All Things Pilates with Darien Gold

Send us Fan Mail I’d like to begin with a little story. The pelvic girdle is similar to a lead actor in a play. The lead actor sets the tone and calls the shots. But there is also the supporting cast, and just like with the supporting cast, in the body, there are the hands, arms, shoulders, head, the feet, shins, and thighs. But they don’t move correctly until they get their cue from the lead acto...

Send us Fan Mail Reiner Grootenhuis was born in Berlin and his journey to finding his life’s work started as a 12-year-old racing cyclist, training 5 days a week, resting on Saturday and racing on Sunday. Reiner explored other sports as well, such as rowing and weightlifting, but all of these activities took a toll on his body and his physical pain was constant. There was something missing in his...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, you’ll learn about a unique approach to teaching the Pilates method. Owner of Pilates & Arts Studio, Tannis Kobrinsky, shares her passion for Pilates and visual art and how she combines both to an appreciative community in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Tannis Kobrinsky’s studio is experiencing first hand the COVID-19 crisis, and by featuring her story perhaps listen...

Send us Fan Mail Ballet is a unique blend of both artistry and athleticism. The dancer’s ability to have complete control over his or her body requires profound balance, coordination, strength and flexibility. My guest today is former professional ballerina, Susannah Cotrone and her love of ballet began at the tender age of three. By the time Susannah discovered Pilates, she’d already been dancing...

Send us Fan Mail Having props available for a home practice is even more important now than ever. Today's episode is all about home props, where to buy them, how to use them and where to store them.  Original air date:  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Alex Dent is an Osteomyologist who treats the skeletal and muscular systems with chiropractic and acupuncture. He uses his knowledge of biology and of the endocrine system to give comprehensive treatments to his patients. Alex trained as an Osteopath from 1997-2002 at the British School of Osteopathy in London. He advocates for clean living through a healthy diet that includes fer...

Send us Fan Mail In 2011, Alisa Wyatt along with her husband, Jack Coble recognized a need to help preserve the original technique of Joseph Pilates and launched Pilatesology. They've dedicated themselves to documenting instructors and travel the world filming them in their own studios and present those videos to you. In this episode, you'll also learn about Alisa and her own Pilates jou...

Send us Fan Mail How Pilates information is delivered has exploded, and one of the main reasons is the online subscription based websites offering access to an array of teachers and their knowledge. One of the most popular websites is Pilates Anytime. It offers over 3000 videos, taught by 120 teachers who either lecture and/or demonstrate numerous Pilates techniques. At the helm of this 10-year ol...

Send us Fan Mail Russell began his Pilates career as an apparatus maintainance specialist and in 2012 he became a “technical maintenance advisor” for Gratz Industries, the leading classical Pilates manufacturer worldwide.  Now with much apparatus experience, Russell has moved on and has developed his own Pilates vision - a manufactering company called Pilates Linage. Original air date: November 11...

Send us Fan Mail Those of us in the classical Pilates world who were either trained by Romana or from someone who trained with Romana, owe her a deep sense of gratitude for giving many of us the ability to have a viable profession. Most people only knew Romana as their Pilates mentor, but in Cathy’s biography, little known facts about Romana reveal a more interesting life beyond her certification...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today, Kevin Bowen, the Co-founder of the PMA, is trying to shift the paradigm to provide a platform of outreach, support and Pilates education for those in our communities who are most in need. He founded The Pilates Initiative in 2017 and this non profit organization’s mission is in part, to make Pilates accessible to everyone.  Original air date: January 19, 2019 Suppo...

Send us Fan Mail In 1983, Lori Coleman-Brown was a dance major at SUNY Purchase, a college just outside New York City, and during a school party, Lori let loose and while free-style dancing, she severely twisted her knee. Her dance teacher at the time suggested that she try the Pilates method to help heal her knee and Lori learned of Romana Kryzanowska in New York City.  Lori was fascinated by Pil...

Send us Fan Mail What is the difference between classical and contemporary Pilates? Well, it depends on who you ask. Today's guest, Celia Jones, a Romana's Pilates graduate and studio owner says, "If something's not broken, you're not going to fix it." A very interesting discussion on today's show.  Original air date: November 3, 2019 Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Tannis Kobrinsky was certified in 2000 by Rael Isokowitz, Founder of BASI - Body Arts and Science International. She had a dream of creating a space that combined 2 kinds of art - art in motion which is Pilates and visual art to adorn her walls. Growing up with a mom who was a landscape artist, Tannis was exposed to many types of visual art. Her mother’s artistic background awaken...

Send us Fan Mail Cara Reeser is a Second Generation instructor from the Kathy Grant lineage and continues to impart the method as taught to her by Kathy. Besides teaching at her studio, Pilates Aligned in Denver Colorado, Cara travels the world to teach her very popular workshops. You can also see Cara on Pilates Anytime, the membership based website, teaching and discussing the Grant Heritage. In...

Send us Fan Mail Almost 10 years ago when my first iPhone app came out, there were only 4 other Pilates-based apps in the iTunes store and my app was the only one showcasing the classical mat work. I was thrilled when I was contacted by Amanda Altman, then the assistant managing editor of Pilates Style magazine because they were interested in featuring my app. Now a decade later, I have another op...

Send us Fan Mail Gwen Miller has been in the contemporary Pilates world for nearly fifteen years.  After meeting me, she wanted to see what the "big deal" was to why her contemporary Pilates colleagues had no interest in learning about the origins of Pilates.  So, Gwen became a student of mine and I’ve asked Gwen to join me today to speak about her lessons with me and how classical Pilat...

Send us Fan Mail Tactile cueing. What is it and when should Pilates instructors use it? And does the decision to use it change if you’re a male instructor? With still a female dominated Pilates clientele are male instructors expected to have to ask permission before they place their hands on clients? Perhaps a consent disclaimer should be included as part of the intact form a client signs before b...

Send us Fan Mail I met my guest, Moses Urbano over 20 years ago during a Romana’s Pilates convention and we’ve stayed connected ever since. Moses’s personal philosophy is to forever remain a student and he demonstrates this by continuing as a student with his fellow teachers and instructor trainers at Romana’s Pilates.  His passion is to share his Pilates journey and to support Pilates instructors...

Send us Fan Mail The Reformer, the most enduring and popular Pilates apparatus our genius mentor, Jospeh Pilates invented. Originally named, the Universal Reformer, this piece in the Pilates line-up was first built by the inventor himself and his brother, Fred.  As the Universal Reformer gained more attention, the demand for it became greater.  Romana Kryzanowska, one of Mr. Pilates’ most devoted...

Send us Fan Mail In 2018, I visited England for the first time as an instructor, and where I spent a week teaching classical Pilates to both classical and contemporary teachers. My DVD, The First Seven , also made its England debut and is our today's topic. I conceived of The First Seven in 2010 as a way to help beginning students understand the Pilates technique. I titled the DVD, The First...

Send us Fan Mail Roberta Gratz is the co-owner of Gratz Industries, Inc. and wife of the late Donald Gratz, whose father Frank along with a business partner opened a custom metal fabrication business Treitel/Gratz in New York City in the 1920’s.  After Donald took over the family business and while delivering a metal furniture piece to one of his customers met Romana Kryzanowska at his customer’s...

Send us Fan Mail Mr. Pilates developed his method in part, by observing feral cats and watching how their spines flexed and extended, and from those observations developed his mat repertoire. Eventually, medical professionals took notice especially, chiropractors. He would go on to share his method with the chiropractic community evidenced by a plaque which hung in his studio. It read: “This is to...

Send us Fan Mail Pilates instructors have many movement techniques to use and explore with their students, as well as a number of anatomy books to refer to when in need of a deeper understanding of the Pilates repertoire. But up until now, there hasn’t been a reference book so complete and comprehensive as the one written by Madeline Black’s, entitled: “Centered.” The well-respected Brent Anderson...

Send us Fan Mail The one and only Lolita San Miguel is with us today who in 1958 met and began her studies with Joseph Pilates. In describing the impact the Pilates method has had on her life, Lolita says, “It was the beginning of a romance,” and 60+ years later, her love is just as strong, if not more so. Lolita shares what it was like to learn from Mr. Pilates, her experiences as a professional...