Stunned

Pilates apprenticeship is coming along. Here in the Bay I have 7 students who are willing to be practiced on. I have a suspicion my teachers are a bit stunned by that. Each of us was encouraged to try to find at least one potential client. The other apprentices live in Nelson and have access to a fully fitted out studio for teaching practice and apparently still struggle to attract clients.

I can explain that easily - no competing interests out here - no other Pilates studios, no yoga classes, no tennis club, no wine bars, no art tours, no... well you name it we probably don't have it, so Pilates classes really are the only show in town.

Eight students if you count Mr B who generously volunteered to be a guinea pig and provide constructive feed back as one who has never before practiced Pilates and never seen it in practice. I do recall how confusing it all was when I started learning 15 years ago - 'up' and 'down' have different meanings depending on whether you are standing or lying for example - words like, over or away similarly mean diddly squat if your perspective has been tipped 90 degrees. He meanwhile has had to address direct and irrefutable evidence of loss of strength; the man who used to climb yacht masts on arm strength alone now struggles with push-ups/press-ups and some of the arm exercises with the weights that I use daily.

Shock to me too. He is always trying to relieve me of heaving lifting....

Something they don't teach at Pilates teacher school is how to deliver such a program without deflating male egos. Humour works with Mr B because it is Mr B. Possibly not every guy thinks it is funny to collapse in the middle of his first press-up. Women don't expect to do a press-up and don't much mind failing an attempt; you just tell them to start with their knees down but that's an insult to a bloke.

Generalization... but fewer than 10% of people practicing Pilates are male. It's good postural and movement stuff for all of us.

Some random photos taken recently...