Scene Magazine

A Breathe of Fresh Air

By Aliza Kapinos | Jan 2009

What inspired me to write this piece is my mother, Bella. Many years ago she was involved in a car accident severely injuring her back and leaving a lasting impact on her lifestyle; a lifestyle which has changed her path in life to become a Holistic Healer. A woman by the name of PJ O'Clair also went through a similar trial, changing her life's path as well, to a love and career in fitness, more specifically, Pilates. This article is for those that may have struggled in the same manner and a look into how pilates, yoga and the overall importance of self-care has really helped not only my mother and PJ, but millions of other people as well.

Pilates is a system that was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. Without using large medical terms and numbers, Pilates is probably the simplest form of exercise: it concentrates on using the body's core postural muscles to develop a long, lean and well-balanced body.

Easy enough? It gets better. You can practice Pilates almost anywhere and with a little help of a class or DVD, practicing 2-3 per week will give you clear results as far as muscle tone and feeling of balance and motivation.

"It will change your body composition before you know it. You'll get leaner and this will motivate you to take better care of yourself and inspire you to continue this type of lifestyle," says PJ.

With 25 years in the business, over 50 DVDs, numerous fitness awards and teaching at the largest center in North America, PJ is the Pilates guru (at least to me and her thousands of students). When a serious injury leaves you with the choice of either organizing 30 bottles of painkillers everyday or trying something new, it seems that the initial "just try it already" voice in your head will hopefully lead you to Pilates. PJ suggests trying a one-on-one class for the first few sessions to develop a specialized program to fit your specific injury. It sets the foundation in your overall movement, like a prerequisite for everything else. The last thing you want is another injury!

Sure, Pilates started as a trend, but what doesn't? Over the past 5 years, the practice has really grown. It wasn't until Oprah spoke about it last year and it popped up in bookstore shelves in the form of those yellow "Dummies" manuals that people really took notice. Perhaps you can thank Madonna and Sting and their beautifully toned bods for making people see that it's not surgery or a miracle drug that gets them into tip-top shape, but good old fashioned hard work and a desire to make a life change amidst their hectic schedules.

Another lifestyle improvement that doesn't require sweating profusely on a bike or bench is yoga. This is a "trend" which started in India thousands of years ago and is now (thankfully) a part of Boston and Scene's North End neighborhood. I spoke with Alicia and Alessandra, the minds (and bodies) behind North End Yoga, to learn about this practice in the comfort of their beautiful new studio.

What's unique about yoga is that it incorporates both your physical and mental self. Physically it doesn't alienate the rest of your body while one muscle is doing all the work, it orchestrates every muscle for a stronger, leaner and more flexible self. Mentally, it helps control and balance the thoughts in your head by diverging attention away from your hectic day or anxieties and helps balance your body and promotes better breathing patterns.

"It definitely helped me ignore the chatter in my head. I didn't even realize it until I stopped practicing for a few weeks... it's amazing!" says Alessandra.

What else is amazing is the bond that has formed between the two owners since finding this common interest. What started as a friendship and a "yoga buddy" blossomed into a fast growing studio with clients from the neighborhood and all over Boston.

"It's a great way to meet new people," Alicia explains. "Everyone checks their egos at the door and focuses on something much bigger."

And for the North End, this definitely is much bigger. The first studio in the neighborhood, it incorporates the true essence of yoga yet is influenced by the Italian culture through the names of the classes, and of course, its teacher Alessadra who is originally from Ancona, Italy.

If you're a beginner, have no reservations, they have a class every day of the week for those of us (I'll include myself in this category) that are flexibly challenged. They also offer Pilates classes and a new addition to the family, belly-dancing which will get your abs into a pack in no time.

The demonstration of the kneeling dog position was luckily never incorporated in my interview, but that doesn't mean that I'm avoiding the possibility of it all together. The idea behind Pilates and yoga is much different than your typical get on a treadmill and kill your knees workout. It goes beyond driving just your body (which isn't a bad thing). You realize that whether you're working through an injury, want to get your body into better shape or just take control of your inner mind, these are not fads, but a true way of life that millions of people can't be wrong about.   Download the Full Article