I try to follow a few rules to stay true to my work and profession. In so doing, here are a few takeaway’s from the three notable teacher’s I had the honor of experiencing in the first two weeks of November. I feel so lucky and honored to be able to absorb the extra bits of texture and detail they sprinkled all around.
Teacher’s Rules
The Teachers Rules are applicable to any teacher of any discipline. The rules are in bold and serve as a short and simple mantra. My added thoughts appear below appear below each of the four.
- Own your craft
Do your own work regularly. Like teeth, nails and hair, schedule personal time to deepen your own practice. It makes you a better teacher and keeps your body true to the form. - Explore and Expand
Train with other teachers. Older and wiser the better. Widen your perspective. Explore and expand outside of your boundaries to put depth into your teaching. - Support and Serve
Our business is one of service to maintaining the health and vitality of students and clients. It’s a not a way to make a million dollars. Teachers give their heart and soul to connect with students. The value of the work is almost impossible to be repaid. I am a Pilates Teacher and as such I am proud to serve as conduit for healing, movement and life. - Replenish your Spirit
We live in an age of Xanax. Anxiety, depression and mental health issues abound. Even after I do my personal Pilates work in the studio, and especially after teaching 3-4 sessions, I remove myself from the space and seek another alternative release in the air, light and elements that allows me to ground myself, pause, breathe and replenish my head and heart and body. Painting, knitting, biking, running, dancing, singing whatever it takes. It is part of my maintenance plan approach.
Blossom Leilani Crawford
It seems to me, after having taken several workshops with Blossom Leilani Crawford (BLC), (here, here and here for more), that both Kathy Stanford Grant (KSG) and BLC developed a gifted, mixed approach to teaching. Clearly both were deeply immersered in the classical method and yet, equally 
comfortable exploring alternatives to achieving the re-alignment, re-energizing and re-freshing of the body, minds or spirit in front of them.
BLC states that KSG always stood back and watched ‘what is’ first then she addressed the client to align and correct. BLC teaches the same way and gloriously uses boards, balls, widgets and gum, if necessary, to fill the void in connection. They seem to be most creative in the use of finding whatever it takes to support, serve and heal the bodies that presented themselves. Taking a very classical approach to the system and apparatus and freely applying a contemporary tool, if necessary, to the student. A wholesome blend.
Reformer Refresh 11.5.17
I love Blossom’s encouragement and stylistic eye in teaching. She uses subtle twists and shifts as a challenge; turning an old exercise around on its head, to make it brand new. For example, when the alignment and execution is spot on for a particular body, Blossom asks, “why not try to challenge the body with a reversal of the movement, an inverse of the exercise, a twist or shift of the challenge.” Keeping the fire on.
I immediately practiced employing a few of these twists, shifts and variations in my own work and that of a few special clients. Watch for these texture changes in the months ahead.
- KSG Arm Circles
- KSG Swan on reformer
- KSG Rowing
- KSG Around the world with Gondola
- KSG Mermaid/ Cleopatra
- KSG Side Situp
Susan Moran Sheehy
My body learned Pilates through consistent work with Susan and the Teacher Training program she built at Power Pilates in the early 2000s.
I jumped at the chance to join in a trio session workout with Juliet Harvey and Susan just because it’s been so many years that I’ve had the chance to be with both powerful women, in the same room at the same time. These are the two that changed my life with a Beginner Mat Teacher’s Certification program in 2002.
Teacher Pro Trio Session 11.9.17
Having just finished the workshop with BLC, as above, I now recognized the source of several variations in Susan’s work and teaching that I have enjoyed throughout the years. We worked on the reformer and she used KSG arms prior to the Hundred. In fact, with the BLC Reformer Refresh workshop so fresh in my mind, I was much more aware of how resonate many of the KSG BLC variations were during our session hour.
No surprise with that. Simply delight! I fell in love with Pilates because of the energy, movement and flow of Susan’s style. It was always like a dance. Her rhythym moved me then and now.
Jerome Weinberg
I jumped at the opportunity to just sit and listen to whatever Jerome Weinberg had to say and encouraged two other friends to join me. A Level 2 Romana’s Pilates Teacher of Teacher’s, True Pilates NYC, Jerome has an absolute lightness of spirit. It is clear he enjoys being in his skin and is a lover of movement. Several times during the workshop, his words or laugh brought him to a song phrase or a dance step. As I said, he had a light, patient, and joyous spirit.
There were no notes, no paper and he didn’t distribute any handouts. That worked completely for me, as he was oblivious and non-caring about our “visual note-taking” with the camera phones. Jerome worked from head to toe on the common injuries of the populace, and walked the group of 20+ thru the Pilates system’s progressive use of therapeutic exercises on and off the apparatus to address the ‘healing’ of the body.
He graciously expanded my “tool kit” with a number of additional asynchronous movements for all the parts within us that need attention, adjusting and healing.
- Shoulder Joint
- Wrist joint
- Scoliosis imbalances
- Hip
- Knee
Injury Therapeutics 11.11.17
He admonished and reminded the group of the value of Pilates as a ‘healing methodology’ not simply as an exercise discipline. Pilates Moves. Movement Heals. As stated in the Teacher’s Rules above, Pilates Teachers serve as conduit for healing, movement and life.
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Gina Jackson, is a classically trained Pilates Teacher and has been teaching along the Gold Coast of Hudson and Bergen County, NJ for the past fifteen+ years.
Certified by Power Pilates of New York, Gina has trained with Master Teachers Bob Liekens, Susan Moran and Brett Howard; loved workshop training with Cary Regan and Blossom Leilani-Crawford and has particularly enjoyed listening to the personal stories as told by Pilates Elders, Kathy Grant and Lolita San Miguel.
An active teacher and blogger, Gina manages a private personal training business supporting a myriad of clients, teaching all to honor their health, strength and life with the principles of Pilates at its core.