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When you train with Pilates instructors at APOGEE White Plains and Bedford Hills or Power Pilates in New York (both APOGEE Wellness companies), you’re experiencing the teaching of Susan Moran. In 1995, Susan and Howard Sichel started Power Pilates, which quickly grew to include teacher education as well as individual and group client training. Now, Power Pilates is the leading educator of classical Pilates in the world. All of the Pilates instructors at APOGEE are trained in Power Pilates; in all, 7,000 Pilates instructors around the world are trained graduates. Susan continues to teach weekly classes in Manhattan, as well as lead workshops and instruct at industry events.

Pilates is a trend that never goes away. Why is it so enduring?

Susan: People begin taking classes because Pilates will give them the flat abs, improved posture and increased flexibility that they want. But they keep coming because of the way Pilates makes them feel: I say 30 days of Pilates will change your life because it heals you from the inside out—from a cellular level. People are happier because they feel better—they have more energy and are healthier. Feeling good will never go out of style!

Pilates is known for developing core strength, so why is the motto at Power Pilates “Movement Heals”?

Susan: Pilates exercises build core strength, yes, but primarily Pilates improves the health of the spine. In my early years of teaching I saw people’s health improve because of Pilates. When I was 23 I had a client with a lung disease. After practicing Pilates she went to the doctor and her lung function had increased 20 to 30 percent. Now I know why: The nerves that enervate the muscles and organ systems come from your spine. When you improve the health of your spine, every body system benefits. People breathe better, have improved digestion, endocrine function and more. It’s just like Joseph Pilates said: We have the power to heal ourselves!

Related articles:
Susan Moran teaches The Hundred (video)
Who Was Joseph Pilates?
The Principles of Pilates: Linking Mind and Body

by Jen Pollack
APOGEE Instructor

As a Power Pilates instructor I developed amazing tools to help clients reach their potential. Power Pilates offers such clarity and understanding towards how to truly progress clients. I completed the program with tremendous confidence in teaching clients at all levels. In addition, as a Power Pilates instructor I am inspired by the teacher trainers to continually study and add to the wealth of knowledge I’ve developed from the certification program.

Learn more at Career Night in White Plains on Thursday, August 5.
See the continuing education classes we’ll be offering at APOGEE starting this month.

Perhaps you’ve noticed APOGEE’s offer for 20%-off three private Pilates sessions* and wondered how one-on-one instruction would help you. We asked Lesly Levy, APOGEE’s new director of Pilates and Pilates programming, how private Pilates sessions benefit students who are currently in mat classes. “Private sessions help students connect to the method in a deeper way than in a class situation,” says Levy.

Levy, a senior-level teacher trainer for Power Pilates, says that working one-on-one with a certified instructor will allow you to build a proper foundation with no chance of error or misinterpretation of the instructor’s cues.  “Because Pilates trains the body through interpretation of the mind, for safe and effective advancement it is crucial that the student perform the method correctly,” says Levy.  “During a private session, the teacher will closely monitor your understanding and ability to internalize the important, often subtle, cues that transform the exercises into an experience, a practice.”

Each student brings unique physical strengths and weaknesses to the studio, says Levy. During a private session, the instructor will also assess your personal needs and use all of Joseph Pilates’ apparatus, including the mat and Tower, to help you progress. “Working with springs and against the pull of gravity in a number of different ways will deepen the effect of the method and allow for transformation of the body,” she says.

*Offer expires Oct. 31, 2009. New private Pilates training clients only. One-time use. Some restrictions apply. Sessions must be activated by 12/31/09 and completed within 30 days of activation.

By Deborah Slade, APOGEE Pilates Instructor

You may have heard that there are “different kinds” of Pilates out there. It’s true that you will experience various approaches from studio to studio. As Pilates has moved into the fitness mainstream, Joe Pilates’ original vision has been infused with different styles and philosophies. While there is value in other interpretations of the method, few would argue the importance of continuing to teach and promote the “classical” Pilates tradition, which advocates performing the exercises in the exact manner and sequence prescribed by the master himself, which is how we teach at APOGEE.

What are the fundamental principles of Pilates that define the classical approach?  Pilates is, above all else, a vigorous workout. The main focus is always movement, although it can be modified to complement physical therapy or address chronic illness. It is also holistic. The exercises were designed to be part of a larger system—performed in a progressive sequence without any extraneous motions and with very few repetitions. Each exercise has its own rhythm, details and dynamic and requires tremendous concentration to execute, which is why you’ll rarely hear music in a classical Pilates studio.

Flow is a central element of the original method. The transitions within and between exercises should be seamless and, when done properly, have an artistic, almost choreographic quality. Also, since Joe Pilates designed and redesigned the various apparatus to suit his exercises, teachers of classical Pilates believe it should only be practiced on equipment that honors his original blueprints.

To those who might be concerned that the spirit and vocabulary of Joe Pilates will be forgotten, Dr. Howard Sichel, founder Power Pilates, a classical Pilates training company, and executive vice president of APOGEE Life Style, offers reassurance: “Classical Pilates is so rich in layers and so successful in changing people’s lives that, just like Shakespeare, it will continue to be discovered and embraced by each new generation.”

Dr. Howard Sichel

As you may have heard, APOGEE has a brand-new wellness partner in Power Pilates, a company that has established an international reputation for quality Pilates teacher training and education. At its helm is Dr. Howard Sichel, whom we are delighted to welcome to the APOGEE family.

In the 20 years since its founding, 7,000 teachers in 10 countries have earned their Power Pilates certification. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Dr. Sichel has been one of the driving forces behind bringing Pilates into the health and fitness mainstream. What was once the province of professional dancers is now generally recognized as one of the most effective methods of whole-body conditioning. He is also responsible for the renewed appreciation for the “classical method,” which honors the original philosophies and teachings Joseph Pilates himself.

How did this all come about? “Truthfully, it was out of frustration that I discovered Pilates,” Dr. Sichel admits. An avid sports enthusiast and athlete, he became a chiropractor on the advice of his father and the experience of a mother who “had practically been saved by one.”  But, the more he practiced, the more he recognized his professional limitations. “I could make temporary changes in people’s lives in terms of pain. But, there were no long-term corrections. There needed to be an exercise protocol where people could participate in their own healing.” Master dance instructor Marjorie Perces introduced him to one of Joe Pilates’ earliest protégés, Romana Kryzanowska, and he started referring his patients to her.

The healing powers of movement proved so extraordinary that in 1989, Dr. Sichel integrated a Pilates training studio into his practice. As his clientele grew, so did the need for qualified teachers. So, in 1997, he worked in concert with seasoned instructors Susan Moran-Perich and Bob Liekens to develop a comprehensive classical Pilates teacher certification program that has earned a reputation for producing some of the world’s best-trained instructors.

Dr. Sichel’s adherence to Joe Pilates’ precise method remains steadfast and passionate: “Everything Joe Pilates prescribed is bio-mechanically sound…It never needs to be changed; it just needs to be explained.” As APOGEE’s new Executive Vice President his mission is clear: “My goal is to ensure that every member feels better physically, emotionally and spiritually. If a person really invests in what APOGEE has to offer, I can promise complete success in reversing many of the damaging effects of aging.”

RELATED LINKS
Hear more from Howard in the APOGEE Podcasts