YOU GOTTA ASK YOURSELF..................

How aware am I? What thoughts are running through my head? How are these thoughts impacting my body?

As a Pilates teacher I train myself and others to connect their mind and body every day. It never ceases to amaze me how many and varied experiences are from day to day and from individual to individual. Every individual is different and every day brings with it new and exciting challenges to the individual and so because of this there is a wealth of knowledge and understanding about the mind and body just waiting to be tapped into. Circumstance, upbringing, society, culture and environment are all variables in this understanding and more and more I am discovering that the only constant is the Pilates Principles themselves.

The Genius of these principles lies in the learning, applying and experience of them. These simple experiences lead to discoveries about the mind and body that hold untold power to change wellness and quality of life. My aim is to provide the environment for these experiences to occur and to educate why these changes are important. I have found that the experience itself and the power to articulate this experience are both needed especially when dealing with muscles in the body and thoughts. Both the thoughts and the inner workings of the muscles from the outside are quite intangible and it is both in the feeling and the understanding that the answers lie.

You may have heard that you can know something but only when you experience it can it have the power to change you. This is true but you also need to know what you are experiencing so this change can occur.

Joseph Pilates quite cleverly invented 8 principles that can be applied both physically and mentally hence the nick name for Pilates being the intelligent exercise. Yogi’s and martial artists have been applying philosophies both physically and mentally for centuries but Western Society needed a discipline that spoke its language and I believe that is why Pilates is so popular today.
Awareness is the first Pilates Principle and seems like an obvious ability we should all have but it is a skill and like any skill it must be honed. We all exist with different levels of awareness, we are aware of different things and many factors influence this. It is the awareness of self that we lack in our society due to the daily bombardment T.M.I. (TOO MUCH INFORMATION) Our brains are only able to process a small amount of information, when all the information is being fed from outside of us it is any wonder we find it hard to be aware of what going on inside our minds and our bodies.

With all this in mind (the why) I would now like you to fully experience the first Pilates principle Awareness (the how) both mentally and physically. These questions you can practice asking yourself every day and by doing this you will start to see your mental and physical awareness change and grow. How aware am I? What thoughts are running through my head? How are these thoughts impacting my body?

Do these questions mean more? You are different now to when you first began reading this article. Imagine how different you are from one moment to the next and from day to day. It is simply that we need to ask ourselves these questions more, genius lies in simplicity.
By Heidi-Ann

Email heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au or phone 04333 76657 for a copy of Voice Pilates

Heidi-Ann invokes "A moment of realisation" at Portarlington Primary school where teachers experience first hand new Body and Mind Awareness.


What is Voice Pilates?

Voice Pilates is an Audio Pilates Manual that trains in the Pilates Principles and Technique. It comes in CD format and can be downloaded to the laptop or PC or even listened to on the CD player in your car, it can be used anytime and anyplace to reconnect the mind to the body through simple listening. Ideal for sedentary desk jobs!

What will it do?
· Voice Pilates provides the tools for people through simple listening to understand and use their bodies in a more economical way.
· It is designed to release stress and tension in the muscles and mind through simple reconnection exercises that can be done at the desk.
· It also trains people to use their deep abdominals whilst sitting to take the pressure off the lower back.
· Voice Pilates invokes a relaxed state designed to clear the cluttered mind and refocus the individual.
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I have designed Desk and Voice Pilates to teach all people (no matter what their fitness level) to apply Pilates to every aspect of life and all exercise routines. Desk and Voice Pilates is designed to give the power back to the individual so that they are able to train themselves to become master of their own body and mind and to use both mind and body to achieve their FULL POTENTIAL........
Heidi-Ann
Email heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au or phone 04333 76657 for a copy of Voice Pilates or to get Desk Pilates Seminar to come to you

DESK PILATES SEMINAR AND VOICE PILATES

“Ergonomics for the Mind and Body”

Learn how to apply the Pilates Technique and the 8 Pilates principles your day to truly change habits that impede well being. PILATES DESIGNED TO BE DONE Any where anytime is the answer to you and your daily comfort. This answer lies within the body and not a foot stall or pillow.
The Desk Pilates Seminar and VOICE PILATES by Heidi-Ann from “Pilates And The City” will teach you that you can switch on your core muscles while you sit breathe more deeply, change postural habits that impede performance and learn to truly relax. The Seminar is 30-45 minutes in length and is an introduction to Desk Pilates Live and Audio Program.

During the Seminar you will learn to apply “The 8 Pilates Principles”
Awareness/ Centring/ Balance/ Concentration/Breathing/ Relaxation/Fluidity of Movement/Quality of Movement
Education in these principles enhances Mind and Body effectiveness and encourages staffs realization of their full potential, physically and mentally.

Email heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au or Phone 0487319610 for a copy of Voice Pilates or to get Desk Pilates Seminar to come to you.

Leaving Your Soul At The Door

I asked you in the last article to ask yourself the question of intent when you exercise and answer like nobody was watching. With that same abandon and honesty I want you to ask yourself that same question of intent when it comes to going to work every day or before you start what ever it is you do everyday. What are the thoughts that go through your head when your feet first hit the floor or when you sit at your desk first thing in the morning?
In my early acting days in London I spent many hours in varying corporate roles. I look back now and realise all these jobs gave me the experience and knowledge for running my own company but at the time I believed I was just filling a gap in money and time between theatre jobs.
I didn’t realise until much later on that if I had only been totally present more of the time, how much more value I would have received out of these seemingly mundane jobs. The question is how do we be totally present and more importantly what are the thoughts that lead to this state of being. Actually the answer to that question is not deliberate thought at all. Think about when you have been on holiday, the sun seems brighter and the sky bluer, inspiration seems to ooze out of you and you come back with changed outlook intent on changing your life. What happens? This flow of inspirational thoughts stop as soon as Monday morning comes around and you seem again to be stuck in the thought pattern of "I must do this" and "I haven’t got enough time" and "Everybody wants a piece of me". Why do you think Richard Branson office is a hammock on his Island, so inspiration can flow freely though his billionaire mind and body. However we must remember that he was not born on that Island and I am sure there where many mundane jobs he had to inspire himself through with what I call the “Tropical Island Mentality.”
Many of us leave our souls at the door when we enter the work place, we feel that if it’s outside it will be protected and we won’t lose it in the seemingly cold corporate world. However our soul/spirit (if you believe) or true self is integral to the full experience of life and being present. So how can we bring our true self back into the work place without it being subject to abuse? Simple, we spend a little time sitting with our true self’s for a few moments each day; we do this by simply stopping, acknowledging where we are and taking the moment in. This simple acknowledgment puts unlimited value on your true self and validates your life in an instant. We can also ask ourselves everyday who are we really dealing with, not a cold corporate machine but lots of people just like us. If we stop take a moment to really give our attention to every person who we come into contact with everyday we really start to see them and ourselves more clearly. We realise that in every moment in every person there is something wonderful to discover about ourselves and our world.
This is the “Holiday” or “Tropical Island Mentality”, this is how we bring our whole selves body and soul to the game every day. This is true fulfilment and contentment whoever, where ever we are in our life. By Heidi-Ann

WHAT IS CORPORATE DESK PILATES? To combat high turnover from staff dissatisfaction and huge losses in revenue due to absenteeism “Pilates And The City” is implementing an exciting new Pilates Program designed to be done at the employee’s desk. This program consists of a combination and audio and live sessions that are designed to revolutionise back health and transform the symptoms of sedentary syndrome forever. Live sessions engage and inspire staff to a greater level of mind and body awareness and the Voice Pilates audio download provides the tools to maintain this transformation.

TO INSPIRE YOUR WORK FORCE TO BRING THEIR SOULS TO WORK EVERYDAY OR YOURSELF FOR THAT MATTER, LEARN MORE ABOUT DESK AND VOICE PILATES and become my friend of face book.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Heidi-Ann-Frick/1732037603
EMAIL: heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au to order your copy of Voice Pilates or book in your DESK PILATES Session.

PILATES AND THE CITY ALL NEW DESK PILATES CORPORATE PROGRAM
Sedentary Syndrome (sitting at desks for long periods of time) is one of the leading causes in staff absenteeism and dissatisfaction. Human beings are not meant to be stationary for long periods of time, we know that. Also chairs were not designed with the back in mind as they disable the core muscles and put pressure on the smaller muscle groups. These facts are no secret and until now there hasn’t been a solid solution for this problem.
Enter Desk and Voice Pilates an easy fun interactive and educational program on reactivating the core at the core, so to speak of the problem. A Pilates Program designed to be done at Employees desks. How? Postural, Visualisation and Relaxation techniques designed by Body Awareness expert Heidi-Ann Frick.This program goes where other work place Yoga and Pilates sessions have never gone before into the office at the desk and into the minds of the corporate professional. The desk is where the problems occur and only at the desk can these be resolved not on a vacant meeting room floor.

WHAT IS CORPORATE DESK AND VOICE PILATES?

• Voice Pilates is provides the tools for people through simple listening to understand and use their bodies in a more economical way.
• It is designed to release stress and tension in the muscles and mind through simple reconnection exercises that can be done at the desk.
• It also trains people to use their deep abdominals whilst sitting to take the pressure off the lower back.
• Voice Pilates also includes a relaxation download designed to clear the cluttered mind and refocus the individual.

Voice Pilates Ultimate Package features 8 live sessions for all your staff. They are 20-40 minutes in length and can be booked at your company’s convenience.
The Live Sessions are taken by Heidi-Ann and are truly transformational in their content. The live sessions are designed specifically to open the mind of the employer to give them the power to transform their performance in work and life.

TO INSPIRE YOUR WORK FORCE OR YOURSELF , LEARN MORE ABOUT DESK AND VOICE PILATES, BECOME MY FRIEND ON FACEBOOK.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Heidi-Ann-Frick/1732037603
EMAIL: heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au to order your copy of Voice Pilates or book in your DESK PILATES Session

Why Do We Exercise?

Why do you exercise? Now I want you to answer that question as if nobody’s watching. My answer to that question has been different at different times of my life but my enjoyment of it has always been directly related to my answer to this question. I exercise now to teach and earn a living but I also enjoy it. Why do I enjoy it, well, there is a story behind that, a story that directly relates my relationship with exercise and myself. I wasn’t always fit, Shock horror! A Pilates teacher wasn’t always fit, good heavens I imagined her performing a Jete’as she came out of her mother and dropping to the floor in first position. For those of you who didn’t beg their mum for ballet lessons when they where a wee lass or boy, those are terms used to describe a graceful type of jump and a way of holding your feet.
At the tender age of three I said “Mummy I want to do ballet” and she made it so, a year later I was over it and said ‘Mummy I don’t want to do ballet anymore” and she made it so. Well I thought I gave it a good try and it wasn’t for me, 12 months is a life time to a three year old. Ten years later I would still be asked if I was a dancer (secretly loving it ) as I would subconsciously hold my feet in first position as I waited for the school bus.
Early experiences have a huge affect on us especially when it comes to exercise and the way that we use our body. It took me 5 years of Pilates to turn my feet back the right way and loose the dancer walk also known as the daffy duck walk.
It also took me that long to realise that experiences even that far back still affected the way in which I used my body. You see the body is an expression of the mind. No thought goes unnoticed by the body. Which is why I ask the question why do you exercise? The answer to this question may reveal something to you about your present relationship with yourself. I decided I wanted to do ballet, the experience of it was far different to how I thought it would be and so I stopped. At three years old I can’t remember what I was thinking, probably, knowing myself now I just wanted to be on stage and jump about the place and feel beautiful, I didn’t realise their where rules involved. These rules put me off the exercise entirely (sound familiar). Being made to do something or use the body in a way in which mentally doesn’t make sense to you immediately sends the brain into rebellion mode.
Dancing began as a form of human expression to celebrate life, at the end of the day people would gather round the fire and tell stories of their adventures with their bodies. Performing and rules didn’t come into it and if there were certain ways of dancing this was because dancing was a type of language and certain moves would be used as ways of describing events so other tribes members would understand. At the tender age of three I understood this as I had no experience of the world’s expectations of me and so in tune with my instincts. I am not saying that Ballet itself is wrong; it too was developed to tell stories. The great actor and coach Stanislavski said
“Love art in yourself and not yourself in art." In other words, don’t do anything just to show off! Do it to enjoy and understand you. Relating to the subject of exercise know what your intentions are. Your intentions are your experience and if they do not come from a place of excitement and happiness, the true result will not be realized. What is the result we want from doing anything? To be happier and if the intention for exercise does not come from a happy place, if we exercise because we have to, we have lost the battle before we have even begun. So "thank you mum", for letting me be a quitter because without the option to quite we would never try anything. So my point here is to try everything until you find something you like, something which expresses the art/soul/true person whatever you want to call it, in you.
Exercise to celebrate and honour the body and never to condemn or punish it!
It just makes sense.

By Heidi-Ann