The Thoracolumbar Fascia invests in, around, and with, the anatomical structures of the lower back, the core, and the legs. Its interconnectivity is what communicates, organizes, and coordinates movements through the trunk out to the limbs and from the limbs in through the trunk. In this course, Joy and Brian will walk you through an Anatomy in Three Dimensions build which will include muscles and structures of the spine and the core. We will journey down into the hips and legs and up into the neck and shoulders. Through the hands-on build and movement labs you will leave with a deep understanding of the intimate role the thoracolumbar fascia plays in healthy human movement ability and will be given tips and strategies to see, manage and critically reason when dysfunction is present.

The “Konnections” workshop by Konnect Method revolutionizes Pilates by utilizing the innovative Konnections Band across mat, Reformer, chair and CoreAlign environments. The Konnections Band is a unique invention by Viktor Uygan which uses tension to connect the limbs and amplify traditional exercises to increase strength, awareness, and movement efficiency. This distinctive approach enhances body coordination and mind-body synergy, elevating both teaching and personal practice through greater proprioception. The program redefines Pilates as a more integrative and perceptive experience, pushing the boundaries of conventional training. 

This workshop will begin with a thorough static and dynamic assessment of the pelvis and hips including alignment, mobility and strength. From the assessment, we move into exercise sequences on the mat and Reformer for correcting alignment, improving mobility and creating balanced strength and stability. This is an introduction to Advanced Movement Principles, a continuing education program for instructors who work with clients with misalignments and injuries. You will come away with a thorough understanding of common issues in the pelvis and hips and how to solve them with your clients and classes. A detailed assessment form and handout is included.

One of the best reasons to come to a Pilates on Tour is to experience the joy of coming together as a community of instructors; there is truly nothing like it. This is why we started a new tradition with the Pilates on Tour Keynote addresses. Join Ken Endelman, CEO and founder of Balanced Body, as he welcomes you and shares his History of Pilates presentation. If you know Ken, you know a few things: he loves building things, he loves sharing knowledge, and he is a really nice guy! You won’t want to miss this. 

When injured, it is difficult to train to maximum ability, making training resiliency to minimize injury key when developing client programs. The definition of resilient is the ability to spring back after being stressed, which is what we want and need to perform at a high level.  We will delve into creating a more resilient body though proper movement, exercise and recovery techniques that will ensure your clients bounce back session after session.

The C-Curve is a quintessential concept in Pilates. In this workshop we will explore why and how it is invaluable to our training everyday movements and whole-body movement. We will practice using a variety of Pilates equipment and techniques all designed to move and support the spine while accessing the dynamic strength of shoulders and hips. 

To work well, the upper body must communicate smoothly with the torso, pelvis, legs, neck, and head. In this workshop we will explore the principles of training integrated movement of the upper body using the dynamic environment of the CoreAlign. Scapular stability, mobility and functional movement of the upper body will be explored along with the concepts of force transmission through the fascial chains to create effective and efficient upper body movement.

The purpose of this workshop is to give you, the Pilates teacher, a new perspective on the meaning of “back extension”. To give you another lens with which to teach your Reformer classes with the emphasis being the backline of the body, as opposed to the typical frontline of the body and “abs” approach which clients most frequently associate with Pilates training.

Good spinal “articulation” is essential for the performance of Pilates and requires equal parts freedom and control. This can be hard to achieve, and even harder to teach! The key is understanding and coaching the unique movements of the skull at the top of the spine and the pelvis at the bottom. In this course, we treat “the head as the first vertebra and the pelvis as the last” and we will see how this idea creates integrated, safe, and full movement of the whole spine. We will learn preparatory exercises, cues and images to build this head-to-pelvis connection into the entire Pilates repertoire in ways that will immediately increase our success.

Our senior population is the fastest growing population world-wide. Join Dr. Su Yeon Roh for a workshop focused on improving gait and walking in the ever-growing population of seniors coming to Pilates. We will review common posture patterns in seniors and how they impact mobility and will gain a clear understanding of the core principles of gait and walking. Dr. Roh will show a joint-by-joint approach to corrective strategies for mobility and stability and to improve walking ability in seniors. Attendees will learn to practically apply all skills learned and demonstrated to the Reformer. 

This guided movement practice with Cara Reeser is devoted to exploring “Everything Rotation” in our Pilates practice.  Cara will build this class from the ground up offering skills and images that help us organize and execute rotation of the spine in all planes in space. We will discover cues that help us perform the most difficult traditional rotation-based Pilates exercises utilizing the Mat, Reformer and Low Chair.

Hip and knee issues can seriously impact movement desire and ability. In our training environments, we have the tools to address these limitations not only through movement but also through the trusting connections we have with clients. Join Christine Crooks and discover ways to create endless healing options, maximize the teacher/client relationship, and make movement accessible during recovery from hip and knee issues. Utilizing the CoreAlign you will lean into movement and learn how movement can augment the scope of what is possible. 

Many clients miss the potential flexibility benefits of Pilates by failing to adequately stabilize body segments or by allowing undesired compensations to occur when end ranges of motion are approached. In this workshop you will learn exercises for the spine, hip, and shoulder that incorporate static, PNF, dynamic, and functional approaches in a progressive manner. These exercise progressions will both improve flexibility and help prepare clients for the classical Pilates repertoire that demands large ranges of motion.

Most movement educators do not consider the impact that the movement of the organs have on exercise results. If we have learned about the organs, it is usually out of context of movement and hard to implement within movement sequences. With Eric, you will learn how to integrate organ cues into your Pilates training, energizing your students (and yourself) and creating fast results. You will be surprised how much fun it is for your clients to focus on the organs and truly access their deep core – the life-giving organs! 

Pilates entered the medical world over 35 years ago. The co-evolution of Pilates, Physical Therapy and movement science over that time has effectively transformed the role of movement in rehabilitation from an occasional modality to a critical part of any treatment protocol. Join Nora St. John, the creator of the Balanced Body Education curriculum and the new Advanced Movement Principles, as she explores the role of Pilates in maintaining, promoting, and encouraging health, longevity, and overall wellbeing. 

The shoulder girdle is composed of four joints and the movements of these joints are complicated to understand, feel, train and experience. The shoulder joint’s rolling and gliding motion, called congruency, is required to complete effortless sagittal, frontal, and transverse plane movements. In this workshop we will demystify the concept of congruency, the movements of the bones in relationship to the joint action, and learn how to cue shoulder movements using imagery with the intention of improving shoulder movement efficiency. We will also learn imagery-based cues and review tactile and anatomical cues.

The Pilates method is full of opportunities to go upside down and extend. During this workshop, we will review and redefine the concepts of extension and inversion. You will learn how to practice safe, effective and strength building backbends across the Pilates studio while learning enhancing cues to deepen your understanding of backbends in the Pilates repertoire.

In the 1800s menopausal women were considered to be ‘hysterical’. In the 1950s menopause was referred to as ‘the change’. Today, understanding the natural progression of menopause allows us to embrace life between 45 and 65 years of age as an opportunity to explore our changing and adapting bodies. Join Joy for a workshop of movement, play and learning. Through the exploration of the physiology behind menopause we can realize the possibilities of fitness and Pilates inspired movement training to empower our body’s ability to stay strong, healthy, and vital throughout life.

The BOX, the sitting box to be precise, is an amazing tool that can be utilized in many positions on the Reformer (and with other apparatus as well) to both assist and challenge all ranges and levels of clients. In this workshop you will learn to maximize the potential of the box as a tool, to create adaptations to exercises, and to see the box as not just an accessory, but a key component to your client’s program.

Three variable elements involved in teaching are the client, the specific exercise you are teaching, and the skills of the trainer. To create an optimal outcome the Pilates teacher must cue the exercises in a way that matches the skill and motivational level of the client with the benefits of the chosen exercise. This workshop will give you a systematic overview of the available cues in movement teaching and show you what types of cues work best in different situations. This will lead to better outcomes and happier clients. 

Gain a three-dimensional understanding of your clients’ low back using this structured assessment from Balanced Body’s Advanced Movement Principles: Low Back course. Together we will assess functional limitations, posture, dynamic lumbopelvic control, muscular imbalances, mobility imbalances and strength and endurance. By the end of the workshop, you will understand how to assess any client with or without low back issues and be able to clearly identify areas to work on. The course includes a detailed handout and assessment forms you can take with you.

In this course, we will take a “building blocks” approach to learning how to train clients to meet the demands of the advanced Reformer repertoire. Advanced exercises require a high–level of motor control, coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility. To manage the complexity of the movement, we train clients to finely tune movement skills in a changing relationship to gravity and base of support. Instructors will learn valuable tools for performing and teaching the advanced work on the Reformer, and will have an opportunity to try it all in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

Muscular imbalances and knee tracking issues are a common cause of knee pain and dysfunction. In this session you will learn how to get the Vastus Medialis firing properly and how to correct the imbalances between all the muscles of the thigh, building a more balanced and much stronger lower body.

Preparing clients for birth and postpartum recovery can be supported through effective breath and movement techniques. Based on ‘The Center for Women’s Fitness’ program, with over 30 years of success, Hyun Jung Lee explores unique breathing exercises and movement protocols to give Pilates Instructors the tools to work with clients from the first trimester through to the birth and beyond.

From dorsiflexion to plantarflexion, the ankle joint dictates how we load and transfer energy when we walk, run or jump. Join functional podiatrist Dr. Emily as she explores the ankle joint complex and some of the most common compensation patterns observed in the client. In this dynamic session, you will learn how to assess, mobilize, and improve ankle joint function.

In this post-covid era, Pilates is having an extraordinary moment where clients of all ages, sizes and levels of fitness are actively seeking out Pilates spaces. Join Joy as she leads an extraordinary panel of teachers in a conversation on how we, as teachers, can lean more deeply into Pilates’ unique value in supporting health and healing. 

How often do clients come to us with the goal of getting down and up off the ground with more ease? Lower limb mobility, spinal alignment, and upper limb integration are needed to get down to the ground and then back up to a vertical body. Using Pilates equipment, small props, and Pilates-informed movements, we will learn the skills needed to improve the mobility, alignment, and strength needed to help clients discover their own best pathways for getting down and back up!

Want to differentiate yourself in a crowded Pilates market? How about this…teach Pilates! Join Joy to move and explore many of the archival favorites, the intention behind the original exercises, and the unique applications of Pilates repertoire in the restoration of health, fitness, and whole-body wellbeing. Through today’s Contemporary lens, come to be reminded of why you fell in love with Pilates, why you teach and how you can maximize original Pilates exercises in your practices. 

Walking is the most foundational and functional movement pattern we perform every day. How a client walks can reveal much about mobility, stability and strength. Join podiatrist Dr. Emily as she explores how the gait assessment can be the most informative client assessment. We will discuss the phases of gait and basic joint positions during each of those phases, walking demands and techniques to increase foot and pelvic strength for improved gait.

Discover the power of slings in motion with an innovative workshop that guides you through a journey from horizontal to vertical planes. We start horizontally using the Konnector Reformer and end vertically with the Konnections Band on the CoreAlign. This workshop explores the natural pathways of muscle slings, connecting and coordinating the entire body in powerful, functional movement patterns. Experience how each tool uniquely activates the slings, enhancing balance, core stability, and body awareness.

Many Pilates exercises require us to bear weight on our arms, and Pilates students often find this “arm-standing” uncomfortable or difficult to perform. This course provides strategies for building strength and control around the hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders to make planks, push-ups, handstands, and our related equipment exercises accessible and pain-free. We will briefly review the skeletal and muscle anatomy of the upper extremity, then learn and practice arm-standing drills that can be progressed from our most basic to most advanced Pilates moves.

Over the last number of years our clients are doing a lot more sitting in front of their computers and cell phones. Zooming, texting and social media has expanded our world but also led us to moving less…and that has led to issues like Cervical strain AKA Text Neck and poor posture. Learn the essential strategies to reverse this condition, reduce neck discomfort and create better posture at the same time.

The Pilates Chairs are small but mighty tools to help our students unlock their movement potential. During this workshop, participants get to understand the anatomy of the Wunda/ High/ Arm Chairs and learn helpful concepts to make teaching the Chairs’ original exercise repertoire fun and easy.

The pelvis is the most unique part of the human design, and we need to understand it to have healthy movement and to teach movement successfully. You will learn how to create natural flexibility in your hip joints, eliminate tension from your lower back, improve force absorption in the pelvis and experience how the pelvic floor relates to the arches of the foot.  We will experience the fascial suspension of the sacrum and discuss how to balance the sacroiliac joints when doing Pilates exercises and how to cue the sacrum correctly. This class will leave you experiencing better posture, natural flexibility, and integrated lower and upper body.

Footwork is the first formal exercise in a Reformer session for many important reasons. First, the foot is the foundation of the weight-bearing body. Second, Footwork specifically warms up the big muscles. Third, according to Phillip Beach, the sensory input from the feet prepares the lower back for anticipated loads and activities and are the “eyes of the lower back”. In this workshop Ann will take you on a deep dive into Footwork, its applications in walking, on the intrinsic strength and mobility of the feet, and influences on the lower back. 

Practitioners often forget that the sternum and clavicle are important components of sagittal thoracic movements. In this workshop, we will discuss the anatomy of the sternoclavicular joint, and how to facilitate movements here in order to improve active thoracic flexion and extension.