Lets talk about the Avalon equipment you developed. How does it enhance the workout? Did you develop it because you felt something was lacking in traditional Pilates equipment?
The Avalon equipment grew out of years and years of working on the Pilates equipment. I stress that the Avalon equipment is not a new invention. I didn't create a new piece of apparatus. What I did is I took the original equipment and recognized where I felt it could be improved. Not that it was lacking, but rather needing expansion.
The piece I started with was the arm chair. For years I have felt that the arm chair is undervalued. I can understand why it wasn't that popular because you couldn't do that much on it. So I thought, why not take this and expand what you can do on it?
The same box that you use on the reformer can now be used on the Avalon, and exercises can be performed while sitting, kneeling, prone, supine and facing all directions. From a piece of equipment that was used for 5 or 6 exercises the arm chair can now be used to workout the entire body. It's as versatile as the reformer, cadillac or any of the other pieces. You can do things on it that you cannot do anywhere else. And the adjustability is amazing.
So it's taking the equipment and evolving it. For example, if you look at the step barrel, the step barrel is great, but there were certain things that were harsh about the step barrel. It has such an acute curve that if you were doing a passive extension the shape of the barrel could not support the shape of your spine. I rounded the edges. Why not make it comfortable?
See a step barrel workout with Rael
On the barrel in the studio we would sometimes add leg weights or arm weights and I thought, why not integrate springs into the barrel? And a handle that is adjustable? That handle on the barrel would never be in the right place. Now you've got a handle that can move in multiple directions and settings to accommodate an enormous repertoire of exercises.
You can do all the classic work on the Avalon equipment, but it's also opened the possibility to new and innovative repertoire. Why not let it evolve? If we evolve we don't throw out everything that came before. We honor, respect, and integrate it. Evolution is a good thing.
Your book, Pilates, is one of my favorite Pilates books. Do you have another book in the works?
I do have a new book in the works: Pilates Anatomy. I invited Karen Clippinger, one of my closest colleagues and friends, to co-author the book with me. We have been hard at work for about a year and the text is at the editor now. We recently did a photo shoot for the anatomy book, but it's going to take the anatomical illustrator a year to do all the drawings. Every picture has to be turned into an illustration that is done by hand. All the muscle groups are drawn in, it is a true art.
We are covering all the mat work. In the midst of the book we were going back and forth about which version of the exercises to show. Originally we were going to use my book, Pilates. We went through a long process of questioning whether that's the best way. At one point I suggested that if we were going to use any other source I wanted to use the original source. So we went back to Return to Life. Every exercise we do exactly as it is done in Return to Life, and we analyze those exercises anatomically. We offer variations from my book and explain what the variation does that is different from the original. Pilates Anatomy is scheduled to come out spring, 2011.
Pilates is becoming specialized with many other disciplines applying it for specific, rather than generic purposes. How is this trend affecting Pilates and instructor training?
I see Pilates being used in two ways. Typically it is used as a form of cross training - a conditioning system. Then there is the use of Pilates for specific goals in specific environments with certain populations, like physical therapy or with athletes. The unfortunate part about that, I feel, is that Pilates is splintered and broken down. Physical therapists saw the value in Pilates, but the way it's being implemented, it loses much of the value in the process (not all the time, but a lot of the time). Putting a reformer in a clinic, doing 3 leg exercises, and that's it... is not Pilates, in my opinion.
I feel Pilates needs to be taught as a system. I decided to come out with a post-graduate program for people who have done the comprehensive Pilates training but want to specialize in a specific area. I've partnered with people who are very qualified to offer post-graduate training in certain areas like working with children, the elderly, or using Pilates for therapeutic needs. We're calling on Pilates instructors to further their education, but not before they've even done their comprehensive training and gained significant experience. It's geared to be post-graduate study at its best.
Thank you, Rael!
There are many more opportunities to expand your Pilates education with Rael through his company, BASI Pilates. At the BASI Pilates website you will find information on teacher trainings, workshops, and mentorship programs. In addition, BASI Pilates has recently launched an online Pilates software resource, Pilates Interactive. While Rael is quick to point out that it is not meant to be a replacement for live instruction, Pilates interactive offers the breakdown and cuing for over 300 exercises. Rael's Avalon equipment is manufactured and sold through Balanced Body.
(c)2010, Marguerite Ogle. Licensed to About.com
