Pilates & Reiki In Paradise Blog: Videos

About Lynda Lippin

Lynda Lippin, resident Pilates teacher at the exclusive Caribbean Parrot Cay Resort, blogs about teaching Pilates & Reiki as an American Ex-pat in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Tales of life in the US and the Caribbean, expert Pilates & Reiki tips & advice, news, reviews, some ads, life lessons learned. Visit her Pilates & Reiki Website for even more information, articles, and links.

Download Lynda's Pilates for Back Pain Ebook

If you can't make it to Parrot Cay, or you want to continue the Pilates you experienced while on holiday, buy immediately usable downloads of Lynda's Pilates in Paradise Mat Class & Small Pilates equipment MP3s:

Pilates for Lower Back Pain, Pilates for Neck & Shoulder Pain, and Pilates Magic Circle & Roller(NEW!).

Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts

26 May 2008

BlogHer Barack Obama Interview

As a contributer to BlogHer, with a combined audience of nine million women each month via BlogHer.com and a publishing syndicate of 1,800 blogs (including this very one) I was interested to see which of the big 3 US Presidential candidates would accept our interview invitation. I thought for sure we'd hear from Hilary Clinton!

But Barack Obama is so far the only candidate to accept! "By answering these questions, I think Sen. Obama makes an important statement about the value he personally -- and his campaign -- places on voters, our questions and opinions, the communities we reach on our blogs and, ultimately, our votes. That's a powerful message. Especially since BlogHer is a non-partisan organization and the women in our network span the political spectrum. This isn't a presidential candidate preaching to the converted -- it's a presidential candidate reaching out to an important cross-section of American influencers, given the audiences these women reach on their blogs."

It's a great interview and makes me support him all the more!

18 May 2008

Pilates for Better Sex DVD

I finally went through some of my Google news alerts that were sitting in my email in box and found a great article that reviews a new DVD, Pilates for Sex. Unfortunately, the fun sounding video received a big fat "F" from the Washington Post reviewer.

"'[T]here sure was a lot of talking,' particularly about kegel and other exercises to strengthen women's pelvic muscles. More of a lecture, less of a workout, in other words. 'I eventually got so bored, I stopped,' ...not big praise for a video with sex in the title."

16 May 2008

Memorial Day Video

In honor of the upcoming US Memorial Day and Turks & Caicos National Heroes Day, I post this video honoring America's soldiers past, present, and future. No matter what you may think of the war (or any war), do not let that cloud your clear vision that soldiers go out there with honorable intentions and put themselves in the line of fire. This video was created by my friend Starfire Muse.

04 May 2008

Finally, A Critic of Winsor Pilates

OK, many of my long term readers and friends know my feelings about Mari Winsor. She has sold out, put her name out there endorsing every piece of crap form of pilates-esque home exercise equipment and pumps out millions of injury producing DVDs to the unsuspecting masses. Worse, her name is out there so much that people who don't know much about Pilates assume that all Pilates is Winsor Pilates (yuck!). Basically, Winsor Pilates is Bad Pilates!

So I was thrilled to open my google alert one day and see the headline, Winsor Pilates not for everyone. I quote,

"Two years ago, I saw Daisy Fuentes, former star of "America's Funniest Videos," advertise on television the Winsor Pilates' FatBurning Program.

Daisy is so beautiful, she could probably sell me a bridge. I was 58 years old. It had been a long time since I had bench-pressed 300 pounds. I have had surgeries and other health issues. The old gray horse ain't what he used to be.

I needed a plan with light resistance and fat burning, so I thought Winsor Pilates was the answer. The videos looked great -- people warming up and lying on a mat to exercise.

I bought the program, and it sat on my bookshelf for two years. I always wanted to use it. Well, finally, I did recently. The fatburning program started with a warmup, which was fine. Then the group launched into a choreographed dancing routine that bewildered me.

I can't dance. They were dancing to the fast beats of African drums. I was amazed at the footwork -- knowing, of course, that I could never do that. In fact, I doubt the average, out-of-shape American could. I think I might have been able to do the cool down.

Unless you can dance, I can't really recommend this program. It could sweep you off your feet -- literally.

Ken Crawford Jr."

Now, what is a dance routine doing in a Pilates DVD? How can you market a Fat Burning program that presupposes that you are already fit? And what does this have to do with Pilates and biomechanically sound exercise?

YUCK!

18 March 2008

Pelvic Floor Strengthening DVD

Finally, a new Pilates DVD that focuses on Pelvic Floor Strengthening! California Pilates teacher Karen Armstrong has just put out InControl Pelvic Exercises for Women, a simple 20 minute set of pilates-based exercises that can and will put you back in control of your pelvic floor. Great for after childbirth, abdominal surgery, and for women dealing with prolapse and pelvic floor dysfunction.

26 February 2008

Chakra Power

My dear friend and Reiki master Jane Young in Spain has come out with yet another beatiful short film using her photographs and a friend's harp music. The Nature of Chakras. See the movie below and for more information go directy to Jane's Joy To the World website. Enjoy!

25 August 2007

Pilates for Anger Management

From our favorite Yale comedians, the Purple Crayons

29 May 2007

Reiki Video

It's just 60 seconds of Reiki Energy coming at ya--Enjoy!

27 March 2007

Ana Caban's Gaiam Pilates DVDs

I was floating around the blogosphere this afternoon and found a post relating to the Gaiam Pilates DVDs. I actually received the beginning Pilates DVD from Kmart for doing their ad. Now maybe I've just been in this too long, but it was all flexion exercises (on your back or sitting) which is just so bad for most back problems! It is very classical Pilates, but if you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I do not subscribe to all of the classical pilates tenets since I have seen first hand how they can hurt the body.

31 December 2006

The Secret

My New Years gift to myself was to finally watch the entire The Secret movie. I have flirted with it for months. People have sent me links, I subscribe to the work of almost all the experts, and I watch snippets at a time.

The teachings in this film are so simple and sound; so, well, hokey (for lack of a better term) that you wouldn't think they work. But they do and my life is proof.

We all have grown up with what we consider handicaps and we all have faced adversity. I had a bipolar mother with an enabling father, was broke most of my life, kept living for other people's expectations and never sat down and solidified my talents, my wants , my needs.

People ask me all the time what prompted my move out of the US. Yes, I had the family, the successful studio, the house in the suburbs, the two cars. But I was miserable. Constantly in debt, culminating in a bankruptcy court lawsuit. Employees who hated me and couldn't understand my life. Something was always missing, always lacking.

And the missing piece, the master key, was within myself all along. Once I decided to focus on what I wanted and making that life happen, which included being open to any and all possibilities, my life changed.

17 December 2006

Pilates & Reiki Explained

I fixed the audio problem from the last upload attempt--so here I am on the WIV Channel 4 News with Kayla Lightbourne talking about & demonstrating Pilates & Reiki. originally aired on Tuesday 12 December.

08 December 2006

Pilates On the News

So Kayla Lightbourne from the WIV Channel 4 News came today and filmed a segment on Pilates & Reiki. We discuss the history of Reiki & Pilates, my teaching history, the importance of Pilates equipment, and the importance of one on one training.

Then there is footage of Kayla receiving Reiki, me demonstrating on the reformer, and me teaching Kayla a modified teaser on the Tower.

And then there is a special added bonus for viewers (and I'm not gonna tell you what it is!).

10 July 2006

Why Pilates Videos Annoy Me

I was reviewing some Winsor Pilates videos the other day and noticed that everyone's feet were tightly pointed. That, combined with the meaning cues "tweeze your buttocks" (which just sounds wrong) and "use your powerhouse", made me crazy.

Then I received this question from someone who does Pilates videos at home, and realized that many people are probably out there wondering why their feet must cramp while doing Pilates.

Question: your feet are supposed to be pointed for a lot of pilates moves, but my feet cramp (usually by the 10 count in the 100!)
am i doing something wrong?
thank you.

Answer: Dear Jessica,

Thanks for your question.

While many Pilates teachers do emphasize pointing the feet (I am not one of them), it is in fact not a requirement. A softly pointed foot or relaxed foot is best for most exercises (after all, the focus should be on your pelvic stability, spine work, and abs; not so much on your feet).

When I first started Pilates with "authentic" Romana trained instructors in Purchase, NY, I had the same problem. My teacher even there told me to simply relax my foot "and put the tension in my abs where it is useful." When I was able to point my foot softly without working so hard I went back to it, but didn't find that it added anything to my center core work.

I would guess that you are forcing your point and causing yourself cramps. Let your foot go, even dorsal flex it if you need to, and don't worry about it. If you like Pilates with the foot cramps, you'll love Pilates without them!

Feel free to ask any other questions.

Regards,

Lynda