WORKSHOPS MARCH
I would like to thank all our beautiful clients for their love and passion of Pilates. Also welcome all the new clients and I look forward to chatting to all!!!
Look out for our new upcoming workshops. Mums & Bubs, Finding your Core and Seniors.
Mums & Bubs Workshop
Friday 9th March 11:30am
Excelsia Studios Erina
7 week program $132.00
Mums and Bubs, join us this Friday for the complimentary introductory class.
Get to know your Mummy body in our 7 week program.
Our special “Mums and Bubs” classes have been designed to focus on safety and recovery. The classes are run by Liz Chamas our Training and Education
Officer.
During Pregnancy women can develop weakness in their stomach muscles and back/core stability – this is because the body adapts to the shift in the centre of
gravity, primarily due to the added weight in the abdominal and pelvic regions.
After delivery back pain and injury can be a significant problem because of the repeated bending, lifting and carrying associated with child rearing.
FINDING YOUR CORE WORKSHOP With LIZ CHAMAS
Sunday 11th March 10:30am-12pm
Excelsia Studios Erina
Cost $39 Bookings online
Ever wonder exactly what Pilates teachers are talking about when we say connect to your core? Come and do our workshop and find out exactly what your core means! Everyone knows it’s a really good idea to have a strong one, but why?
Liz will “lift the hood” and explain what muscles are involved, how to find your neutral spine and most importantly how to engage your core properly. After
“lifting the hood” Liz will then take you through a Pilates mat class where you can put into practice everything you have learnt!
This is a fun interactive way to learn more about how amazing your body is and go deeper into your Pilates workouts.
Who can come? Anyone. You might do 4 classes a week or you may have never done a Pilates class before. The workshop is for anyone who wants to
know more about connecting to their centre, reduce back pain, increase muscle tone and strength or generally just move better!
Bring a yoga mat and wear comfy clothes you can move in. We do have a limited number of yoga mats available so let us know if you would like us to put
one aside for you.
Seniors Workshop
Wednesday 14th March 10:45am
Join our 7 week Seniors class where we modify exercises to meet differing needs, along with the many benefits of the Pilates method, such as increased levels of
strength, balance, flexibility, muscle tone, stamina, and well-being, make Pilates an inviting senior exercise program. After all, Joseph Pilates practiced his method into his eighties.
HAPPY FEBRUARY
Welcome Everyone to our February Newsletter. Many wonderful events happening this month and some fantastic community engagement and support.
Liz Chamas will be speaking at the local Soar Collective Women’s B2B at Margarita Daze next Tuesday.
Keep on going with your incredible journey and goals, whatever that means to you personally and know the whole team at Excelsia are here 100% backing
you and cheering you on the whole entire way.
Stay driven, stay determined and stay on that grind. Most importantly talk to us if you need some advice or help achieving your goals. May February be so full of love, joy and good health.
Excelsia Studios Team xx
We are so excited to announce a special offer for our members.
This Saturday 17th February.
Our members get 20% off at Lorna Jane
Erina Fair between 12pm and 4pm. ES community need to quote 0487785465
Liz’s Section
Pilates Principals
Like all movement disciplines, in Pilates we have principals of movement.
Joseph Pilates drew from many different sources of inspiration such as martial arts, yoga, dance, as well as his personal research and experience to create
the Pilates principals.
He had 3 main Principals, breath, whole body commitment and whole body health.
Over time the Pilates elders committed to the following 6 Principals in order to preserve and embody Joe’s work. He spoke of them in every time he taught
and wrote about them depth in his books. Different schools of contemporary Pilates have expanded on these ideas but the concepts remain the same.
Breath
Concentration
Centre
Control
Precision
Flow
The March workshop is all about our centre. Finding Your Core! Lets keep with the theme and explore the third Pilates Principal, Centre.
The centre or centering is all about connecting to the powerhouse, or our primary core muscles. Connecting to our centre is the foundation of all Pilates
movements.
At the deepest centre of our body is our Spinal Cord. The Spinal Cord is the highway for communication between the body and the brain. When the spinal
cord is injured, the exchange of information between the brain and other parts of the body is disrupted. Maintaining a healthy centre (or core) means having a
strong neurological connection to the rest of our sensors.
A strong centre also enables us to have more power in our limbs and control over all of our movements.
But it’s not just about strengthening your core muscles. It can simultaneously mean centering yourself, finding balance. Finding balance within each movement, within the Pilates session, within the day and so on.
“My strength comes from my abdomen. It’s the centre of gravity and the source of real power.”
Bruce Lee
SOAR COLLECTIVE IS COMING TO THE CENTRAL COAST!
Central Coast with Liz Chamas
Tuesday 20th February 7-9pm
Margarita Daze, Umina NSW
ES Community mention ‘Excelsia’ for 50% off
Join us for an evening of networking and honest conversation about our business highs and lows. We’ll have guest speakers, the opportunity to meet and mingle with the likeminded passionate and driven women that make up our community, and to make real connections while enjoying some delicious food and a glass of wine – and you’ll walk away with our signature gift bag.
About our guest speaker: Liz Chamas
Liz is an internationally accredited Pilates Teacher and Movement Educator. She is passionate about teaching people to find movement without pain, women’s health and helping people reach their fitness and life goals.
Along with being a Movement Educator Liz has owned, co- founded and managed several businesses, is a mum and a perpetual life balance seeker.
Liz is on a mission to help empower women to feel confident in their skin and find balance between life and work.
About Soar Collective
Our mission is to connect, inspire and support Australia’s businesswomen of calibre, through our online community, authentic regional networking events and our annual conference, SoarCon.
FINDING YOUR CORE WORKSHOP with LIZ CHAMAS
Sunday 11th March 10:30am-12pm
Excelsia Studios Erina
Cost $39 Bookings online
Ever wonder exactly what Pilates teachers are talking about when we say connect to your core? Come and do our workshop and find out exactly what your core means! Everyone knows it’s a really good idea to have a strong one, but why?
Liz will “lift the hood” and explain what muscles are involved, how to find your neutral spine and most importantly how to engage your core properly. After
“lifting the hood” Liz will then take you through a Pilates mat class where you can put into practice everything you have learnt!
This is a fun interactive way to learn more about how amazing your body is and go deeper into your Pilates workouts.
Who can come? Anyone. You might do 4 classes a week or you may have never done a Pilates class before. The workshop is for anyone who wants to know more about connecting to their centre, reduce back pain, increase muscle tone and strength or generally just move better!
Bring a yoga mat and wear comfy clothes you can move in. We do have a limited number of yoga mats available so let us know if you would like us to put
one aside for you.
GETTING TO THE CORE OF THINGS!
Often in our classes our teachers will refer to your core, your centre, your deep abdominals. So what the hell does that mean exactly?…
When I am training our teachers I refer to this as our Primary Core and often in Pilates we call it the Powerhouse. It is far deeper than your six pack muscles. At it’s deepest layer is the Transverse Abdomens, Multifidus, diaphragm and the Pelvic Floor.
I like to imagine it as a little house or corset for our abdominal organs and lumber spine.
These muscles are the very basis of all of your Pilates sessions. If you can wake up these babies you are going to get much more out of your work out, in fact, more out of life in general.
The good news is you don’t have to break a sweat to activate them. They are all about mindful movement. Take a moment in your next class to tune in before you move.
To activate your core try this.
Lay down on the Reformer (or in bed, I’m all about exercising in bed! ) Settle into a neutral spine as you Inhale relax your body. Exhale activate your pelvic floor by drawing the muscles between your sit bones pubic bone and tail bone together. Like a little diamond shape. As you do this keep your bottom muscles relaxed and make sure you don’t move your spine out of neutral. Inhale relax and release the muscles. Next exhalation activate your pelvic floor and draw your deep belly muscles in towards the centre of your body as though you are gently pulling a drawstring around your waist, pull your corset a little tighter. Make sure you continue to exhale as you do this. Your ribs should naturally move towards each other. Keep your bottom relaxed. Inhale let it all go.
Last exhalation activate pelvic floor, your corset and imagine your spine lengthening! You got it! Now try it on your side or on all fours better yet in plank!
Ask your teacher to guide you through connecting to your core before or after class and look out for our Getting to the core of Pilates workshop coming up in February to really get the most out of your classes.
Here is a little snap of those deep muscles, see how the wrap around like a little corset!