[ Pilates in Singapore ]

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:14:00 +0000

Excellent quadruped position:

"Rethink Your Drink"

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:42:00 +0000

Recently there is a photo going around the internet and it arrived on my Facebook wall:

I would love to give credit to the creator of this picture if I know him/her.

This is a brilliant way to get a clear idea how much sugar is in the crappy drinks! They should really have shown the sugar content in Ribenna and the Vitamin Water!

For teachers and parents, this is a great activity idea. These are what you will need to prepare:
- kitchen scale
- clear plastic bags
- teaspoons (1 teaspoon = 4 grams)
- huge tub of white sugar

As your children to name one of their favourite drink, get them to read the nutrition table on the packaging and weigh out the amount of sugar contained in the drink into the clear plastic bag. Get them to compare the sugar among their drinks.

You can also check this site out for a list of sugar content in the common drinks in Singapore.

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:23:00 +0000

Attended a pilates course recently and met up with many fellow practicitioners.

There are so many new Pilates studios set up lately, I am glad to see the industry blooming, that means people are more aware of the goodness of Pilates. Consumers are really spoilt for choice ^_^

I have updated studio listings, check them out:

Artificial colouring

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:11:00 +0000

I love love love Starbucks' Green Tea Latte, but on my health-conscious days I find it too sweet for my liking and sadly, unlike buying coffee from kopitiam, I can't ask for "siew dai" (less sweet in Hokkien) because apparently it is made with a pre-mixed formula readily loaded with sugar.

To curb my craving in a healthier way, I decided to try my luck and make my own concoction using my Nespresso machine. I bought a pack of premium grade Japanese green tea powder from the supermarket and added 5 teaspoons of powder (which was meant to make 5 cups of tea) into the steamed milk...

The end result, it tasted absolutely delicious, creamy texture with intense green tea fragrant, but...

It just didn't look like the real deal, see the comparison:

I added more and more and more green tea powder (15 teaspoons in total!) but the colour was not even half as green as the Starbucks'... I gave up.

There is no way that Starbucks could have used pure green tea powder as the cost is too high, so I concluded that they have added colouring (lots of it) into my favourite drink! sigh...

And here is an article that confirmed my suspicion, and to make conscience effort to reduce use of chemicals in their products, Starbucks use insect-based ingredients to make their drink colourful and attractive. I am really not sure if I should be happy to know that the colouring is now more "natural", because given a choice I wouldn't consume insect for its brilliant colour...

The amount of chemicals from artificial favourings, preservatives and colouring we consume daily is horrifying. You just can't run away from it, they are everywhere be it cheap or expensive food sources. These kind of additives are added liberally just to make the products more competitive and lucrative. Many studies show links between consuming food additives to diseases like hyperactivity in children, skin allergies, asthma and even cancers. How can we not fall sick if we keep pumping in harmful chemicals into our bodies?!

Why can't they leave a simple drink to look simply the way it is??

Movements? Children know best.

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:51:00 +0000

Charles often demonstrates "Pilates moves" in his playtime. Inverted V, plank, leg pull etc. It's not easy to capture his movements on camera because those movements take place so naturally and quickly. Here are few rare shots that captured Charles in "Swan" and "Single leg kick" positions, look at that beautiful extension throughout the spine ^_^:

Healthy children are born with natural instinct to move their body efficiently, and in the way the body is really designed for. Remember the graceful somative movements seen in the video in my post "The Forgotten Fundamentals"? Moving efficiently can be viewed in terms of whole body coordination or in terms of specific skilled movements (Booth et al., 1997; Clough, McCormack, & Trail, 1993). It is very important for children to retain this ability to move efficiently for long term engagement and also enjoyment in physical activity throughout whole life span.

However, as the pressure to excel in school increases, children are spending more and more time sitting down reading and doing homework. Of course academic and cognitive development in children is very important for the competitive world today, but the implication of sitting for longer duration is that poor posture is often developed in these otherwise healthy children, causing them to lose the ability to move efficiently. This can possibly reduce their enjoyment in being active and in sports performance, and many children grow up as sedentary adults. The rest is then history and we know that inactivity among adults is now epidemic.

I will be sharing more of what I read and learn about movement development in children. Meanwhile, let your kids have as much opportunity to be active as possible. Tumbling on the grassfield, having ball of a time in all kinds of ball games, or even just hopping around the house... more importantly, parents are really children's best friends and teachers that we have to be involved. Jump and hop silly with them, run and laugh in the park... Through these activities, not only we can emotionally bond with our kids and improve our own health, we are actually helping them associate physical activities to the warm feeling of being loved and being happy...all so important to make being physically active an enjoyable experience for a life time.

There are many ways to add fun physical activities in our daily life. What do you do with your kids?

Special Core Training

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 07:04:00 +0000

Physical and skills development for Charles has always been our top priority. ^_^

Challenge to this exercise can be increased by shifting the supporting surface away from the centre of torso. Maybe next time we will ask Charles to rest only his heels and top of his head on the wood stumps.

Closure of Planet Earth Pilates

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:15:00 +0000

I have closed my studio. Exactly ONE YEAR AGO.

Sorry if I took longer than expected to announce this on P-Latte. It was not easy for me to recover from the heartache of shutting down something which I have put so much effort and time (not to mention $$) in. In fact, I was like a cowardly ostrich and was not motivated to talk about it.

You may wonder why was the studio closed, well, in short and cliche, due to partnership problems.

The history was, Planet Earth was meant to be P-Latte Studio and was really meant to be the manifestation of my passion and love for movement and should have been operated by myself. My very close Uni-mate cum ex-boss, pleaded me to combine my studio with his organic food business. His wife called me and told me how devastated he was when I rejected the idea. In the end, I joined the partnership.

I gave up the 800-square feet dream-unit overlooking the greenery of MacRitchie for a 2100 sq.feet office space in order to house the organic biz. In the end, some partners did not do what they were supposed to do, they point fingers at each other for low revenue and slow growth. They felt that the only salaried staff aka me (as they all continued their full time, stable day-job), was not doing everything under the sun as they assumed I would. They felt that I should not only teach Pilates, but also to man the organic shop, wash toilets, water the plants, housekeep, stock-take, do sales calls and even deliver. In reality, I simply couldn't do all those all at the same time.

When the biz ran low on cash flow, they stop paying me the monthly salary as promised, claiming that I could take the revenue of Pilates classes in return. Then suddenly they demanded rental for my studio space. And suddenly they were closing their organic biz and asked me to take over their shop space if I wished to continue my studio, however I would need to pay them a reasonable "take-over" fee.

I was hoping to find a solution to be able to afford the rental of the huge extra space, but yet again, another "surprise" came suddenly from the landlord who called me the day before Christmas eve in 2010, our rental unit will be repossessed in 24 hours because my partners had not been paying the rent for months, and I needed to pay the outstanding of $10k or i vacate within 24 hours!

at this nick of time, my partners were uncontactable, they left me alone to settle the issue. They had no sense of urgency, no moral values, no ethics. They had been pocketing the rental I paid them and left me alone to solve all the problems they created!!

At last, after few stressful weeks, I was lucky enough to have found a Church which could take over the rental lease, such that I did not need to pay any penalty. I closed the studio, stored or sold my equipments. Said teary goodbyes to my clients, and finally I broke clean from the "partners" and ended the year-long nightmare.

A precious lesson learnt.

So that was it. The short-lived Planet Earth disappeared.

From then, I was very depressed, beaten and lost. For months, I doubted myself in all aspects: my ability in decision making, my ability in trusting others, my ability in teaching, even my intelligence and my self-esteem; I could not even look at other people in the eyes because of the intense shame and sense of being a loser in me! The whole business experience negatively impacted my emotions, my family well-being and my relationship with my husband...

One year has since passed, I finally got myself up and look at the flipped side of the failed business. I rediscover my strengths and weaknesses, I am more awareness of my blindspots, and most importantly, I learnt that I am surrounded by people who truly believed in me, loved me and supported me. My husband and son who stood by me throughout the year and bear with my endless bouts of unreasonable emotional roller-coasters; great friends who helped me and encouraged me during the most difficult time (like Elsie Tan & Jason Lim); and also clients who showered me with endless understanding, trust, support and loyalty; through this difficult period, I was brought much closer to God and I now understand that there is really a reason for everything that happened. All this happened because it is part of our Master Weaver's plan.

My life is but a weaving
Between the Lord and me;
I may not choose the colors–
He knows what they should be.

For He can view the pattern
Upon the upper side
While I can see it only
On this, the under side.

Sometimes He weaves in sorrow,
Which seems so strange to me;
But I will trust His judgment
And work on faithfully.

‘Tis He who fills the shuttle,
And He knows what is best;
So I shall weave in earnest,
And leave to Him the rest.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needed
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

~~ Author Unknown ~~

Complimentary Trial Class at Elements Pilates

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:18:00 +0000

If you have always wanted to try out Pilates, here is a great "lobang" from Elements Pilates:

1. Complimentary Mat class for Beginners, every Saturday noon.
- As always, Elements Pilates places great emphasis on educating clients on body awareness and important fundamentals on proper movement. In this one hour intro class, be prepared to learn about how to locate body landmarks and how to check your own movements.

2. National Day Promo Reformer trial class @ $46
- Unlike usual trial class which is slightly cheaper but packed with lots of participants, this class intimately contains only TWO students, so you can get all the attention you need from the instructor as a beginner!

Please call or email studio to register in advance to avoid disappointment:

Email: info@elements-pilates.com

Tel: 6720 0178

By the way, this is NOT an advertisement and I receive no rewards or whatsoever from Elements Pilates. I just want to share any good stuff i come across for any one out there who wants to find out more about Pilates. Enjoy! ^_^

Talk - Science of Pilates

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 02:37:00 +0000

I felt in love with the Science Cafe at the Singapore Science Centre when my husband gave a talk there last year. I love the lively, casual interactive ambience that allows interesting discussion among the audience and the speaker.

I am so glad that I am able to host a cafe there too.

SCIENCE OF PILATES

Date: 28th Feb 2011

Time: 7pm

Venue: Singapore Science Centre

I will talk about the background of Pilates and more importantly, the scientific basis of the Pilates Method. I always tell people that I love Pilates because it make so much scientific sense to me. It is constructed based on strong understanding of how the human body is structured and how it moves. The effectiveness of this method is well-known among clinical practitioners and it only requires more research to be done to collect the scientific evidence. I never give up on the dream to conduct research on Pilates...

Registration required. Hope to see u there! ^_^

Workshop: Pilates for Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:28:00 +0000

Want to find out more about how can Pilates help improve your running performance, and prevent injuries?

Together with my colleague, I will be conducting this "Pilates for Runners" workshop organised by Republic Polytechnic on 29th January 2011. Details are here.

Hope to see you there!

ACSM Clinical Exercise Specialist

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:24:00 +0000

I have been eye-ing on this course for few years! Finally, after 5 years, I can afford the time and money to take this course - ACSM Clinical Exercise Specialist Certification course!

In the past, like many other trainers, I trained my clients with mild lifestyle diseases (like high blood pressure, diabetes) with a lot of caution and common sense. But now after the course, I am armed with the knowledge to be much more confident in dealing with high risk clients with cardiovascular and metobolic diseases.

I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to learn so much from Mr Peter Brukner (the only angmo in the photo below) and other fellow course mates who were doctors, cardiologists and physiotherapists. I just love attending courses because not only I get to learn new knowledge but also to reflect on the old and think of ways in improving my practice.

Now I need to study real hard for the certification exam. As i do so all those vague memory of physiology and biochemistry i learnt from my undergrad and postgrad are slowly creeping back...Gosh, how i wish i can do so by gulping down the 2 inch thick text book. S The exam is not easy as 90% of my course-mates failed and re-taking...

Wish me luck (a lot of it) to pass!

Give your brain some downtime

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:40:00 +0000

I was checking out my friend's status updates on Facebook during my few minutes "work" in the toilet, an interesting article from New York Times caught my eyes:

"scientists (from Universities of California, San Francisco) point to an unanticipated side effect: when people keep their brains busy with digital input, they are forfeiting downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas."

I am definitely one of those who constantly occupy my shortest available "free" time with my iphone, hoping to make myself more "productive". Check and reply emails, socialise with friends on FB, admire Charles' photos, chat on Whatsapp and read the Bible on my iPhone, in the tiniest windows of time, like when I am walking down the corridor at home and even when I am doing business in the loo. My phone literally lives and breathes in my palm almost 24/7. My "productivity" reached new height when i mastered the skill to read magazine/books while I jogged on treadmill!

Maybe lack of downtime is causing me running out of creativity and mental focus. No wonder it is now so difficult for me to sit down, organise and blog my thoughts! I am sure I am not alone in suffering iphone-obsession syndrome. So often that we see families sitting together at restaurant but each member individually dwell on their own iphone/ipad/PSP and have minimal conversation or interaction with each other. It is so sad to see precious family time is invaded by technology...

So let's take few minutes off reading this blog or net-surfing, look out of the windows and look at the trees and flying birds outside, take a walk with your family, or lie down on a mat and do some simple pilates exercises. Let our over-worked brain rest and recharge, so to allow it to take up other challenges in our daily life.

The Forgotten Fundamentals

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:59:00 +0000

I came across this video and was truly thankful to its creator. The video is so beautifully made, capturing the fundamental somatic movements that most of us have forgotten, as our movements became more "sophisticated".

I am so-going to read more about the Feldenkrais Method. It seems to be really interesting and good for functional rehabilitation.

A week's treat

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 07:11:00 +0000

Sudden craving over junk food when I was in Wheelock place after Pilates course. Must be my hormones to blame.

This looked good on the number (of calorie) but definitely tasted bad.
Costed me $3 for a tiny pack (palm size only). I should have sticked to my organic sweet potato chips which tasted much better and cheaper... so sad that my junky calories of the week wasted on this horrible pack. :-(

P-Latte has found HOME!

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:19:00 +0000

What have I been busy with lately?

I am overwhelmed with setting up my own business, which is a combination of Pilates studio and organic food market.

Yes, I have quited my day job and followed my heart to do what I like. But man, it's a tough journey!

Finally after months of hard work, P-Latte has found home in Planet Earth Specialty!

We are now just 2 minutes from Marymount MRT, providing a cozy and convenient place for the health conscious to indulge in healthy eating and active mindful movements!

Come join me to celebrate the birth of my "baby" this Saturday 2pm. More details can be found on the FB page.

Karen, you are officially invited, hope to see you! ^_^

Post Birthday Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:16:00 +0000

One of the best things of being a Pilates instructor is that I get to know people from all walks of life. I get to know them well, understand the uniqueness of their jobs, heard their vivid life story, their family etc. I met a stay-home-mom who taught me lots of parenting and baby-care tips (not forgetting giving me loads of beautiful hand-me-down baby clothes and toys); I got to know my dear friend, Karen, who has now embarked on the journey to be an instructor too; I also taught highly-intelligent researcher, professionals like gynae and even national athletes... some of them are well and fit and some of them have nagging medical issues. They have nothing much in common except that they have one identical goal, that is, to improve their lives through improving their physical health. Like what the wise man, Joseph Pilates, said, "Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness." How true! How can you truly enjoy life without first of all have good physical health?

Among the people I met through Pilates, I made some really good friends. I was especially touched that on my 30th birthday last Tuesday, one of the regular from a corporate mat class (who literally attended my class no matter rain or shine, even once with an injured knee!) presented a small birthday cake with a lighted candle to me after class! That really warmed my heart!!!! Back home, my fave chocolate banana cake was delivered by a super caring client (who has also became my great friend), what a lovely surprise!

Someone asked me why am I so excited to tell people that I now joint the big THREE club. But hey, i should be happy, though I am no longer in my twenties, I have so many people love and care about me! Moreover, I am only as old as my spine, and thanks to Pilates, it is quite young really! ^_^

Joseph Pilates, Returned to Life through Contrology:

"... the only real guide to your true age lies not in years or how you THINK you feel but as you ACTUALLY are as infallibly indicated by the degree of natural and normal flexibility enjoyed by your spine throughout life."

GYROTONIC instructor course

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Fitness equipments are mostly scary-looking to the novice.

I was first intimidated by all the stack weights machines in school gym.

Then the torture-tools-alike Pilate equipments wow-ed me.

But until recently, i found yet another complicated yet interesting machines, and it's called GYROTONIC pulley tower:

I always want to learn GYROTONIC as I find it complements very well with Pilates repertoires. However I can't quite afford the time and money to jump into it, yet.

The next round of instructor training course is commencing soon. Here are the information:

GYROTONIC® Pre- Training

Date: April 2- 4, 10 - 11

Cost: USD$850 + Studio fee: USD$150

Pre-Trainer: Audrey D'cotta

Prerequisite: GYROTONIC® introductory Pulley Tower experience recommended

GYROTONIC® Level 1 Foundation Training

Date: Part 1 May 9- 14, Part 2 June 20-25

Cost: USD$1500 + Studio fee: USD$400 ( 2 Instalments)

Master Trainer: Dawnna M. Wayburne

Prerequisite: GYROTONIC® Pre-Training

Enrolment Deadline 31 Jan 2010

Call The Moving Body for more information and registration.

Bone for Life Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:43:00 +0000

I am going to attend a workshop about osteoporosis and bone health, and here are the details of the workshop for anyone who wants to join me ^_^

BONES FOR LIFE® WORKSHOP

The program for stimulating Bone Strength

Through Dynamic Movement and Weight Bearing Posture

Date: Fri 5th February
Time: 2-5pm Fee: SGD$140
Venue: The Moving Body Singapore
Guest Presenter : Dawnna M Wayburne, Pilates Master Educator, GYROTONIC® Authorized Master Trainer, Registered RAD & ISTD teacher, Bones for Life Educator

Enrolment Deadline 23 Jan 2010

WHY PARTICIPATE?
BONES FOR LIFE® is a natural program put together by Ruthy Alon, an original student of Moshe Feldenkrais (based upon the Feldenkrais Method®) which aims at improving bone strength through dynamic movement and weight-bearing posture. Without drugs, herbal supplements, or strenuous exercise you can learn ways to improve bone tissue and enhance your weight-bearing posture. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) says that osteoporosis is not part of normal aging and can be prevented through such activities as exercise. But in your (or your client's) busy life do you/they always have time to exercise? Have you/they ever been injured from exercise?

BONES FOR LIFE® addresses one of the chronic problems of today's western society: the deterioration of bone tissue. This pioneering work focuses on a preventative strategy for dealing with osteoporosis.

BONES FOR LIFE® allows you to integrate movement into your daily life to make your bones stronger without excessive exercise. It also incorporates self-generated vibration.

Ruthy Alon's breakthrough methods were inspired by studies of the African women who bear heavy loads on their heads effortlessly. These women have only five percent of the bone fractures of Western women despite having a lower bone density. These studies suggest that our everyday activities and posture can affect the way we build bone strength.

BONES FOR LIFE® consists of various movement strategies that encourage better quality of movement and alignment in everyday life. Simple tools are used such as a strip of cloth as a wrap and light weights. Many of the movements are done while pushing into a wall whilst lying down, in sitting, and in standing postures.

BONES FOR LIFE®'s dynamic movements enable the blood, which carries oxygen, calcium and other nutrients, to penetrate the solid tissue of the bones providing for growth of new bone cells

Neurocognitive Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:12:00 +0000

I am really very irritated by some inconsiderate idiots who keep advertising their viagra on P-Latte. These people are dumb as Pilates lovers probably don't need viagra!!!! Does anyone know how to stop them from doing it?

I recently attended a neurocognitive conference, the speakers were excellent and shared lots of updates in many area in neurocognitive development. I especially enjoyed the sessions on children's language development, and how nutrition in pre/ post-natal mothers influence baby's brain development.

I am sure most health-conscious people would already have known about the goodness of omega-3 fatty acid (especially in the form of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA). It is essential in brain development, cognitive functions, and in immune system. There is also evidence that shows DHA dietary supplementation might even protect the brain from trauma and aid in its recovery.

What caught my attention in the conference was, research now proves that exercise can boost the action of DHA supplementation. This is because DHA activates syntaxin 3 and neutrite outgrowth (Dario al, 2006). Gomez (2008) also demostrated how DHA and exercise interact to affect neuronal function in membrane fluidity & gene regulation).

So besides making you feel good, managing your body weight and improving your appearance, exercise can boost your brain power (thus make you smarter) too!

Complimentary Trial Class - The Moving Body

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Me and hubby have started furniture hunting as we are hopeful to get our flat at Pinnacles@Duxton by end of the year.

After visiting a few furniture warehouses at Balestier, we went to River Vallery area to get some "up-market" furnishing ideas. While we were there, we thought might as well visit the new Pilates studio nearby.

The Moving Body is opened by my two Polestars mentors, Audrey and Diego. It offers Pilates, Gyrotonics and rehab. I think the flash intro page on their website is pretty cool.

The studio is located at Robinson Walk, free parking on Sunday! The studio isn't very big but very cosy. I really should get the contact of their renovation contractor!

Anyway here is some "lobang" for my dear P-Latte readers. From now till end of September, you can get a complimentary trial class if you quote my blog at registration (of course subject to class availability)! Grab the chance if you always wonder if Pilates is for you.

My Come Back to P-Latte and the Active World

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:36:00 +0000

Okay, i know I have been away for the longest time.

A lot of my friends asked if pregnancy was stressful and if child birth was painful, well they were, just a little. But seriously they were really just appetizers when compared to what I went through (like any other parents) AFTER the baby is born. I barely survived juggling among work, house chores and baby sitting, especially in the first 6 months.

I am still struggling but things are getting better, everyday, one bit at a time.

Now that baby Charles is 8-month old, I think I should do something for myself, like start taking care of my own personal hygiene - I have not trim my eyebrows (eyebush?) for 8 months and sometimes not brushing my teeth until end of the day; AND taking care of my health.

First thing I did to resume my healthy and active lifestyle was to invest in a Baby Jogger, so that I can get some workout while spending quality time with Baby Charles!

This fierce looking stroller is monstrous especially when it passes by other 'normal' strollers in the mall. Its 16" back wheels (which are as big as the rim on my Honda Jazz) need to be inflated just like bicycle wheels, and it comes with heavy duty suspension springs too. We went for "test drive" over the National Day weekend in Botanic Gardens and Charles felt so comfy in his private vehicle, he felt asleep shortly after we started jogging. It's such an irony that I drive such a small car, but the stroller we use are so huge!

Look out for me and Charles-in-BabyJogger at parks from now on! YAY!!!!

My Pilates Journey, By Karen Hew

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 16:30:00 +0000

I have made many friends who love Pilates thru this blog, but no one is as "obsessed" with Pilates than Karen. Recently she wrote to me about her journey in learning Pilates, and it was too good not to be shared! I seeked her permission to post it up here (at the same time extorted her to write few good words about me, hahhaa kidding!), so here it goes:

My journey as a Pilates student started exactly a year ago from this week’s Tuesday, 21 April 2009, with my first introductory trial class.

12 months ago, I was pale, flabby, unfit and had a miserable nagging lower-back ache. The lower-back ache was not nerve related and I was hoping that either Yoga or Pilates would help to strengthen my pathetically weak lower-back. Fate would have it that I could not find a suitable Yoga studio at my preferred locations, and my teacher, Song, had just joined the Pilates studio that was situated at my preferred location and could give classes after office hours!

What started as an evening of nervous apprehension for this Pilates-virgin (largely stemming from being ignorant as to what Pilates is all about), Song helped ease the anxiety by first explaining the fundamentals of Pilates – the zip, scoop and breathing. Next was the introduction to the intimidating looking “torture” equipment – Reformer, Cadillac (er, as in the car?), Wunda Chair, Electric Chair (the what?!) and Ladder Barrel. Song then put me on the Reformer and exercising supine was a whole new thing for me (hey, this I can do!). By the end of the hour, I felt invigorated, and in awe of the founder-creator of this wonderful method of exercise, Mr Joseph Pilates. Mr Pilates is a genius, a fantastic engineer and master of human bio-mechanics. I was stumped by Mr Pilates’ profound understanding of the musculoskeletal system. Everything that I learnt in that hour just clicked.

I immediately signed up for 10 private classes and I have never looked back since. What has Pilates done for me? It has awoken my sense of body awareness – I feel connected to my body, and conscious about alignment and posture. It has given me confidence – I am more comfortable with myself than ever. It has strengthened me physically – my body shape has changed drastically to become leaner and stronger (yay!).

What do I love most about Pilates? The mind-body connection. Yes, as cliché as it sounds, it is true. I have played competitive badminton and basketball, I have jogged, canoed, hiked, trekked, squashed, but they are all intuitive exercises. To execute Pilates exercises correctly, I have to really concentrate and focus being at every moment.

Where will my journey next bring me to? I want to learn more, much more about this wonderful method of exercise. Perhaps the path may lead me to a certification course… and what an adventure that would be!

Last but not least, I have made several new friends from the world of Pilates. Good Pilates teachers are special because they not only teach well but also bring sunshine to the studio and touch lives. Their passion is highly infectious and wonderfully inspiring. The teachers who have infected me with their passion and inspired me to go further in my learning journey are Song, June, Annie, Zein, and Cynthia Lochard. There are those who helped open my world to other methods of teaching Pilates – Jacek (Stott) and Daniel (Polestar) – and made me realise that, while the paths to the goal may be different, the goal of teaching Pilates is always for the good of the client. And many thanks to Tery for her blog; her relentless energy; her perseverance; her focus; and her dedication to promote Pilates. She is a gem!

Gosh, i never knew Karen has only been doing Pilates for merely 12 months!!! She is so damn fit, especially when compared to other desk bound people in her trade! Her tummy is FLAT. I am sure there are many others who are hooked to Pilates like the way Karen did and their bodies, their minds, and even their lives are transformed by Pilates.

Where to learn Pilates, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Here are the studios offering Pilates & Gyrontonic classes (Polestar method) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Essential Dance Academy

72-2 (1st Floor)

Jalan PJU 8/5B,

Damansara Perdana, 47820,

P.J, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

bAlign Pilates Studio

A2-3-3, Solaris Dutamas 1,

Jalan Dutamas1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

(Updated 3rd April 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Song from The Pilates Flow shared his horror story when his studio was newly opened.

He received phone calls from esteemed instructors who wanted to work for him in his studio. So Song asked which method were they certified.

Jobseeker: "Huh? Method? What method?"

Song: "Hm...as in, which Pilates certification do you have?"

Jobseeker: "Oh, u mean certs! I am certified by Pilates Online!"

Song almost flipped off his chair.

Karen managed to dig out one of such online certification: http://www.expertrating.com/pilates/index.asp#frequentques

HOLY COW!!!!! You can actually BUY a Pilates certification for USD 49.99. Wow, indeed it is much faster, cheaper and less painful way to get certified. Why did I bothered to spend hundreds of hours and nearly S$15k to get my certs...

Like what Karen suggests, if one day I ever have my own studio, I will make sure I proudly get my toilet cleaners to get "certified" too.

Polestar Pilates Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Teresa Shiu) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:35:00 +0000

Focus Pilates is hosting the first Polestar Pilates Conference in Singapore on 18-19 July 2009. (Some must be surprised, what? Pilates also has conference?!!)

I am rather excited because for once people like me with tight budget and time constraint can attend the conference without having to travel out of Singapore!! I really look forward to learning from world class experts like Deborah Lessen (who was founding member of the Pilates Method Alliance and currently serves on the Board of Directors!!)

This conference is not for Polestar practicioners only, but for people from all Pilates methods too. Karen, wanna join me?