Setting Up A Studio From Scratch
With a combined two decades in the Pilates industry, Ash and Rob believed they understood what it took to run a successful studio. With Rob’s experience managing busy reformer studios in London and Melbourne and Ash’s decade in dance, they seized the opportunity in 2017 to transform the iconic Balance & Control studio in Richmond, Melbourne, Australia into their own venture, Movementality. Their journey was filled with excitement and hard lessons, ultimately leading to a strong brand and a close-knit community.
To Conquer Pain, You First Have To Understand It
Pain is a universal experience that can range from a mild, temporary sensation to chronic discomfort that affects daily life. While we often consider pain as something to avoid, it plays an essential role in alerting us to potential harm, helping protect us from further injury, and guiding healing processes.
Transform how you teach
Movement specialist and owner of Movementality in Melbourne, Ashleigh Berry explains to us how we get our clients to move is just as important as what we ask them to do.
Pilates Journal talks to Ashleigh Berry
When was the last time you explained something in detail to a client and they looked more perplexed than before you started explaining? We’ve all been there. In this moment did you make the assumption that they didn’t get it, and that they were missing something? It may sound harsh, but if the client is confused, it’s more likely a reflection on how you’ve demonstrated or explained it, rather than something they’ve done wrong. Perhaps you said too much or overcomplicated the answer. Maybe it’s time to take a breath, revise your approach and try something different.
Pilates Journal asked Ashleigh Berry, movement specialist and owner of Movementality in Melbourne, for her insights into how we make clients move better. Ashleigh understands all too well the nuances involved in working with our clients and how we get our clients to move is just as important as what we ask them to do.
Pilates and the Pelvic Floor Muscles
Having been in the health and fitness industry for over 10 years now, one of the most commons questions I get from a client is either A) what are my pelvic floor muscles, or B) am I meant to be using my pelvic floor muscles now?! And this stems from the fact that about 20 years or so ago, when Pilates was still in its infancy in Melbourne, it became synonymous with physiotherapy in particular, as a support tool for rehabilitating injuries - mainly those of the spine and pelvis. So it got drilled into not only the practitioners, but anyone who did Pilates that they had to squeeze their pelvic floor to do Pilates. In reality, this is far from the case, and has actually become quite problematic for a lot of people, creating dysfunctional pelvic floor muscles, as well as stiff and tight backs.
Pilates for hip pain
People get sore hips, all the time. Every day in the studio is a constant barrage of aches and pain, and without fail 99% of clients will mention something going on in their hips. And fair call - we put them through a lot of work! Between sitting and compressing tissues for hours every day, to then asking them to suddenly go to the other end of the spectrum when running and jumping and generally doing vigorous activity, we don’t really give them the TLC they really deserve. But on the other hand, maybe we need to keep pushing them around to a greater extent? We know the body will always adapt to whatever environment you put it in consistently, so if you want robust hips, maybe you need to ask some robust questions of them?
The Employment Conundrum
I’m going to try my best to present both sides of this argument - the business owner and the staff member. It’s important to acknowledge that both parties have different needs. The business owner mostly likely needs staff to help deliver sessions in order to maximize the use of the business premises and hopefully meet demand for sessions from their clientele. Most of the time, the staff member needs to work to derive income in order to live their life. Both parties generally work within our industry due to a love of the industry, and both can probably agree that it’s unlikely they see themselves incredibly financially wealthy, although hopefully it feeds the mind and spirit side of their needs. It’s also probably best to acknowledge that neither party is actively trying to take advantage of the other, even if it may feel that way - and yes, this feeling does go both ways.
Pilates for Shoulder Injuries
What most therapists don’t know about rehabilitating shoulders from injury
When it comes to rehabilitating shoulders after injury, Rob has a bit more insight than most. Having been through two almost identical shoulder operations in his late teens (thanks Rugby!) and experiencing two different approaches to rehab, he’s developed some insight in to what all the therapists he’s seen over the year’s always miss. And it’s nothing intention, it’s just that the majority of therapists haven’t experienced shoulder injuries to the extent that they need to start from the beginning again. And if you’re someone who’s reading this and is struggling with shoulder pain, chances are you won’t need all this information - but it’s certainly not going to do you any harm by going right back to basics.
Pilates for Posture
Everyone talks about how good Pilates is for their posture. But what actually makes it good?
Before we can pull apart what makes Pilates good for posture, we first really need to understand what posture is. For the most part, when someone references their posture, they are meaning how upright their body is from a vertical perspective. There is this idea that is built in to us that we need to stand or sit up straight, as slouching is bad for us. And there is various bits of scientific evidence that leans towards supporting this claim. such as how much heavier our head becomes the further forward it sits of our midline (1), and various physiological impacts to blood flow and muscular dysfunction. However, the reality is that our posture is dynamic, and we aren’t meant to be holding any one particular position for any real length of time. Yes, some of our skeletal muscles are endurance based, meaning they are designed to support joints for long periods of time, but even those fatigue within a few minutes if contracted continuously. But what actually determines how long to hold muscles engaged for certain periods of time? That falls on our reflexes and our brain. And those are both fed by our sensory feedback loop (2) to ensure we know where we are in space at all times.
Mindful Practices for Pilates
Firstly, let’s just clear up what mindfulness is - at its most basic, it’s about helping you develop an awareness of yourself and how you feel. That may be a massively oversimplified description, but in reality, that really is all mindfulness needs to be. There are many, many different ways to make this happen, but the ones that get the most attention are those that classically envision a budhist monk sitting on top of a hill, looking over some beautiful scene. And although this probably is a fantastic way to reconnect with yourself, it doesn’t have to be that removed from the modern world. The main goal of becoming aware of yourself and how you feel is actually just to draw your brain back to the present moment, so it’s not burning through energy reserves dwelling on the past and future, and leaves you with a bit more clarity on what’s true for you in that present moment. So let’s discuss some options that you can use for yourself, and develop for use with your clients.
Eye-lates - why wouldn’t you train your eyes?
In 2016, I stumbled across a webinar series introducing new ways of assessing and working with the body, from the focal point of brain training rather than purely movement and corrective exercise. One of those presenters was Annette Verpilot, and she opened with a fantastically simple but powerful clarification on what posture is: the result of sensory input going to the Central Nervous System. Basically, everything between the feet and eyes provides information to the brain on what we feel, and how to move, at any given point in time. So there is a lot of information to be processed right? And when we think of treatment strategies for injuries or postural dysfunction, the modern day theory is to focus on muscle and joint mechanics.
Tricks to pain free running
Running was not always a thing for me. I was a pretty chunky child, and absolutely hated running! I would be playing rugby every week, but would get so upset at the coaches during the warm up as I couldn't understand why we had to run before the game started, and then run during it as well! Of course, that was because I was so unfit that even the warm up wiped me out, and eventually when I hit high school and got more serious about rugby, I moved past this (to my coaches' delight!). When I hit university, two shoulder reconstructions forced my early retirement out of rugby and steered me into doing a couple half-Ironman triathlons. Here I found that running actually went from being bearable, to quite enjoyable. So let me start to share some secrets on how I moved from a non-runner, to an avid promoter of recreational running.
Stress - what it is, and how to work with it
Unfortunately that doesn’t make your job easy in the mean time with clients complaining left, right, and centre, about their aches and pains and perceived stress in their lives. So what can we actually do to help them? Well lets consider one definition of stress is a subjective/relative stimulus driven activation of the sympathetic nervous system, causing a mobilisation of resources towards a fight or flight physiological reaction.
Pain and Pilates - breath, move, load and celebrate!
This article was originally written for the PAA - below is a copy of the article.
There are so many old expressions that spring to mind when we are talking about pain, particularly in relation to exercise. ‘Pain is weakness leaving the body’ is the classic one I grew up with in the rugby sheds of New Zealand. These expressions usually revolve around the fact that being in pain creates the opportunity for us to experience growth and pleasure. Now this may have been true to those who originally made those statements, but if we are talking about pain in relation to the human body and movement, there are a few extra things to consider before pushing through to the glory we’ve been promised.
The missing link in your teaching
So you’ve got your Pilates rep down, and feel super confident that at least 4 out of 5 clients that walk through your door are going to get an awesome experience, regardless of what’s going on with them. But there’s still that lingering client that despite all of your amazing hands ons tactile feedback, and beautiful imagery doesn’t seem to get any better. You’re at your wits end, and the client is also getting a bit perplexed and can’t understand why their situation isn’t changing either - frustrating for both parties really!
Here’s a consideration: perhaps their sensory system simply isn’t balanced?
Growth VS Fixed Mindsets
Recently I have been participating in discussions with past and present leaders of Australian youth dance education and it has got me thinking. As new research continues to emerge about the correlations between brain neuroplasticity and thought patterns, I can’t help but relate it back to the adult learning environment we work in - the Pilates setting. There is so much emphasis currently placed on how our language and behaviors will shape our children’s learning habits and abilities. What we are failing to acknowledge is that they are also shaping our own adult learning habits and abilities. Often we are so preoccupied with the outside world that we forget that we are still learning, every day. Without a thought-out, considered approach to the way we are thinking, speaking and behaving daily, we can actually prevent ourselves from becoming successful learners.
Healthy Feet for a Healthy Life!
This is what my day sounds like sometimes: 'What do you think of my new running shoes?', 'That feels amazing, I've been wearing heels all day!', and 'Do you think there is any hope for my bunions?'
This is just the tip of the ice berg... Deep down we all know we need to be looking after our feet, but we don't always know how or what is best for them? Perhaps it is those $300 podiatrist prescribed runners or perhaps it is spending more time in bare-feet. The reality is everybody has different requirements, and I'm not interested in getting into the debate on what footwear is best (unless you ask, and I'll happily give you my point of view based off your current situation...). But what I am interested in is providing a fantastic Pilates experience for our clients, and a massive part of that is getting our feet as healthy as possible.
The Power of Group Classes
It seems as though every corner of Melbourne has got a health or fitness studio popping up, offering some form of hyped-up fitness phenomenon. Sweaty bodies, tight active wear, perfect physiques and the golden smile. It’s all part of their pristine marketing campaign to facilitate huge numbers of willing and ambitious people in to their small but busy studios. Why? Perhaps in hopes of achieving the media influenced, socially-accepted ideal body that’s continually pushed down our throats by mainstream marketing. It’s enough to make you reconsider even starting to exercise, and unfortunately Pilates (particularly reformer Pilates) is right in the mix with the best of them…
Three lessons we’ve learnt
We are still working on so much ourselves to make a profitable business that doesn’t wear us down - so don’t stress if you haven’t found that yet, and congrats if you have!. But if you eat the frogs, keep your ego in check, and share the work load then you’ll be on your way to keeping your sanity!
Somatic Movement Therapy
We are pleased to offer Somatic Movement Therapy (“SMT”) at Movementality. But what exactly is SMT? This is a question I hear frequently, so I’d like to take the time to break down the term SMT, what it means, and how my journey brought me into this incredible practice for embodied healing.
Is Deep Breathing Always the Answer?
Late in 2018 I attended a two day BreatheAbility breathing course with physiotherapist and Breathing Educator Tess Graham. Tess Graham trained with Ukrainian doctor Konstantin Buteyko in the early 1990’s. Buteyko is renowned for his work on breathing retraining for asthmatics and founding the Buteyko Institute. Tess herself has over 6500 hours of clinical experience as a breathing specialist and believes she cured two of her children of their asthma. Naturally, being curious and a Pilates instructor, I was eager to learn about her techniques for breathing retaining which, until now, I hadn’t heard of.