An Evolution
Mandee sits on the floor instructing her student with scapula isolations. Her student lies on her back with arms reaching straight over the shoulders.
In the last few months I have begun to notice that my business model has begun to morph organically before my eyes. I used to work at studios where I would see clients experiencing injury, pain or postural issues privately every week for years on end. The healing was slow but good. I tried to give homework exercises but I could probably count on one hand the number of students who actually did their homework exercises each week, and I was not convinced they were doing them all properly. There hadn't been time for a foundation of proper movement to take root in between sessions. Because of the incredible system of Pilates, even a little bit helped. Progress was real but not anything extraordinary. When you improve your posture a little bit and begin to move in a more biomechanically correct way, you will see an improvement in your symptoms. It takes not only dedication but also the ability to create a fine tuned mind body connection so that you can sense when you are doing something properly without having someone constantly monitoring you. We must re-inform your proprioception and hone in on your interoception. I think those couple of things are the missing link for those who don't find much success with physical therapy once it ends or those who go to Pilates weekly but rely heavily on their Instructor for physical adjustments or cues on the spot. I have created a group of offerings that help to fill that gap, and they are working wonders at Studio 400 and in the homes of my students.
During the pandemic the tool of 'hands on' was taken away from me. I saw a lot of you on Zoom, and surprisingly, saw more healing then ever. The combination of taking responsibility for your own body as well as possibly the additional time and focus some were able to give to their bodies while staying at home more were elements to this success. Many students started doing weekly or twice weekly live Zoom classes as well as a Zoom private. I then started recording videos into my On Demand Library and there were more opportunities to hear my voice, see my demonstrations, and work on your mind body connection. The combination of these offerings began to create more healing than I had ever seen, much faster than the prior model. I was releasing people out of privates and into their sport/class of choice pain free, while they continued on with the video library to maintain the ground they had gained. Does someone have to come see me every week to find healing? No. Do you have to commit to doing these mindful exercises for the rest of your life? Yes. Once you are feeling better, you cannot give up practicing good biomechanics with movement therapy forever, but the work can become a maintenance program that you can do on your own with occasional check in's with me as needed.
When I see a new client these days, I explain my offering as a group of things that work together to produce healing. I can't guarantee healing if you only come to see me for your private lesson or take a weekly class from me. There is work to be done on your own to make strides that is influenced by our 1:1 time together. I promise to empower you to be able to do this more effectively on your own. Using my On Demand Library to review the Foundational Movements and Principles of Pilates in the "Special Segments" category is part of what has brought so much success to my students. These videos reflect what we do at your sessions and allow you to practice in order to imprint the cues into your brain. No more pieces of paper with drawings of exercises or emails with descriptions- you get to follow along with my voice, cues and demonstration. I often record videos especially for the issues you are dealing with. If you can make it to one of my live Zoom classes, even better, because I give individualized feedback. What we are doing together is called Movement Therapy. Below is the message I've crafted on my website to explain.
Movement Therapy involves the use of functional and bio mechanically sound movement to approach physical issues or conditions. Often used as a post rehab tool, it is made up of gentle movement methods that inform the mind body connection to help bring a body out of pain and back into ideal posture. Techniques familiar to Pilates, Yoga and fascia hydration are utilized with effective cueing and modifications for each individual body, bringing your body into alignment and out of pain by addressing your individual issues. Each session is highly personalized. The secret sauce is not just the movements & exercises but fine tuning the specific positions, muscle firing patterns and having Mandee’s eyes on you to teach you how to feel it in your body the right way. We then empower you to notice, sense and feel the proper form and technique so that you can exercise and move efficiently in other settings beyond the mat for a lifetime of pain free healthy movement. We offer a combination of offerings that when used together are effective in reaching this goal. Private sessions are complimented with an On Demand video library that take you through the exercises that you learn in your private session in order to review and do more frequently, and virtual live classes where you are given feedback throughout the class in order to make positive changes toward ideal biomechanics. Eventually, you may enter the maintenance phase and we won't need to work 1:1 as frequently. My goal is to set you free to do your movement/sport/class of choice with a new sense of awareness, free of pain, and the tools to get out of a flare up should you have one.
I don't believe that it is inclusive to offer expensive 1:1 sessions that will never end. You won't continue to pay for 1:1 sessions forever, and my small group classes and video library are affordable. I also offer trade for any of my offerings- please inquire!
I am in awe of the magic that has happened over the last few years through the opening of my home studio and development of my online library. I have many success stories to share. My schedule is fully booked and I am feeling content and clear with my offerings. If you've been meaning to reach out about seeking relief from pain, I do believe if we are meant to work together that there will be openings in my schedule at some point to make it happen. And, in the meantime, you can begin to familiarize yourself with proper biomechanics via the On Demand Library until we can meet together to accelerate the healing process.
