Eyore's headstand and an appendix in withdrawal...

Moonwalk 2013

In all honesty I had thought my next post would be about the London Moonwalk 2013. Taking part last weekend with 17,000 women and men was as expected an inspiring event to be part of and besides which Mum and I raised over £900 for charities supporting those affected by breast cancer, both my grandmothers have had mastectomies and one still lives with the disease, I have heard countless arguments suggesting that Breast cancer gets a disproportionate amount of funding and attention, I have heard arguments against the pink ribbon and its prettifying of a brutal, cruel disease. I've heard women prepared to have their scars photographed vilified and criticised. My answer to all this to participate in a walk and support however I can because until those who criticise walk in someone else's shoes quite honestly their judgement falls on deaf ears.

After the walk I was unusually shattered, I'm pretty resilient but I couldn't shake off a feeling of unwellness, Monday and Tuesday were both normal days, I took part in advanced studio classes but after teaching Tuesday evening I knew something was wrong...so off I trotted to St Charles Urgent care doctor, who kindly reassured me but sent me on St Mary's Hospital, Paddington. The odd thing about this whole process was it never really occurred I would be admitted (I drove after all), I suspected my appendix was unhappy but assumed anti biotics would be given, 4am Wednesday morning I was sat on a ward desperately trying to borrow a blackberry charger (nurse Sally I am indebted to you) and so the most surreal 24 hours unfolded, animals at home alone, a car needing to be moved before 8.30am, thankfully taken care of by mum and dad in the middle of the night and early hours. I was told that in spite of my apparent health and excellent blood results (that always confuses surgeons as vegans are meant to always be ill and deficient) within 48 hours I would be significantly less well. After X-rays, an ultra scan and endless prodding, bloods, cannula's (I hate blood being taken) and more importantly no tea I was added to the list for Surgery.

Now Tea is pivotal here as I'm hyper sensitive to it and although I don't drink that much If I don't have it, after 8 hours I hit serious withdrawal, by the time my lovely friend Amanda arrived at 7pm wed evening I still hadn't gone in for surgery and I had a banging migraine, was sweating and vomiting. The appendix discomfort was nothing compared to hitting an impromptu rehab scenario, Tetley's you have a lot to answer for! I even remember asking the anaesthetist for a caffeine drip instead of Tramadol, he sympathised, laughed and sent me into a scene of Pooh bear and Eyore doing a hand stand, I remember drifting and wondering if I'd ever do corkscrew again.....

I hate needles!

I woke up convinced I was in a Stephen King novel, and it appeared that the Tramadol I had turned down was for the diaphragm spasms that no one had warned me about, lasting on and off for 24 hours!....come back appendix all is forgiven, I have never breathed that deeply or laterally, EVER! at that point I realise my abdominals appear to have been removed during surgery....that was not expected, I'm pulling in and literally nothing is happening. Keep calm and keep focused my calm voice tells me, F***, F***, F***! my other voice is screaming. The warm glass of water someone offered me in recovery was the greatest thing I have ever drunk as was my first cup of tea!. 8 hours later I have been sent home. In the meantime my husband flew back from Portugal to help out (a great sign of friendship given our current situation), as everyone who knows me will appreciate I do not like accepting help, I'm strong, independent and stubborn however, there is something very humbling about not being able to walk up and down a flight of stairs, lift a kettle or get up from lying down (I told you they had removed my abs, roll ups are but a dream)

So really this blog is a thank you to the amazing staff at St Marys, most of whom my path crossed for only a few moments but whom work tirelessly within the NHS to ensure people whose lives are suddenly upturned feel safe, protected and listened to. This institution should be outside of Politics, its something that Britons should be extremely proud of and protect at all costs. I saw people working with reduced resources, working past their shifts and showing dedication far beyond their duty. To those who took time out to send well wishes they meant more than you realise, to those friends who asked for updates at any hour you cannot imagine how this helped keep my nerves down and raised a smile or two in the darkness, to Amanda, Georgina and of course the charming +BenCullinger who continues to answer my ongoing questions with quiet humour and will shortly I'm sure make the most wonderful doctor, I am convinced, thank you.

As for me 3 days on I'm moving more each day, back to teaching with just my voice from tomorrow...I've loved the messages assuming I'm going to be easier in class just because my own abs are on sabbatical...like that's going to happen, reread the stubborn paragraph above....I'm back on full strength tea so now so anything really is possible....

Much love all,
Suzy x

Warning...this blog may make you sweat!

So I've just come back from running my first Pilates Retreat of the year in Italy. The group was a fab mix of people who have known me for years and friends and family of aforementioned participants. so this is where it always gets interesting for me when I meet new people, people invariably start with the line ' I've heard all about you, I've heard your tough...scary...relentless....picky' but by far  the best comment I have heard this year whilst discussing someone's previous Pilates experience was 'I dont like strength work, its too hard' so now I'm intrigued, how exactly had this person been able to get away with regular Pilates sessions without doing any strength work?!

A medieval stair master!

I appreciate the sentiment, in truth I would like to spend endless hours doing long, deep stretches, its what my part feline DNA craves but in truth that would get me nowhere, as my teacher brain reminds myself regularly. So why are some teachers still providing clients with what they want and not what they need? Sadly I see this time and time again, particularly where clients are older, teachers look at the age of the client and not the body and health of the client. Is there some magic line we cross from 49 into 50, 59 into 60 or 69 into 70? If there is I've yet to identify it and as such I teach to make people stronger- regardless of age. In all honesty  I'm not there to let them just exercise their jaws (though of course we do that too!)

As a consequence the client who didn't like strength work but who rose to the challenge and pushed herself to try did fantastically well over the 3 days, and yes, she sweated and yes her muscles ached the following day but as I reminded her the last time she had been aware of them was probably 40 years earlier giving birth! I often have people say to me 'just so your aware, I'm sweating' like its something they should be suspicious of or concerned about. I reassure them its just a sign of hard work and effort, I do concede that  I do have to be prompted to put the air conditioning on as my Gecko blood does not register heat and classes can become very 'Bikram' without me realizing it, but my guys know this and usually prompt me straight after Criss cross!

So we had a great time working hard, walking up endless steps, drinking Prosecco (to recover from the steps) and in my case riding horses daily, and yes I did ache and my ability to do a roll end seemed to evacuate my body with the speed of an Arab Stallion on too many oats, but thats the point of the Retreat, which is actually a Holiday pretending to be meaningful. We all put ourselves out of our comfort zones and all came back stronger, healthier and in the case of one of my girls able to fit back into her favorite skirt despite eating breakfast everyday. Perhaps the sweating was useful after all?!....but just to be sure I'm heading to Cyprus next month to teach my next Pilates Holiday, after all, better to be sure.

Mid back, inner thighs and definitely sit bones, oh and a very happy Me!

Have a great weekend all....

Suzy x

www.seraphinapilates.com

https://www.facebook.com/seraphina.pilates.retreats

Resuscitating Pilates....

So last weekend I finally got round to updating my First Aid certificate and in truth had my Insurance not been dependent on it I would probably still be trying to find the right time to fit it in. Sadly we live in a society which doesn't promote it in schools, colleges or University and for many as adults unless they have been required to, First Aid is something you hope someone else with apply should the need ever arise.

Lipstick ready!

Fortunately courtesy of the lovely +TishaHarrington who runs the gorgeous Pilates and Gyrotonic studio at www.kingscrossstudios.co.uk I got myself enrolled, even the dog was there to say good morning. I have done several course's over the years, some more intensive than others but most presented with humor and humility, recognizing not everyone will be able to actually do CPR but everyone should at least know how, on these courses the biggest thing we are reminded of is the value of reassurance and compassion to another human being. Its always personal when I do these courses, I have had to do first aid at 2 motor cycle accidents, I directed traffic at one and ended up covered in blood at another, I dont believe he survived but I hope my clumsy words meant he didn't feel alone or frightened. I dealt with a hit and run where a woman's leg was broken, the hardest thing here was getting someone to hold onto my dog's lead! I've dealt with couriers passing  out, whilst cycling- next time perhaps he will not party quite so hard and leave without breakfast, and this week as is always the case after I update my certificate I discovered someone laid out after a fall- so now you know why I'm always apprehensive after a course.

The issue here is it doesn't matter if your good at these situations, I generally revert to a distressed toddler at the thought of having a holiday vaccination, it just matters that you try. less than one in ten people who stop breathing outside of hospital will receive CPR, people are literally dying because people dont know what to do. Of course there are times when it will make a difference only to those left behind, my mother will be forever grateful for the men who tried to resuscitate my father who died at 45. She herself was a first aider and worked in a hospital but sometimes we are just too close. Perhaps this is why I left the biggest lipstick mark on Rescue Annie  and compressed with unstoppable ardor last weekend, the lipstick mark would have made my dad smile for sure, if only for the course leaders expression at the glossy red display. Apparently I give excellent mouth to mouth! Well sometimes even dark humor can lighten the mood!

So if you don't know what to do if someone stops breathing, if you dont know to do compressions even if you cant do mouth to mouth. If you don't know what to do in the silence as someone chokes then sign up for a course sooner rather than later. We work tirelessly to keep our clients fit and healthy but what happens if one day they really do need to breathe, would you feel confident knowing what to do?, would you be ok with doing nothing?. In this area I really am an expert, doing something may just save a life or bring a little piece of mind to those you have to see after the drama long subsides....though to be fair I'm going to skip the 'How to deliver a baby' section....someone put the kettle on and get some towels.

Keep well, Keep healthy and Pilates on....

Suzy x

www.seraphinapilates.com

Please like our page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/seraphina.pilates.retreats or follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/suzyseraphina

Stegosaurus Show girls....and this is why I'm unemployable!

Expect rain and you get 28 degrees in Rome!

I was fortunate enough to attend a workshop with +AlyceaUngaro earlier this year and part of the day was dedicated to language and how we use it as teachers, now once I'd got past the inevitable embarrassment of not being able to determine between adjectives, nouns and verbs, what can I say I get confused...It really made me think. We know as teachers that its not just our words that hold information but the way we demonstrate the exercises, the way we cue with our hands in contact and yes, I admit it, I do hold peoples pony tails up (please don't tell the PC police). But ultimately its our words that find our way into peoples subconsciousness. I'm genuinely pleased when people tell me they could hear my voice whilst they were brushing their teeth reminding them to stand taller, having established their not having a multiple personality episode first of course.

And so it came to be recently that late on a thursday evening my intermediate group found themselves being Show girl Stegosauruses'. You see such was my train of thought simply being a dinosaur wasn't enough, they had to be beautiful, show girl dinosaurs. By now you either have your head in your hands or are smiling, I very much hope its the latter so bear with me....I have no idea where this came from or indeed why it worked, I never never seen my group be so mindful of how their backs were working but in choosing an image so obscure both their imagination and neural paths and mine were both fired up. Their was no familiarity or complacency with this image because they didn't anticipate it, and I realized that perhaps when we suspend our habits, intellectually, physically, emotionally we can start to see our bodies as being capable of so much more than our self imposed barriers and habits allow?

More importantly however, they laughed, I laughed at myself and we all moved with more power and grace (well after all performing dinosaurs are both aren't they) I did however recollect the time a very good friend, client and mentor one day uttered the statement  'Suzy I think your wonderful, but you are utterly unemployable', I simply cannot follow one view on things,  at that moment as I packed the kit up and left the studio I suddenly and finally understood what she meant, and its the very thing and clients and classes respond to. From one week to the next they don't know if they are getting insights from workshop's I've attended or readings straight from 'Return to Life' but they do know that I will challenge them to think outside their own expectations, after all a man who wanted us to be seals couldn't really have a problem with us being dinosaurs occasionally could he? I do hope not because the class really did breathe and move beautifully....

Have a great weekend all and remember heads high and swish those tails....

Suzy x

www.seraphinapilates.com

Join me in Italy and Cyprus for my Pilates Retreats http://www.seraphinapilates.com/pilatesbreaks.html

I also write for www.fightingfifty.co.uk ,occasionally play on FB and appear as @suzyseraphina on Twitter

I'm well aware my derriere is soggy....connection, what connection?!

So there it is, I admit it, my gluts do not 'fire', most of the time, I know its radical but as a Pilates teacher who talks daily ad nauseam about connections between inner thighs, gluts, deep abdominals etc, the reality is, mine appear to be an enigma to myself and to most of teachers who teach me....Today the poor cover teacher who taught me experienced the dilemma so many before her had attempted to unravel...

I'm always open to being taught by new teachers as I truly believe everyone has something to bring to the table of teaching, established teachers have the benefit of experience and confidence, new teachers often have enthusiasm and fresh eyes, and with each one I hope the answer to the Holy Grail of my unresponsive backside will be answered....sadly today was not the day and one more teacher was left bewildered and confused....

I honestly tried to reassure her it was not her fault, her enthusiastic yet inevitable cue's of  'draw in, draw up', 'heels together', 'connect the hamstrings', and 'lengthen more' did not magically make them awaken. I concede Footwork on the reformer finds a hint of them and Knee Stretches definitely does not, quad burn anyone?! but before you shout 'but your obviously not doing it right' at this post please appreciate I have been observed by the best and still they smile, wrinkle their brow and say 'but it should work?' My point is the teacher covering was charming and absolutely knew her stuff but sometimes the script has to be changed, sometimes as teachers we have to change our cues, expectations and assumptions or simply allow an exercise not to work (life does not end because I cant make Up-stretch happen)

Thankfully not one to give up my regular teacher  takes on the challenge that is my bodies biomechanic uniqueness, with creativity and humor along with  the Wunda chair, high chair and spine corrector in all their multiple configurations we work on....where there's a will theres apparently a way to find a thigh to butt connection. And to this end I return each week to continue the search for less sogginess. Most of the time however, the connections are found when I kick back a bit (excuse the hip extensor pun) when I laugh at myself and yes fall off the Wunda chair attempting an exercise I've not done before, because often when I don't have time to over analyze my body's 'failings' it seems to know exactly what to do, so perhaps, just maybe my body's not so bad at knowing what to do after all!

It seems the key to a pert bottom is not to be obsessed with it!

Thanks for reading, Have a great week all!

Suzy x

www.seraphinapilates.com

Join Suzy on FB, Twitter and even on a Pilates Retreat in Italy or Cyprus! (go to the website for more info!)

A Vital learning curve....

So March has been full of madness, not quite of the sunny bunny type but there is still time. We survived four days at the London Vitality Show and I developed a new found respect for people who stand all day, after 11 hours on the first day my body and back ached, this was a test of physical and mental stamina I had not anticipated, I move and fidget a lot day to day and here I was standing in the same place for four days! But as the snow came down outside I watched as individuals, companies and small businesses pulled the show together. I got to meet some fab people including +RonnieGreen from http://www.bodymap.co/ the first London Fletcher Pilates studio, it was awesome to have a studio set up that I could send people to have a look at. I spoke to so many people who did Pilates but had no idea of the studio works existence or who were indeed intimidated by it.

I met the wonderful team at Global Fusion (vegan cakes to die for) they are far too busy to do the whole social media stuff so you wil just have to find them at the Brixton farmers market! The lovely +ColleenHarte who introduced me to https://www.lucyannabella.com/ as well as the fab niki from http://www.nikisbalms.co.uk/ , the ever gorgeous +RachealOgario from http://www.ogariolondon.com/ their products are now seeing me through a rather unpleasant chest infection. (well thats what I get for planning a holiday weekend!) More importantly however, the smiles and generous advice these people gave me made the whole event a survivable experience. The opportunity to talk to so many people was fascinating, I just wish I had been on commission for the amount of times I heard the words 'My Pilates teacher is fantastic, wonderful, inspiring' etc. It can be isolating if you are not based in a studio and to hear so many wonderful things from people doing Pilates is truly motivating....sadly I also met people who had had less than professional experiences and I just hope I helped people feel inspired to try Pilates again, the description 'boring' should never be in the same sentence as a Pilates class.

I talked to the fab +GillOwen of http://www.lovestretch.co.uk/ who duly helped me fulfill my shopping fix with her amazing clothes, I fear I now have another online shop to add to my addiction, Just because I'm a Pilates teacher  does not mean I want to parade around looking like a walking Nike advert! this site is the perfect answer! Apparently I'm quite strict when I teach (i never want to go back to teaching open classes again after Vitality!!!) as I said to Gill its all about positive crowd control, I also now appreciate how well behaved my own classes are (well almost)

So there is one more thank you to make  +DeborahLessen http://www.deborahlessenpilates.com/ who's workshop and class in the style of Carola Trier was fabulous as was the generosity of +AlanHerdman, a huge thank you to www.pilatesumbrella.co.uk/ for organizing this workshop, I look forward to many more!

So thank you all for the March Madness...I'm off to collect some antibiotics in readiness for Morocco, well if your going to be ill it might as be in 27degree heat!

Happy Easter All!

Suzy

www.seraphinapilates.com

Join us for Pilates Retreats in Italy and Cyprus......http://www.seraphinapilates.com/pilatesbreaks.html

Red noses and a Golden moment for Pilates....

Every now and then you get to be part of something magical. Life will give us an opportunity to be part of something extraordinary. as Pilates teachers we are often privy to these small moments of magic, seemingly insignificant to the world but to the individual they mean the world. One of the pivotal moments for me was when a client exclaimed 'I can brush my teeth, without pain!' now I know she wasn't talking about canines and molars but that single daily action had become easier for her and I might of well have given her the winning lottery ticket (well not quite, but you know what I mean), I think it was that moment that i knew Pilates had me hooked. little did I know that I would also see this client through heartbreak, grief, a suicide attempt and Chemo. Cancer would claim her in the end at 57 but my moments with her and her trust in me until the end are the reason I'm still teaching and writing this today. She showed faith in me when I had none in myself.

Teaching Pilates can be isolating , If your not studio based you can find yourself running from one venue/client to the next, barely crossing paths with other Pilates professionals other than in workshops and conferences. Sometimes its hard to know where you fit particularly if not great at following rules (which I'm not). I have long since watched Pilates professionals/ organisations head up against each other, arguing, 'authentic', 'real' and 'true' definitions of 'Pilates' as if Pilates could be defined in one word or in one way? No one ever taught me on any course that the exercises I taught a client would mean teeth brushing would be worthy of an Olympic medal.

So when the opportunity came up to be part of the Record attempt for the Largest Pilates Class ever, how could I not get involved? Full credit goes to Donna Pourteymour and her team at  http://www.cobhampilates.com for organizing such an amazing event. And quite honestly it would have been easy to say 'I've got too much on '(which I am), Its too far (3 hours in the car) or its Mothers day (it was, and mine came too) excuses are easy but the effort was beyond  worth it, young, older, famous, infamous! all formed part of an 800 strong Mat work class taught by the very lovely lisa Bradshaw (and yes, Donna, she is a Goddess, and has been for as long as i've known her) The energy and passion for life in the room was inspiring and I believe even Joseph Pilates himself would have smiled. And so for the few that failed to show, their actions did cost the group a World record but we got to be part of an energizing, inspiring and healing energy that they will never know. Whilst the event had already raised £27,000 for comic relief   http://www.comicrelief.com/ at the last count more than that the no shows  missed out on the chance to dance whilst brushing their teeth!

Pilates World record attempt Cobham, March 10th 2013

So thank you Judy for the day you remembered to brush your teeth, and all at Cobham Pilates for giving me, my mum and several of my Pilates students the chance to be part of the magic and for those who continue to start sentences with 'But...', 'Maybe....', 'Perhaps....' remember, brushing your teeth is a gift that one day may not be yours.....

Have a Fab week all!

Suzy x

http://www.seraphinapilates.com/

I will be at The Vitality Show March 21st-24th, come and do class (bring a mat), say hello, we would love to see you there!

http://vitalityshow.co.uk/seraphina-pilates-retreats