With her permission, I’m sharing Suzanne’s story to offer some encouragement this Breast Cancer Awareness month.
She recently wrote, “I owe you big time!…You instilled in me the importance of continuing to practice and move correctly.”
Suzanne has been practicing Pilates for over 18 years now.
That foundation really helped her recently.
A mammogram earlier this year showed a few scattered calcium deposits and after biopsies, Suzanne had to have a mastectomy. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything in the lymph nodes and all cancer removed.
The incredible thing was that 6 weeks after a mastectomy she was back to class and had full range of motion!!!
Suzanne said “I think it was because I was in good shape before the surgery. And thanks to you teaching me the importance of movement everywhere will pay off in the end! So true for me.”
Suzanne is healing well and taking medication but fortunately didn’t have to have chemo or radiation.
Suzanne also said she “will keep up her Pilates practice hopefully another 18 years because as you know, when you rest you rust!”
As a cautionary tale, Suzanne strongly advises not to skip your annual mammogram. Her spots happened in less than a year.
I hope Suzanne’s story encourages you to take care of yourself with regular checkups and to stay active and keep moving! It might pay off in ways you couldn’t have expected!
Wow, it’s been six years since starting the Newsletter and blog! The website now has 81 articles on over 20 different Pilates, Yamuna and health and wellness categories. If there is something you want to look up, you have a free Pilates library at your fingertips 24/7!
You can find information on a variety of topics including…
Have even more exciting articles planned for you, but if there is a topic that has yet to be addressed or a burning questions you have, please let me know. Happy to cover it in a future issue. Just leave a comment below to share your ideas.
To celebrate, the newsletter is highlighting a couple of articles about “Pilates: The Man and The Method” and some of his inventions that you may never have heard of.
Wishing you a Happy Pilates Day ~
Every Day!
Pilates: The Man and The Method
Did you know that Pilates didn’t call his exercises Pilates? To find out what Mr. Pilates called his system, check out the article here.
Mr. Pilates thought his work was 50 years ahead of its time. And that proved to be true.
Pilates Day and the Lost Equipment
Even if you have practiced Pilates for a while, you may not have ever used a “breath-a-cizer” or a head harness.
Did you know Pilates even invented a bed!
If you would like to check out some of the more rare pieces of equipment, please read this short article here.
“The use of a good stiff brush…stimulates circulation, thoroughly cleans OUT the pores of the skin and removes dead skin too.”*
~ Joseph Pilates
The first way Pilates likes to detox is of course with breathing.
You may be familiar with his quote “to ‘squeeze’ every atom of impure air from your lungs.”**
But besides breathing, I want to focus on something Pilates taught that you may not have heard before.
Pilates was actually into brushing the skin.
We brush our teeth and our hair. Why not our skin? It is our biggest organ.
A few of the purported benefits of skin brushing are:
Stimulates circulation
Improves Lymphatic flow
Softens skin
Helps with cellulite
If we can give our skin a little brush, makes sense that might help our overall health too.
Pilates was pretty serious about brushing and there are stories that he would even enter into the showers at the studio and make sure everyone was brushing. Yikes!
And as you can imagine, everyone was sure to diligently brush.
Pilates recommended a brush without a handle so you would have to contort to reach all the places.
And with a “good stiff brush” he did call it a “‘Spartan-like’ treatment”. ***
The practice of skin brushing dates back thousands of years to the Egyptians.
But other cultures practiced brushing as well including the Greeks, Chinese and Indian (who developed Ayurvedic medicine).
I’m not sure if Pilates picked up the idea for skin brushing from the ancient Indian practice or from the Greeks or Chinese. Or perhaps they all influenced him.
While you don’t have to do a Spartan treatment, here are a few tips:
Skin brushing can be done wet or dry.
Dry brushing is considered to have more benefits or be more effective than wet brushing.
Try brushing in shower before you turn on the water. Then the shower can rinse off the dead skin cells.
Use gentle pressure or light strokes.
Lots of information is available online about skin brushing. If you would like a specific recommendation you might check out – this youtube channel by a Lymphedema Physical Therapist to learn more about how to properly skin brush for your health.
One more important tip:
Despite Mr. Pilates advice of a good stiff brush…
if you have sensitive skin or mature skin (skin does get thinner with age and more susceptible to tearing and bleeding), you can use a washcloth instead of a stiff brush.
If you have a wound, blood clot, rash, sunburn, psoriasis, eczema, area of active cancer or other skin condition, obviously you would not want to skin brush.
As always, please be sure to check with your medical professional before starting any new health routine.
Hope you have fun detoxing the Pilates way and practicing a little spring cleaning for the body!
Happy Spring!
With Best Wishes Always,
Shannon
*Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 20.
**Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 12.
***Pilates, Joseph H. and William John Miller. Return to Life Through Contrology. Pilates’ Primer: The Millennium Edition. Presentation Dynamics, republished 1998, p 21.
Just last month I shared the annual fitness trends. If you missed it, you can catch the article here.
It’s only February and already there are more amazing technological advancements to share.
You may have seen this in the news. Elon Musk’s Neuralink implanted it’s first brain chip into a human! This neural implant apparently decodes “movement intention”. If you would like to read more, here is an article from the BBC on the topic.
February is American Heart Month and it also happens to be the 100 year anniversary of the American Heart Association.
They are celebrating this year by renewing focus on CPR training and teaching as many people as possible this lifesaving skill. If you would like to learn CPR, here is a list of classes with the American Red Cross.
Also, World Encephalitis Day is happening this month. If you would like to get involved, you can learn more here. Or you can show your support in other ways, like wearing red on Thursday, February 22.
February is a busy month! In addition to Black History Month, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, here are a few lesser known events that you may want to celebrate:
