Bringing the Missing Link to Canada

Posted on April 20, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

Francesca Caruana

By Francesca Caruana

My journey into the magical world of Pilates started in 2002. Due to moderate scoliosis and knee instability, I  was fearful of many sports and other physical activities. I was used to constant pain in my back and, while I did like to work out, there was nothing I overly enjoyed – other than the calorie burn that it delivered. The very first time I tried Pilates with the Reformer, I realized I had found a form of  exercise that could help my body, without putting undue strain on the weak parts. Continue reading →

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Therapeutics Course en route to Australia

Posted on April 20, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

Joleen Watson

By Joleen Watson

We all know that the success of Pilates is partially due to the positive effect we have on individuals who come to us seeking improvement of minor aches, pains or injuries.

Sometimes we are able to determine their problems are postural or due to misalignment. However, it is a fact that Pilates studios are seeing more and more cases of a rehabilitative nature. Working with a client who has an injury or disease that we, as Pilates instructors, do not understand and are not trained to treat can be intimidating. Continue reading →

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On the Road for BASI

Posted on April 20, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

With 21 courses on the go in May, several new hosts and a fresh addition to the BASI team in Costa Mesa, CA, BASI Pilates is gearing up for a fast and furious summer.

Travel is the name of the game when you have activities in over 25 countries, and our faculty members are certainly clocking up the miles. Our thanks to hard-travelling Meredith Rogers (Athens), Sheri Long and Mario Alfonso (Istanbul), Amit Younger (Prato, Italy), Andrea Clements (Beijing) and Bonnie Sessions (Long Island, New York) among others. Continue reading →

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Blazing the Pilates Trail

Posted on April 20, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

Dear Friends

First I would like to thank so many of you for your absolutely wonderful birthday wishes. The outpouring of goodness was truly overwhelming and made my special day that much more special.

I am not sure whether I am allowed to label us (BASI) pioneers, or if this is a title that can only be bestowed with the hindsight of history. But one thing is for sure – we are trailblazers. We were certainly one of the first in the world to offer a comprehensive, curriculum-based teacher training program for the study of Pilates. I am also confident in saying that BASI was one of the first to be used in a multi-disciplinary way, serving as an exercise platform for osteopaths, physiotherapists, orthopedists and chiropractors, without forgoing the comprehensive approach of Pilates. Continue reading →

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Pilates Studios Among Fastest-Growing Industries in US

Posted on April 19, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

By Roy Isacowitz

Pilates and yoga studios are among the fastest-growing industries in the US, according to a new report by research group IBISWorld, which measured industries based on their contributions to the economy, revenue growth and expected future performance.

Pilates and yoga studios were “highly resistant to the recession,” the report says. “Instead of facing negative growth in 2008 and 2009, revenue merely slowed. In the five years to 2017, industry revenue is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.8%” – from a forecast $6.8 billion in 2012 to $8.6 billion in 2017.

The report attributes the strength of the studio business to the heightened concern for the environment among Americans, which has engendered a renewed interest in becoming and staying healthy. This trend explains the growth of other “green” businesses, including solar panels and self-tanning products, which the report attributes to increased consumer awareness about the harmful effects of UV light.

While the report forecasts solid growth for the studio business, the forecast average annual growth rate of 4.8% will be significantly lower than the average 12.1% that was recorded between 2002 and 2012.

Other industries included in IBISWorld’s fastest growers are generic pharmaceuticals , for-profit universities, 3D printers, social network games, hot sauces, sustainable construction and online sales of spectacles and contact lenses.

 

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Meeting client needs with variations, modifications and props

Posted on April 17, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

Sheri Long

By Sheri Long

Some people love amusement parks; I love playing in my studio. It could be anything – modifying an exercise so that movement is correct for a specific client or creating a variation of an exercise. An example would be taking an exercise done in supine position but having the client work the same muscle group in a standing position, in order to add balance and coordination.

I love to design preparations for exercises; providing building blocks with which a client can experience, learn and understand a movement that is correct for the client’s body at that time. My objective when working with a client is to consistently meet their needs and goals. Every client is an individual with individual needs. Continue reading →

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“Pilates” by Rael Isacowitz Wins Best “How To Do Pilates” Book in the 2012 About.com Readers’ Choice Awards

Posted on April 16, 2012 by BASI Pilates

The winners of the 2012 About.com Readers’ Choice Awards were announced on March 31st and we are proud that Pilates, by Rael Isacowitz, was the winner in the Best How-to-Do Pilates Book category. Published in 2006, Pilates was described by Kirkus Awards as “the first truly complete guide to Pilates technique, exercises and equipment.”

In announcing the selection of Pilates, About.com wrote: “Since it was published in 2006, Pilates by Rael Isacowitz has become a primary resource of Pilates exercise instructions for Pilates practitioners all over the world. This year, the Pilates community made its appreciation well known by voting Pilates into the No. 1 spot and keeping it there throughout the voting process. This book contains instructions for 210 Pilates mat and equipment exercises, exercise sequences and a wonderful introduction to Pilates movement in general. Rael Isacowitz is the founder of BASI Pilates.”

Read Marguerite Ogle’s review of the book here:  Book Review: Pilates, by Rael Isacowitz

Now in its fifth year, the About.com Readers’ Choice Awards honor the best products, features and services across more than a dozen categories, ranging from technology to hobbies to parenting and more, as selected by its readers.

“This year’s Readers’ Choice Awards program had a record number of nominations submitted across dozens of categories and featured hundreds of finalists,” said Margot Weiss, managing editor, About.com. “We are thankful to all our readers for their participation and congratulate Rael Isacowitz on his success.”

Rael Isacowitz is one of the most authoritative figures in the global Pilates firmament. Founder of the BASI Pilates® educational institute for Pilates teachers, he has been a practitioner of the method for over 30 years and is a prominent presenter at Pilates conferences and workshops around the world.

In addition to Pilates, Rael is the author of Pilates Anatomy (with Karen Clippinger) and six movement analysis workbooks covering all the major pieces of Pilates equipment. He is also the designer of a new line of multi-functional and ergonomic equipment known as the Avalon System®.

Thank you to everyone who voted! We couldn’t have done it without you.

 

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Fighting back from a stroke with Pilates

Posted on March 20, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

Kris Brott

Kris Brott, a new member of the BASI family, is featured in an article in today’s Washington Post on Pilates for stroke rehabilitation.

A participant in the current ProBridge course, Kris took up Pilates when recovering from the effects of the stroke she suffered in March 2010. She hooked up with Pilates instructor Chris Spring and together they managed to retrieve about 95% of the movement ability that Kris had before the stroke.

Today, Kris has also qualified to instruct in Pilates and both she and Chris Spring are honing their skills in Rael’s ProBridge course.

Kris will be recounting her journey back to health in the April issue of the BASI newsletter.

 

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Experiencing the BASI ProBridge Program

Posted on March 16, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

By Sheri Long

I was so excited and counting the days until the weekend of the first BASI ProBridge Program. I knew it would be a weekend of learning and I was looking forward to being a student. The class was full of very seasoned teachers from all over the globe. It can be interesting when there are many different styles in one room. What I noticed immediately was this group of teachers came with open minds, wanting to learn and experience BASI. For many of these teachers it would be their first experience with Rael and BASI itself. Continue reading →

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My Journey to BASI and ProBridge

Posted on March 16, 2012 by roy.isacowitz

By Christina Spring

I began my Pilates journey when I was 25 years old.  I had been actively exercising since my teens, but Pilates represented more than simply a new program for fitness. I found Pilates when my health severely plummeted in my mid-twenties.

I was 25 years old when I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. At this point little was known about the condition; thus as a million questions filled my mind, but there were few answers to be found. However, there were plenty of medicine prescriptions offered to assist me with the daily pain that I experienced!  I did not want rely on medicine alone to help me live my very active lifestyle. Therefore, I began to explore a variety of exercise programs, diets, and lifestyle changes to help me cope with the dramatic interruption to my quality of life.   It was then that I first started doing Pilates.  Continue reading →

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