Get Ready for Pilates Day™ 2008!

Pilates Day will be held, Saturday, May 3, 2008, at St. Philip's Academy in Newark, New Jersey. Marggi Vangeli, PMA Board of Directors, will be heading the Pilates in the Schools (PITS) effort at this inner city, private school for children ages 5 - 14. St. Philip's was established in 1988 to reach children "at risk" and prepare them for attendance at prestigious preparatory schools. It's funding is entirely philanthropic.

From February until May, Marggi will be teaching the Pilates protocol for children each Wednesday to the entire Fifth Grade class. It will run for a period of 12 weeks culminating in the celebration of Pilates Day with a children's mat class in front of specially invited dignitaries. (Hopefully, Kathy Grant will be in attendance.)

Since the majority of the children at St. Philip's are African-American, we hope to enlist the endorsement of Pilates from famous Afro-American Pilates practitioners among others. We are looking for contacts with Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Jason Kidd and others whom our members and friends may know directly or through a client.

Please contact either the PMA office or Marggi Vangeli if you can help.

If you want to do a similar outreach program in your area and need help or have questions, please contact the PMA office or Marggi Vangeli. As always, we value both your support and input.

Marggi Vangeli
PMA Board of Directors.
Email: mvpilates@optonline.net

Pilates Day™ 2007

We’d like to thank all 2007 Pilates Day participants from the United States and Canada, as well as our international participants! There were many special events held this year successfully bringing together the international Pilates community, and we are very much looking forward to next year’s events scheduled on May 3, 2008.

Pictures of Pilates Day™ Around the World

Explore our new Pilates Day Gallery for pictures of Pilates Day around the world!

 

Pilates Day was originally created to bring awareness to the many benefits that Pilates provides to every age group. This special day allows you to experience this method of exercise and physical movements designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body. Not only is Pilates itself an optimal fitness endeavor, it’s also an important adjunct to professional sports training and physical rehabilitation of all kinds. With the aging of our population and the increasing trend toward mindful, moderate health practices, Pilates is likely to find itself with a wait list at the YMCA and in your local public schools—shaping the fitness ideals of our next generation.

Pilates has proven itself invaluable as it yields numerous benefits. Increased lung capacity, improved circulation, increased strength and flexibility, along with muscular and mental coordination, improved posture, balance, and core strength are all proven benefits of practicing Pilates. Bone density and joint health also improve, and many experience positive body awareness for the first time. Pilates teaches balance and control of the body with this ability spilling over into every area of one's life. This encompasses the three major Pilates holistic health principles:

• Whole Body Health
• Whole Body Commitment
• Breath

The purpose of Pilates Day is to provide an opportunity for everyone to experience this rapidly growing trend firsthand. Events held will range from specialty mat and equipment classes to Pilates sampler classes. Many events will be free of charge. For more information on Pilates, please read the PMA’s position paper on the exercise and be sure to visit us on the web, www.PilatesMethodAlliance.org.

Joe's Pila-T-Shop Designs a T-Shirt To Help PMA Combat Childhood Obesity!

Why not Rock Your Powerhouse for Pilates in the Schools?

Joe’s Pila-T-Shop is proud to announce their involvement with the Pilates Method Alliance and their community outreach initiative, Pilates in the Schools.

By popular demand, we've put our catchy slogan "Rock Your Powerhouse!" to good use by creating The Official T-shirt for the New Campaign. "Rock Your Powerhouse!" for Pilates in the Schools. T-shirts are now available on-line at Joe's Pila-T-Shop, with 10% of the proceeds donated to the Pilates in the Schools initiative!

"I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier."
- Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965, age 86