Thoughts on the pelvis...

Since I have promised to write more, here are some notes from today's rehearsal.

So much focus is put onto the stabilizing ability of the pelvis, no matter what it is that we do - running, dancing (especially ballet!), normal walking gait - that I often forget that the pelvis is, like the rest of the body, a center of movement. 

As a ballet dancer trying new ways of moving and recovering from injuries in my 20s, this way of thinking was such a habit that I couldn't even begin to fathom the idea of movement in the pelvis. As a result it took more than 10 years and lots of happy accidents to heal my injuries.

How many years is this later? 20? Really? I am just waking up to the possibilities for healthy movement AND stabilization in the hips. For instance, the best no-contest workout for all the glutes, especially the meds is belly dancing. No joke. Not to mention the obliques...and it's great for both eccentric and concentric work of the pelvic floor. Ever watch an expert belly dancer's gait? (I say "expert" since it's perfectly possible to perform the movements incorrectly without organizing the gluteals.) Magnificent! 

The pelvis is not only a stabilizer - it's a major source of energy, like the heaviest ball on a chain, the pelvis can either drag the body around or be an interesting fulcrum from which to swing. Of course, when that same fulcrum is in motion, that's where the body then requires excellent neutral alignment and strength to hold together. 

I'd also be curious to see the results of a study of the total number of dancers from different styles of dance who have needed hip replacements by the age of 60, including belly dancing. 

It's official! New class at Presidio Sport & Medicine starting 1/22!

It is a done thing.

Starting on 1/22, I will be teaching every Wednesday evening from 7-8pm at PSM, a great fitness center/physical therapy center in the Presidio on Gorgas, down the street from the YMCA and next door to SenSpa. Here's the details:

Pilates with Jen

7-8pm Wednesdays

Presidio Sport & Medicine

1162B Gorgas Ave

San Francisco, CA 94129

415-561-6655

fitness@presidiosport.com

www.presidiosport.com

The class runs in 6-week cycles. The first will be from January 22 until February 26 and is open to the public. There are plenty of parking spots both on the side of the building and the lot across the street. (There are reasonably priced payment machines that take credit and debit cards to pay per hour.)

The style of the class will be a Pilates Fusion style mix of the classic West Coast style of Pilates with other modalities added, including Aston Kinetics and Foot-To-Core. 

Hooray!

Sausalito Studio and a hilly run

For the last two weeks I've spent my Tuesdays taking clients at a tiny, beautiful studio in downtown Sausalito. It's a gorgeous situation. I spend my morning rushing my child and the rest of our carpool to school, packing lunches and stuffing my work supplies and whatever she needs for school into the car. Then I get to the studio a short drive away. I park up one of the twisty streets and walk down. As I walk I can feel my breath starting to return.

There's no sign, just a quiet stairway decked with flowers. 

Go up those stairs and you'll see a lovely rooftop porch with flowers and a nice place to sit and read or sip tea. 

There are other quiet businesses on the second floor as well. Turn right and there's an unmarked screen door that is always locked. I've so far asked my clients to call or text me so that I can let them in. Beyond that door is another one, this time brown and also unmarked.

Here it is... Cute, huh? -->

 Afterwards I took a run...I forgot one major detail, though. Sausalito is basically a series of steep hills and I'm on my second week of training from a three month break. I took it slow and let myself rest when necessary. I spent as short of a time as I could on Bridgeway with its constant crowds. I turned off towards the Bay and ran for a while along the path there and the parking lots. Not too pleasant, though. Too much construction, and did I mention that the way by the Bay is entirely made up of parking lots?

I turned off and started to go up for a while. Here I am, nearly at the top of one hill...whew.

Here's my foot and a nice view. <grin>

This is, believe it or not, about half way down the hill from the last image.

Pilates Developments

I forgot to mention that not only am I back at The Body Gallery, but I'm also teaching for most of the day on Tuesdays up in Sausalito at a sweet little private studio on Princess Street.

The Body Gallery will also be moving to 47 Kearny Street in November. More on that as it happens...

Feet from square one

http://uvaendurosport.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/less-from-your-shoes-more-from-your-feet/

This is what I work on with people. We isolate all the muscles that mobilize the toes, especially the big one, and trace them up the arch. Then we go through the joints of the forefoot into the ankle. We explore how the ankle works, then we get it to move. We find the calcaneous, the bone that drops down to make the heel and we release the stored up tension that builds there from heel striking. Then we build strength throughout the foot, and up into the body so the client can go out and have fun on their feet without pain.

I will be back at The Body Gallery starting at the end of August. Just drop me an e-mail if you are interested in working on your foundations.

As I feel more human I think more about my feet. Even at this stage of healing I seem to be able to stand very steadily on one foot without the usual wiggle up top. Even on my weak side! Good sign.

For those of you who are just tuning in - last week I had long-awaited surgery to stitch up an umbilical hernia and rectus diastasis. In other words, like many older women who have had kids, my body didn't bounce back and instead got a hole in it where none should be. See yesterday's post for more on that.

I can't use my abdominals for anything...I can carry only up to 10 lbs, which is less than my knitting, so this is good. Meanwhile, I've discovered that snagging clean laundry between (clean) toes and tossing it up on the bed makes it possible for me to fold clothes. I can now officially say that child-proof drawer-locks are completely accessible by foot. :-)

Bit by bit.