Winsor Pilates at a Yoga Conference

I've just returned from the Yoga Journal Conference Yoga Conference in beautiful Estes Park, CO. The conference was near my home, and since there is so much crossover interest these days between yoga and Pilates, the Yoga Journal was gracious enough to give me a press pass. I was especially interested in going to the conference because Mari Winsor was there.

Mari Winsor is one of the more prominent names in Pilates these days. I believe she said she had made over 30 videos in just the past few years. One can hardly watch late night TV without running into one of the Winsor Pilates info-mercials. And look out if you do, because they can be quite compelling at one o'clock in the morning! Actually, there were quite a few people in the class who had been working out with the Winsor Pilates DVDs and obviously liked them quite well. After taking the class I’m ready to give them a go too.

Mari taught a spirited intermediate Pilates mat class. When asked about teaching a Pilates class at a yoga conference, Mari said that she felt that the combination of the strength and control that Pilates offers, combined with the flexibility of yoga, was a great combination. Mari was very fun and personable, and she gave good instruction to everyone while keeping the tone of the class light. I worked hard and she gave me some very helpful cues...that made me work harder of course! Yes, the image above is me with Mari.

I will be posting a lot more about the conference over the next few days. In the meantime, I asked Mari Winsor if there was anything people who write about her and her work often miss - something that she would like to make sure that I reported. She said, "just to have fun, have a good time". She said she really feels that people should be enjoying their workouts and feel good after. “If after your classes your just tired and want to lay down, do something else”! Well I felt tired but good, and I definitely had a good time.

I will be posting many more notes inspired by the conference over the next week or two. One of the conversations we have going in the Pilates Forum is about the connection (or not?) between Pilates and Yoga. Signing in to the forum is free and easy. It is a great place to share your views and read what others are thinking about.