As many of you know, I enjoy learning new things. Currently, I am making my way through an online series on inflammation – and very interesting it is too. It turns out that in the modern world we spend a disproportionate amount of time in an inflamed state, and this has been shown to be the cause …
Happy New Year! 2021 has definitely been a different sort of year. In some ways a lot has been achieved (like launching this website) but so many things have been put on hold too. I’m not great at New Year’s resolutions – they always seem such a good idea, and then life gets in the …
This might sound a bit serious, but stay with me. Most of us, at some point, have had a twinge. Be it a knee, a hip, a shoulder or a section of the lower back, we’ve all had something that makes us consider we are getting older, or we’ve over done it. Some might even …
For the last 15 months, most activities have had to resort to some sort of remote teaching. We’ve all had to get used to platforms like Zoom, and relying on our internet connections and space in our living rooms. We’ve got used to seeing faces on screen, and following instructions on videos. Most instructors can’t wait to …
No, I’m not making up words – I’ve borrowed someone else’s word. But what a good one! It really sums up the mindset that’s needed for dance and exercise. Nobody is perfect. Read that again. Nobody is perfect. We all have our flaws – and these can be in our personality or in our body movement. Being a perfectionist …
Balance. It’s something some people seem to find very easy, and others not at all. Small children often fall over as their centre of balance is changing constantly as they grow. As we age, balance becomes an increasing challenge. Without becoming too complicated, we all have three balance points: the impetus balance point, sitting just underneath the breast …
Ever wondered why pilates instructors, and dance teachers for that matter, ask you to use specific muscles for certain movements? I know this is something I do a lot, and it’s not just to show I know a bit about anatomy. When performing a back extension, I might get clients to think about lifting from the …
I don’t know about you, but with the cold weather I have turned more to comfort food. Warm soups and home baking. Now, I’m not a very patient cook. I like my recipes to be simple, straightforward and quick. So, one of my favourites (all year round) is banana bread. One bowl, chuck in the …
As a Pilates instructor, and as a dance teacher, I get lots of questions and comments about breathing. And, to be honest, there is a huge amount of information out there on breathing for exercise; breathing for dance, and breathing in general. So much of it can seem complicated and contradictory. I don’t pretend to …