Pilates Passion

I recently completed my very last Teacher Training weekend.  As always, I was filled with anxiety and worry.  There are tons of things to remember.  Those things range from remember the exercise name, to how to perform them and what order to things like contraindications and risks.  Some serious and daunting stuff when you really think about it.  Add in that my schedule (and level of initiative) haven't made it easy for me to practice teaching or do much observation.  (We won't even mention personal practice time.)  

A couple weeks before training weekend, though, I remembered to check out Pilatesology and PilatesAnytime.  Both are such amazing resources for Pilates.  I watched a video of Lolita San Miguel instructing teachers on sessions for seniors.  Ms. San Miguel is just amazing.  She's an older woman considered one of the elders for Pilates and she can still perform these movements as beautifully as people much younger.  Every video I watched with her was just so inspiring.  The more I watched from these sites, the more I felt excited to be a part of this.  It's like the spark I needed...just to keep it going and build it to a full-fledged fire.  

So anyway, the weekend came and went.  It was truly exhausting, but also fun.  To add to that, I finally was able to do some in-studio observation.  This was just added fuel to the spark.  Four hours of watching my friend and mentor teach.  It was the last person in the studio that just made me light up.  The person didn't have the most spinal mobility and was fairly new to practice.  What was just so awe-inspiring (for me) was being able to see when things "clicked."  It isn't always intuitive or easy to "get" an upper abdominal curl or lengthen / broaden the spine / chest.  Sometimes it's even more basic than that--it's having someone able to pick up one hand and an opposite foot.  There were just beautiful moments in this session where the first repetition was awkward, but the third was practically perfect.  The person left with a smile--never a bad way to end a long day. 

The hardest part about observing was just itching to actually get on the reformer or the Cadillac and get in a workout.  It kind of made me miss the days when I could do so much more.  One day...maybe...I can get back the strength and flexibility I had.  If not the same level, at least closer.  I'm seriously considering buying a Wunda chair for home.  It's small enough that I'm sure I can find a place for it and versatile enough that I can do a lot with it.  I'm sure I could find a volunteer to come over and be given free sessions as I practice teaching on the apparatus.

There is just so much to think about.  Not only is it trying to amass the requisite hours for certification and the eventual testing out; it's also thinking what comes next.  Where do I teach (obviously, at least some time at my certifying studio--that's kind of a given if she'll have me)?  When do I teach?  It leads to bigger questions like:  Do I even care / want my "traditional" corporate job?  What if I want more by having less?  

Like I said...lots to think about and thoughts best addressed little by little another day.  

Burnside Tunic - Part 1

I completely forgot I meant to post about my progress on this.  I started into a project for myself.  Yes, this one is entirely meant for me from the start.  It isn't one of the many other projects that (IMHO) turned out too horribly to gift, but I hold no shame and happily wear the monstrosities.  

But anyway....I purchased the pattern and yarn over the summer.  I have no idea why I thought this would at all be easy or quick.  I am not a fan of knitting cables.  It must be the success I had with my oldest's sweater that gave me an over-inflated confidence.  I mean, that sweater had a cable on each side of the cardigan front.  How much more difficult could this be with it's 82 zillion cables.  OK, so it isn't quite that many, but I think it's close.

It's worked in the round until about sleeve level when the front and back are worked flat (separately).  Once the front and back are done, it's bound together and then the cowl-inspired collar is worked in the round once the stitches are picked up.  I'm a bit intimidated by it, but trying to take it one section at a time.  The bottom ribbing was pretty easy...not much to k2p2 once you've even made an attempt to knit.  The body section I'm working know is where all the cables come into play.    I think I'm about halfway through this section (right before it goes to working flat).

Here are a couple pics of progress.  It's a charcoal grey (almost black), even though it looks lighter.  this one is of the front (or back).  It's tough to see the cables very well, but you get the idea.  

This one is view of the how the sides look.  Again, cables, but not as intricate as the front / back.  

I'll try to post more next time I pick it up and make some progress.  Of course, it probably won't fit or it won't look right, but I'll worry about that if / when it's finally finished.