McEntire Pilates Summit Recap!

This weekend I made my annual pilgrimage to Rochester, Michigan for the McEntire Pilates Summit! Once. again, my experience did not disappoint. The theme this year was Bold Hearted. We explored big and small ways we could live our lives and approach our Pilates careers in a more Bold Hearted way.

If I had to describe what the summit meant to me in one word I would say “Community”. It represented a wonderful opportunity for me to reconnect with my Pilates friends from around the country, meet in person my Instagram friends, and also collaborate with this tribe of mine. I am fortunate in that the continuing education in my field is something I truly look forward to doing!

I saw first hand fellow Pilates teachers and students taking the chance and stepping out of their comfort zone in the name of growth and being bold hearted. I was challenged to embrace a bit more the idea of meditation. and more abstract movement - both areas that don’t come naturally to me! One of my favorite sessions involved Pilates Mad-Libs! Yes - just like the game we played as a child - we filled in mad-libs to determine the details of a difficult Pilates student we would be faced with teaching. There were plenty of laughs and a lot of great discussion about how to work with different clients.

I had the honor again this year to present at the Summit. This year my presentation was about the Limbic System and our Fight or Flight response and how this relates to Pilates and first time students. Along with some education about the brain and how the body responds to threats, we had several fun activities to remind our participants what it feel like to be a new student with various limitations, distractions or preconceived fears. Getting to share my learnings and lead in this community I value was such an honor and a thrill!

Now that I am back home, I am in the process of figuring out the best way to use what I learned in my studio. Don’t be surprised if I throw some fun facts your way!