine, challenge our preconceptions of isolated muscles doing isolated magical things, and explore how the stunning, artistic, and systematic design of our bones, joints, and muscles create a structure that endures, supports, and can turn on its end!

Have you ever been interested in teaching Pilates to children and/or teenagers but felt a little nervous about what is involved, what the goals and objectives would include, and how you would structure a workout? Join Sara as she aims to provide you with the theory of learning and the practical aspect of planning and instructing a Pilates syllabus to meet the specific needs of children and adolescents. Step into a whole new world of teaching where possibilities are endless.

Join us for a round robin circuit featuring the Reformers, Towers and Chairs. Join Joy, Christine, and Tracey as they guide you through this fun and invigorating workout. 

Our Pilates Reformer and Tower have been beautifully combined yet how much do we explore the rich movement environment they create together? Learn movement strategies and exercise progressions that seamlessly bring the strengths of both the Reformer and the Tower together. Learn how to effectively integrate them, WHY this combination has value and get some innovative programming tips appropriate for your private clients as well as the small and large group training environments. 

Imagine your body as a small umbrella which folds into itself. Using this image helps teachers train clients how to maintain deep intrinsic connection to their movements. In the studio we often see clients, students, and even seasoned instructors, losing the distal connection because the internal support is lacking. In this workshop, we will apply The Umbrella Concept to the Pilates repertoire and use this concept for clients to envision, maintain and support strong whole-body connectivity.

In this hands-on and interactive movement workshop we will take a look at the Pilates Chair from a new and refreshing perspective. Many are either in love with the Chair or dread the Chair. Let’s see why! How can we deepen our understanding of the Chair, its spring settings and its functionality, and widen our perspective on its purpose as well as what exercises can be done with it. How can we help different-sized bodies feel a sense of success on the Chair? Let’s go from down to up and up to down like never before. Get your wallflower-of-a-Chair apparatus back onto center stage! Soon you will see the Pilates Chair with new eyes. You will not want to miss this fun and dynamic workshop with LaBriece and her special guest model.

Join Tracey as she applies Pilates Mat work performed with weights, total body sequences, and with an athletic flavor, to all levels of mat work. Starting with basic moves she will move you swiftly into intermediate and advance repertoire. All exercises are from the original repertoire with a contemporary flare. For a bonus, Tracey will explore incorporation of effective Reformer movements into your mat classes, adding diversity to your daily programming.

The Tower is an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen and mobilize the spinal extensors, the deep back line, of the body, teaching coordination of spinal movements and support in vertical, upright, posture. Join Keeley as she takes you on a journey that will build you up to advanced extension Swan exercises and Dolphin on the Tower. Along the way you will learn how to safely progress your clients, as well as build skill, strength, and flexibility of the back line.

This dynamic workshop explores muscular balance, coordination, strength and flexibility of the pelvis and hip joint. We will literally journey 360⁰ around the Reformer as we examine exercises from all positions to facilitate optimal functioning of the pelvis and hip. Together we will look at the relationships of the anatomy of the pelvis and hip to the function of the spine and rib cage above and the knee, ankle, and foot below. Learn hip focused exercises that are safe, practical, and immediately applicable to practice in both private, semi-private and group settings.

Pilates meant his ‘system’ to be a health giving ‘tonic’. This workshop connects mindfulness principles with our movement knowledge and skills to allow you to expose a deeper layer of holistic health. Join Cameron and learn how to couple mindfulness practice with your clients experience to movement. Understanding how we experience movement and mood, how we can use movement and awareness to alter mood, and how enhancing awareness through movement adds another dimension to your teaching. Enjoy a moving mindful experience with Cameron.

This is an informative practical and theory-based workshop that explores Osteoporosis and aims to give you the knowledge to help assess and adapt Pilates for clients with this common pathology. We will discuss why certain movements are contraindicated for people with osteoporosis, the common fracture sites apparent from research studies, and explore the importance of weight-bearing movements on bone health. The outcome of the workshop is to give you the confidence to identify contraindicated movements and postural risk factors caused by osteoporosis and the baseline knowledge and confidence to work with clients with this diagnosis.