February 2016
INSTRUCTOR NEWSLETTER - FEBRUARY 2016
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We love hearing about what our instructors are up to all around their community. Remember to contact [email protected] for help and tips on hosting an Essentrics event.
MOVE//West is an innovative concept aimed to inspire and promote a happy, healthy life style.
Danielle de Wildt, the head of Essentrics Europe, opened MOVE//West on January 3rd in Amsterdam. Her pop-up studio not only offers a mix of daily Essentrics classes and European teacher trainings—it also offers health and food workshops, all-natural body care and a variety of fitness products and clothing. By connecting with experts and inspiring trainers in her community—Danielle has put together a one-stop-shop for everything fitness and lifestyle-related.
Dedicated to sharing the power of movement—people have the opportunity to discover Essentrics along with other forms of fitness which are effective, respectful to the body, holistic and innovative. This is such an inspiring example of connecting with other instructors in the community and building a brand that embodies full wellbeing of the mind and body. After all, we’re made to move!
Follow MOVE//West on Instagram @move_west
If you ever thought about teaching classes while on vacation, it’s a great way to earn money and recover from the missed classes back home. I recently travelled to Miami over the holidays and was able to set up four classes during my stay. It might seem complicated to arrange classes in an unknown city, but it is much easier than you think!
Start by talking to your closest network. Ask friends and clients if they know anyone in the region who would be interested in trying Essentrics. Ask your colleagues if they can connect you to any gyms that might want to host a pop-up class. I was able to give a pop-up class at the Soho Beach House as a result. I currently work for Soho House Toronto and offer two classes per week. When booking my vacation, I immediately asked my manager at Soho House if the Miami location would be interested in setting up a pop-up Essentrics class. I also managed to book several private sessions, as well as a bachelorette class for someone I went to high school with.
These opportunities are perfectly attainable and well within your reach, should you choose to dive into your resource pool. I would just make sure to limit the classes to only a few days…after all you are on vacation!
It has been my dream to bring Essentrics to my home and it finally became true—Essentrics was in Turkey for the first time at the Soho House Istanbul! Although the manager of the gym had never heard of Essentrics before—after my detailed description of the class, he was convinced that this would be a great event. And he was right! There was a huge interest in my event, which was held on January 14th, 2016. The class was fully booked and there were around 100 people on the waitlist. I promoted my class on social media and Soho House did a great job of spreading the word to its members.
I was really excited about my class. I worked on creating a new playlist days in advance. I wanted to make sure that people would enjoy Essentrics a lot. Right after the class, my clients came up to me and talked about how they felt about it: “This is exactly what I needed”, “It felt like a massage” and they even asked me when would I offer the next class.
Unfortunately, I could not schedule another class since I had to move to Scotland for school. However, I’ll be back in Turkey in May and will be teaching it at another destination. I will be back with further news from Turkey soon.
Sabine Parent, L2 – Amsterdam – PCW4
- Warming-up: Can’t Feel my Face – Def Ghetto Boys
- Embrace a large beach ball: Such Good Luck – The Chamber Orchestra of London
- Washing tables & Caribbean Spine: Expression (air studios 2013) – Helen Jane Long
- Arms: Sorry – Justin Bieber
- Pliés: Freedom – Pharell Williams
- Windmills & Full single arm body rotations: Le Onde – Ludovico Einaudi
- Calf sequence, long adductor stretches: Fade Out Lines, The Avener Rewark – The Avener & Phebe Killdeer
- Single arm large body circles in deep lunges: Arrival of the Birds – London Metropolitan Orchestra
- Butt firming exercises: LA Calling – Crystal Fighters
- Sit-ups: Emergency – Icona Pop
- Side leg lifts : I don’t like it, I love It – Flo Rida, and Sugar – Robin Schultz
- Baby stretch, PNF hip blast en groin stretch: Male Intuition – Suzanne Kraft
- Pretzel: Please don’t let me be misunderstood – Meshell Ndegeocello
- Seated stretch: Hurricane Country – Dori Caymm
Severina Gates, L2 – Boston – PCW3
- Warm-up: Hallelujah!!! (J’Ai Tant Besoin De Toi) – Ben L’Oncle Soul
- Trademark: Brokeback Mountain 1/The Wings – Gustavo Santaolalla
- Pliés: Montréal – Ariane Moffatt
- Arms: She’s A Lady – Tom Jones
- Side twists: Feel Good – Booker T. Washington
- Trademark: Hægt, kemur ljósið – Ólafur Arnalds
- Kicks in a clock: Adventure Of A Lifetime – Coldplay
- Long Adductor Stretch: Sir Greendown – Janelle Monáe
- Transition to floor song: No. 3 Miero vuotti uutta kuuta – Michio Mamiya, Yo-Yo Ma
- Abdominals: The Deer And The Wolf–Role Reversal – Sophie Ellis-Bextor
- Side leg lifts: Me And The Rhythm – Selena Gomez
- Side leg Lifts: Get Away – Fitz & The Tantrums
- Quad raisers (transitions to pretzel in final minute): Makin’ Whoopee – Louis Armstrong
- Pretzel: Gymnopédie No. 1 – Erik Satie, Lavinia Meijer
- Pretzel: Better Than – Lake Street Dive
- Floor stretch: Someone Like You – Paolo Nutini
- Floor stretch: Know Places – Lykke Li
- Floor stretch: Sayuri’s Theme – John Williams
COLORADOLEVEL 1 – May 12-13 (with Jenny Bertrand)
LEVEL 2 – May 14-15 (with Heather Corey)
LEVEL 3 – May 16-17 (with Miranda Esmonde-White)
LEVEL 4 – May 18-19 (with Miranda Esmonde-White)
RETREAT – May 21-22 (with Miranda Esmonde-White) NEW YORK
LEVEL 1 – June 9-10 (with Erika Vipond)
LEVEL 2 – June 11-12 (with Erika Vipond)MONTREAL
LEVEL 1 – July 23-24 (with Erika Vipond)
LEVEL 2 – July 26-27 (with Erika Vipond)
LEVEL 3 – July 30-31 (with Miranda Esmonde-White)
LEVEL 4 – August 1-2 (with Miranda Esmonde-White)AMSTERDAM
LEVEL 1 March 18-19 (with Danielle de Wildt)
LEVEL 2 March 20- 21 (with Danielle de Wildt)
LEVEL 3 June 18- 19 (with Miranda Esmonde-White)
LEVEL 4 June 20- 21 (with Miranda Esmonde-White)
IBIZA
RETREAT – October 8-13 (with Danielle de Wildt)
Q: I certainly have some pain and discomfort in many areas of my body, but have never had much hip discomfort until the last month or so. I thought perhaps it was the standing or lying down hip exercises. Now I’m convinced my discomfort and aching in the hips is from the pliés move.In fact, my hips are slightly uncomfortable when I widen my stand for the pliés. I am flexible, so I like a wide stance, but I ignored the discomfort and just slowly and continuously do the pliés. I’ve taken a break from pliés for the last 2 days and feel better, but I want to do them correctly and get the benefits.A: Sorry to hear that this position is causing you discomfort. Lets review the proper positioning of the Tai Chi plié and find a solution for the discomfort you are feeling in your hips.
The pliés are great exercises – they strengthen the knees and hips, increase flexibility and improve energy. They fire up your big 4 muscles increasing your metabolic activity, improving stamina and increasing weight-loss.• It is important to remember that your foot alignment plays a very important role in why you might be experiencing pain in your hips. You want to ensure that in this position you maintain clean alignment with your quad and your foot – both should be running parallel to one another on the way up and the way down.
• Make sure you are not forcing a dramatic turn out of your feet as this will make it difficult for you to balance, and in turn will create torsion on your knees.
• Make sure that you are not tilting your pelvis and that your spine remains in a neutral position, You want to feel supported by your quads; keeping your shoulders stacked over your hips the entire time.
• Remember this is not a squat. If you have weak quads your body will naturally want to bend forwards to put some of the load into the glutes.During the exercises we want to feel a good burning sensation in the quads and glutes – you should not be experiencing pain in the knees and hips Make sure you are effectively contracting your quads and glutes during the exercises by pressing into the floor to fire up the appropriate muscles. If ever you experience pain in the hips or knees be sure to review your knee and ankle alignment, muscle engagement and spine position to ensure you are performing these exercises safely.
Level 1:
Carol Smith – St. Albert, Alberta
Eliane Richard – Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Iliana Sanchez-Chavez – Montreal, Quebec
Joanne Gritsas – Dorval, Quebec
Katelyn McCulloch – Toronto, Ontario
Marie- Krystel Robert – St-Hubert, Quebec
Mary Ann Darby – Ascot Corner, Quebec
Trenda Tyschuk – High River, Alberta
Valerie Martel – Sherbrook, Quebec
Jackie Badger – North Branch, Minnesota
Jan Cook – Littleton, Colorado
Angela Kuipers – Badhoevedorp, Netherlands
Jane van Hout – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Marenne Budde – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nelleke van de Griend – IJmuiden, Netherlands
Renée ten Beitel – Utrecht, Netherlands
Level 2:
Mary Dejonge – St. Catherine’s, Ontario
Level 4:
Jorhdin Banner – Toronto, Ontario
Pam Moore – Westminster, Colorado
How I discovered Essentrics:I discovered Essentrics about 5 years ago. At the time, a fitness studio had opened that was very close to my office and one of the classes offered was Essentrics, taught by Heather Corey (now a master trainer here in Colorado). I had never heard of Essentrics, but the poster advertising the class as a combination of Tai Chi, Pilates and Ballet intrigued me, so I decided to give it a try. I was hooked from the first class! I loved how it made my body feel, I loved the music, and the objectives that Heather described for each exercise made so much sense, I knew that I had found something very special!What did I do before teaching Essentrics:
I have always been a group fitness aficionado. Over the last 25+ years, I have participated and enjoyed a variety of classes including Cardio Barre, Kick Boxing, Zumba, Kettle Bell, Yoga, you name it…I tried it. Also, at the time that I first discovered Essentrics, I was developing a love for running. However, I was in my early 50’s and was starting to feel some little twinges and aches and pains in my body and I quickly recognized that the Essentrics technique was exactly what I was looking for. It satisfied my desire to exercise and stay fit AND help prevent injuries. I had never taught a fitness class, but I believed in this program so much that I decided to pursue my certification as an instructor because I wanted to be a part of sharing this wonderful technique.Hardest part of the journey and tips for other instructors:
I have to admit, that when I first received the L1 instructor’s manual, I thought maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew! Sliding filament theory…in the first 15 pages was a little intimidating for someone without a previous background in anatomy or physical therapy. However, I kept plugging away at it, kept attending Heather’s classes, doing Miranda’s workout on PBS, and attending the live workshops when possible. I recognize now, that the program is truly a progressive one in terms of moving up through the levels, and not to expect to learn everything about this technique at L1. You will get there, just continue to work at it, attend as many live classes as you can, do Miranda’s workouts or any of the workouts that are now available on Essentrics TV, and attend live workshops. There are also a multitude of online options to learn more about anatomy. Of course, my situation is unique in that I have access to a wonderful master trainer, who has been a great resource and has continued to support and encourage me on my journey.
Once I started teaching, it was reaffirming that I was on the right path when I would hear clients say how good they felt after class, how their posture and balance had improved, how they could take bigger, deeper breaths, walk further, need to go to the chiropractor less…the list goes on and on. Also, the role of music in Essentrics is very interesting to me. Having grown up all over the world, literally moving every 2-3 years to some pretty exotic places, from Afghanistan to Indonesia to Tunisia, I developed an appreciation of music from various cultures. As an instructor, I enjoy putting together an eclectic mix of music and when I see a client really enjoying a particular musical selection, internalizing the music in conjunction with a delicious stretch. It is motivating to be able to bring that additional dynamic to the Essentrics experience. Thank you to the instructors who post their playlists and recommend music selections, that is so helpful! So even if you don’t have a “musical” background, there are plenty of ways to find great music.
How do I see my future with Essentrics:I retired from the corporate world last year, and I am currently teaching at a beautiful new studio that master trainer, Heather Corey opened in Sept 2015. I am looking forward to helping Heather continue to grow the studio in 2016 as well as completing my L3 (this month!) and L4 training this year. I love that we have quite a few up and coming instructors in this area, and I look forward to learning from them and supporting them in their Essentrics journey as well.