• HOME • DANCE • EAST BAY DANCE FESTIVAL • FLYING • NEWS • CONTACT •   Pilates with Katherine Davis     On this Page:   Pilates with Katherine Davis What is Authentic Pilates Who was Joseph Pilates What's Different about Authentic Pilates University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health, on Pilates and "Core Conditioning"       Teaching the Pilates Method I first discovered Pilates fourteen years ago, through dance. It was immensely helpful to me in building strength & flexibility, and fostering an awareness of alignment, mind-body connection, injury prevention, and injury rehabilitation. After completing a year long apprenticeship at Performing Arts Physical Therapy, I was certified by Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates' lifelong disciple and colleague, through The Pilates Studio (the "New York School"). I have been teaching for eleven years now, and continue to do Pilates almost everyday to keep myself in peak condition. Prior to launching my own studio eight years ago in Oakland, I taught at Performing Arts Physical Therapy/The Pilates Studio in Los Angeles, and Zoe: A Pilates Studio, in Pasadena. I have taught mat classes at Applied Ballet, The East Bay Dance Center, and the Oakland Senior Center, all in Oakland, CA. I teach in the Grand/Lake area of Oakland, at rates of $60 per private lesson/$70 per duo lesson. Private lessons are one hour long, including work on the Universal Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel, Small Apparatus, and Mat. Duo lessons are 75 minutes long, and incorporate two students taking turns on the equipment--this requires a bit more patience and a dedicated partner, but it also a great value (not to mention a lot of fun)! I occasionally offer 8 week mat class series for groups of four at my home studio. The cost of an 8 week series is $96. Class meets once a week for one hour. The class is geared towards beginners, and progresses from strictly beginning Pilates work to more intermediate (and modified advanced) exercises as the weeks progress. Preregistration is required for this series, and a minimum enrollment of four students per class is necessary. Please be aware that I have a cat and three dogs, who are in and out of the studio frequently. If you have severe allergies to either species, this is not the studio for you!!! The Pilates Studio recommends that people take 2 or 3 lessons per week. I recommend 2 lessons per week, though 1 lesson per week can be useful as a supplement to other types of training. I teach Monday through Friday, and my availability depends largely on the schedules of my other clients. Evenings tend to book up very quickly. If you have any sort of afternoon or midday availability, your chances of getting a regular slot in the near future are much greater! I will do my best to answer your questions about Pilates, my studio in particular, and any other physical disciplines and/or medical considerations that might be of interest or concern to you. Please contact me through this site with your full name, address, phone number, e-mail address, days & times of availability, and questions. You will generally hear from me within 48 hours. If you wish to find another teacher, I highly recommend you begin your search at www.pilates-studio.com. They offer a complete, accurate, and up to date list of certified teachers.             What is authentic pilates? Imagine an exercise program that you look forward to, that engages you, and that leaves you refreshed and alert with a feeling of physical and mental well-being.The Pilates Method (pronounced puh-LAH-teez) of body conditioning will do all this...and more. Developed in the 1920s by the legendary physical trainer and founder of the Pilates Studio, Joseph H. Pilates, The Pilates Method is an exercise system focused on improving flexibility and strength for the total body without building bulk. Not surprisingly, some of the first people to use the Pilates Method were dancers such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine.  The Pilates Method is not just exercise, however. It is a series of controlled movements engaging your body and mind, performed on specifically designed exercise apparatus and supervised by extensively trained teachers. It appears that your browser may not be set up for Quicktime. Go to http://www.apple.com/quicktime to pick up the latest version!   Watch a video of Joe Pilates doing his thing in the 1940s     A young Joe Pilates flexing his muscles     Who Was Joseph Pilates? Born in Germany in 1880, Joseph H. Pilates had a lifelong interest in body conditioning. As a frail child dedicated to becoming stronger, he later grew to become an accomplished skier, diver, gymnast, and boxer.  While interned in England during World War I for his German citizenship, Joseph became a nurse. During this time, he designed exercise apparatus for immobilized patients by attaching springs to hospital beds. This system formed the foundation for his style of body conditioning and specialized exercise apparatus, which he brought to New York City when he opened the first Pilates Studio in 1926. Currently, the Pilates Method is used internationally by individuals at all levels of fitness as well as by dance companies, Broadway shows, students at performing arts schools and universities, sports teams, spa clients, and fitness enthusiasts at private health clubs and gyms.       What's Different About the Pilates Method? Joseph H. Pilates designed more than 500 specific exercises using five major pieces of unique apparatus to develop the body uniformly. Instead of performing many repetitions of each exercise, Joseph H. Pilates preferred fewer, more precise movements, requiring proper control and form. Because your mind is required to engage with your body to perform the movements correctly, you experience a new awareness of muscle function and control. The "powerhouse" - abdomen, lower back, and buttocks - is supported and strengthened, enabling the rest of the body to move freely. Proper instruction is given only by teachers who complete a rigorous certification program, including seminar training and 600 apprenticeship hours. The certification program has been continued by Romana Kryzanowska, Master Teacher, who was personally trained by Joseph Pilates. After Joseph's death, his wife, Clara, asked Romana to carry on Joseph's work.   j     University of california, Berkeley's Wellness Letter, February 2003 "Core conditioning---build a better platform" "If all you do is walk, cycle, or swim, with maybe occasional weight-training sessions, are you doing enough to keep yourself in shape, maintain your strength for sports (and life), and ward off backaches and other problems resulting from weak muscles? Lately, you may have heard that such conventional exercise is not sufficient, and that what you need is "core conditioning" or "core training." You're right to pay some attention. This approach may do you some good. Core conditioning is an integrated approach that focuses on developing the muscles of the center of your body, so you can move effectively through your activities. The basic idea is that all the muscles of the trunk and spine need to be trained for strength, balance, agility, and flexibility. Rather than strengthening individual muscle groups, such as the abdominals or biceps, core conditioning typically focuses on varied muscles in the torso, back, hips, inner and outer thighs, and even chest. The training emphasizes the role of proper breathing and posture, and is as much a state of awareness about your muscles as a new way to exercise. The advantages of building a strong core are many. With a strong "platform," from which your arms and legs work, you'll be a better swimmer, cycler, and runner. If your spine and abdominal muscles are a powerful base for your legs, you'll be able to run or walk farther and faster. You'll hit a golf ball or a tennis ball more effectively. Core training strengthens your lower back by improving posture. It may reduce the likelihood of injuries. If you think you've heard all of this somewhere before, you may have. Several kinds of "movement therapies," including Pilates Training, have always emphasized the core muscles. Pilates exercises are designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles in those areas. Some of the exercises have to be done on special Pilates machines; some are done on a mat. You do need a trained instructor to tailor the routines to your needs. Trained athetes, as well as dancers, often use Pilates as an adjunct to other training, but the method is also adaptable for older people and those with arthritis."