I have learned a lot over the last 30+ years I have been a Pilates practitioner, teacher, Teacher of Teachers and Master Instructor. I learned that everything I understand now after all these years, I learned at the beginning of my Pilates journey. I know now that Basics are not boring. It’s the Powerhouse and Box, everything else is meaningless. Basics are the root of the advanced work. I learned that Pilates is the same thing over and over. As I always say, Pilates is like a bad Mexican restaurant. Same ingredients- different shapes…with maybe a touch of sour cream to top it off. I learned that if I really listened to what Romana said, I would understand more. That it wasn’t all about what I could do…. I was, if I say so myself, a very advanced Pilates performer. When Romana said “I am transported back to the studio with Joe when I watch you work out” I humbly went back to the studio to figure out what I was doing.
It then occurred to me when Romana asked me to be one of her hand-picked Teacher of Teachers, the responsibility was now to the Method. It was no longer about me. It was a huge undertaking to figure out how I was going to get people, not to just do what I do, but to teach what I do. That was a different story. And to this day, I listen and learn from Romana… "Ah, that is what she meant when she said that!" It is much more than a pretty shape, it is creating long strong muscles. It is learning not just what to do, but how to do it. And how to teach it so my students understand it from the inside out. Romana said if you can feel the work, you can teach it. That deep inside mastery is the feel, and that is what I have dedicated my life to.
Romana, I hope I continue to make you proud. Nothing fancy, just “good old Pilates the way it ought to be taught!” (quote from Romana about me at the 2007 Las Vegas Romana’s Pilates Conference)
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