Improving my own skills and knowledge is important to me, hence I try to attend as many workshops and training days as I can. Here are a few of the workshops that I have attended this year.
Feb 2019 Pilates Training Weekend with Cherry Baker
I went, along with my sister Jane Mackenzie (https://www.janem.co.uk/) to the Cherry Baker Pilates training weekend in Derby.
Cherry is one of the leading Pilates presenters in this country. Cherry had a team of instructors and physiotherapists she works with who are presenting with her over the weekend, along with other well-known instructors.
Over the three days I went to 10 classes, lectures and workshops. The sessions focused on specific ways and methods of teaching Pilates which were new and innovative as well as educational. They also covered topics such as fascia release, breathing, balance and the pelvic floor, to name but a few.
I was lucky enough to do a reformer class which was I have never used before. I really enjoyed learning the benefits of these machines within the Pilates moves. This is something I will look into doing more training in going forward.
May 2019 – Trigger Point Pilates Day
I attended this day workshop with my sister Jane Mackenzie run by Lydia Campbell. 
Here, we looked at different ways to use Trigger Point balls, foam rollers and bands to release muscle fascia and strengthen the core muscles. We also took part in classes such as ‘Rollers and Balls’, ‘Chair Workout’,’Loop Bands’, ‘Fascia Circuits’ and ‘TTP Flow’.
Trigger point balls are great for releasing muscles. Yes you can buy specific trigger point balls, or alternatively a tennis ball will have a similar results.
October 2019 – Katherine Jemmett’s workshop
I went along with my sister Jane Mackenzie to a Pilates workshop in Sussex, run by the excellent Katharine Jemmett.
The workshop had a specific focus on forward flexion. We initially started off with applying breathing to our ‘powerhouse’ (central core) muscles, in order to improve posture. We then focused on forward flexion and rotation.
It was wonderful to really concentrate on my own movement quality and learn specific cues for the the moves we did. The core muscles aren’t just about those tummy muscles, they are so much more. I will be sharing how to activate all these core muscles to help support you in your every day lives and movement.
November 2019 – Pilates Summit – Rachael Holmes and Kelly Reed
I’ve just returned from an inspiring Fitness Pilates Summit, run by Rachel Holmes and Kelly Reed, and held at the Hilton Hotel, Canary Wharf in London.
This year, the emphasis of the Summit was on using a new breathing technique called ‘box breathing’, as well as activation band work and same side ‘time under tension’ training techniques. I will be introducing these to my clients in the coming weeks to help them focus more on breath and movement as one.
As you can see it has been an action packed year, a lot of which I have been lucky enough to share with my sister. I am looking forward to further workshops in 2020 and sharing the knowledge that I gain from any workshops and courses with you all.
Carol xx
