Pilates works to strengthen deep abdominal musculature, lengthen the spine, increase body awareness, build muscle tone and gain flexibility. At the same time it challenges the mind for concentration, precision and breathing. Classes focus on fundamentals to gain an insight into proper muscle usage then move into a variety of exercises. Beginner to Advanced level.
Jennifer V. Pearl – Pilates Method Alliance Certified
Jennifer graduated from the University of Vermont with a small business management degree. In her senior year she and three other students opened a Bagel store. Over the next 12 years she helped grow the company to 10 stores in 4 states with over $4m in revenue. Seeking a life change, she took a sabbatical in 2000 and traveled to India where she studied yoga. Upon her return she received the 200 hour Yoga Alliance certification with an emphasis on the Iyengar style.
After teaching yoga for several years she became interested in the core strength aspects of Pilates. The principle of lengthening the torso away from the pelvis while engaging and strengthening the deep abdominals gave her much relief from chronic low back issues. She credits Pilates to keep her healthy for tennis, walking, biking and skiing/snowboarding.
Jennifer is certified with the Physical Mind Institute and the Pilates Method Alliance. She has continued her training with Brent Anderson at Polestar Pilates, Ellie Herman in San Francisco and various PMA workshops & conferences.
Pilates is a practice that can be enjoyed by any body regardless of physical conditioning, it can be practiced anytime and anywhere while standing, sitting or lying down. The benefits are a flexible spine, length of the body and strength of the transversus abdominis and pelvic floor muscles, all are crucial to an independent healthy life.
Jennifer specializes in:
- Clients who want to increase their abdominal strength, address low back pain and gain muscular length and strength
- Clients seeking improved balance
- All ages and athletic abilities who want to increase coordination and mind/body connection
- Post surgery re-hab with guidance from your Physical Therapist
Contact Jennifer at 504-258-5724
Jessica Tzur has a love and fascination for movement. She found an outlet for this in Pilates and she hopes to share these feelings with her clients. Jessica has been a Balanced Body Certified Pilates Instructor since 2009, originally drawn to Pilates as a way to deal with her personal injuries and improve her own movement abilities. Jessica continues to learn different skills and specialties to expand the client population that she can share her love of movement with. Some of the things she is trained to work with include pre/post natal, osteoporosis, athletes and performing artists and more. She strives to help you find your joy in movement, whether that means the ability to move through daily tasks in a pain free way or to execute demanding physical movements with precision. Jessica spends her free time perusing her own physical prowess as an aerialist and acrobat as is delighted by most physical challenges. She looks forward to the opportunity to help you feel like your strongest self. You can reach Jessica at 415.513.7428 or jstzur@hotmail.com.
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The Benefits of Pilates
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Pilates can really make a difference in your health without taking a toll on your body.
A refreshing mind-body workout
By emphasizing proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and concentration on smooth, flowing movement, you become acutely in tune with your body. You actually learn how to control its movement.
In Pilates the quality of movement is valued over quantity of repetitions. Proper breathing is essential, and helps you execute movements with maximum power and efficiency. Last but not least, learning to breathe properly can reduce stress.
Develop a strong core – flat abdominals and a strong back
Pilates exercises develop a strong “core,” or center of the body. The core consists of the deep abdominal muscles along with the muscles closest to the spine. Control of the core is achieved by integrating the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle.
Gain long, lean muscles and flexibility
More conventional or traditional workouts are weight bearing and tend to build short, bulky muscles – the type most prone to injury. Pilates elongates and strengthens, improving muscle elasticity and joint mobility. A body with balanced strength and flexibility is less likely to be injured.
Create an evenly conditioned body, improve sports performance, and prevent injuries
In the same vein, a lot of these same conventional workouts tend to work the same muscles. This leads weak muscles tend to get weaker and strong muscles tend to get stronger. The result is muscular imbalance – a primary cause of injury and chronic back pain.
Pilates conditions the whole body, even the ankles and feet. No muscle group is over trained or under trained. Your entire musculature is evenly balanced and conditioned, helping you enjoy daily activities and sports with greater ease, better performance and less chance of injury. That’s why so many professional sports teams and elite athletes now use Pilates as a critical part of their training regimen. These athletes are still active in Pilates training in 2021.
Learn how to move efficiently
Pilates exercises train several muscle groups at once in smooth, continuous movements. By developing proper technique, you can actually re-train your body to move in safer, more efficient patterns of motion – invaluable for injury recovery, sports performance, good posture and optimal health.
It’s gentle…
Many of the exercises are performed in reclining or sitting positions, and most are low impact and partially weight bearing. Pilates is so safe, it is used in physical therapy facilities to rehabilitate injuries.
But it’s also challenging…
Pilates is also an extremely flexible exercise system. Modifications to the exercises allow for a range of difficulty ranging from beginning to advanced. Get the workout that best suits you now, and increase the intensity as your body conditioning improves.