I started writing this via Chat GPT but then realised - nooooo do it yourself - for two reasons - it’ll read better and it’ll really put me back in Mönchengladbach for another while.
So if you are interested in all things Pilates - here is a smorgesbord of the event from an Irish ie some craic perspective.
If you haven’t met me - I am Suzie - I am Pilates obsessed - I love the moves, the apparatus, the workshops, the clients, the goss…. I am not gone on the socks - but hey!
The Congress was a huge inspiration to me on many levels - mostly on the human bean level - Lolita San Miguel - who has been around the Pilates block is the brain child of the Congress - many years ago she came to Mönchengladbach to see the home town of her mentor Joe Pilates - she was surprised to find - noone had heard of him or his method, his original house was in a state and the area where he lived was in disaray. I could sense this was a woman on a mission - she put her mind and heart to solving this issue - and at this congress in 2026 she unveiled with the mayor of the town that the square be renamed Pilates Platz - and that his home will be turned into a museum - an active museum where teachers can deliver workshops and classes on original equipment. How cool is that. Lolita has a magnetic smile and all I can say is her jaws must have hurt by the end of the week as she smiled so much. At 91 its pretty impressive.
She told this story of Joe - when he was in his 80’s she saw him with his head down looking dejected - she asked him what was wrong and he said - I am adlibbing - I thought the world would practice my method, it hasn’t happened….. fast forward to the Congress - 400 teachers from everywhere on the globe doing Pilates. How cool is that.
So the event itself was of course full of nuggets which I will share my favourites here if you are interested read on.
The beer was so good and only 2% because Pilates teachers are light weights
My first workshop was with Benjamin Degenhardt - it was on tactile cueing - a weird term for fixing people hands on adjusting - I learnt so much from this - here are 3 nuggets
Adjust like a piece of apparatus - example in spine stretch forward place your hands on the back ribs and be a baby chair! They push back into you.
When you hold the handles hold them as if you were hanging off a cliff.
Thriller hand got me as I am a big Michael Jackson fan.
Max Strom from Atelier Pilates - a great teacher
The second workshop was with Maximilian Stohr from Rimini - he is a Fletcher Pilates teacher directly taught by Ron - so this was so interesting and brilliant.
Know the fundamentals - I love this because they are so hard and I truly love the Fletcher Fundamentals.
Seperate your abdominals - upper and lower - too good in Rowing and Elephant and basically any pilates exercise.
Joe called Footwork - “ Knees and Feet” so we did little nasty pulses to feel the Vastus - one of the knee stabilizers.
The third workshop was with Lolita San Miguel on the mat - she had two great demonstrators who made it easy to follow along.
Lolita San Miguel in full flight
warm up all the joints before you do Pilates
even after over 50 years teaching you still have to correct people - hahaha - she was getting a little miffed correcting teachers.
Get the back muscles on first in swan by lifting the arms then do the move…. so good
Never retire
The next workshop was with Kathy Corey - what a lovely person and such an incredible teacher - I have always loved her videos on Pilates Anytime but in person even better. She has designed these cool reformer towers with Equipilates from Brazil with 6 springs - which she said was the original spec by Joe. She was a mine of information and so approachable.
Kathy Corey such a generous warm soul
Clara Pilates Tree - go down over box with two feet in the strap then take out a foot and go into tree.
Going out on the reformer is the gym coming in is the Pilates
Kathy Grant insisted no ballet terms in her classes so Arabesque was called Leg Pull Front.
The next one was with Benji again - on the Push and the Pull on the Reformer. Again he is so fun and easy to listen to - this workshop went so fast…
Costa Rica Water Slide - think of that the next time you do Rowing front.
The reformer is the teacher not you - humbling.
Joe changed some exercises alot others not at all - rowing got changed alot - we played around with it alot.
The next workshop was with Tony Rockoff who is trained by Bob Liekens - this was a unique workshop as we were allowed to ask Tony anything we wanted - the questions were fabulous and the answers even better. One lady asked him to teach her the headstand on the reformer - he said - which one - there are 3 - and proceeded to do all 3 with her - she looked pretty happy after that work.
Tony Rockoff - from Hamburg - what a teacher!
In practice 30 minutes to pelvic lift - holy cow - how???
A B C D - mat, reformer, individual exercises, traditional endings
The adjustment - 123456 up the spine in rowing climbing up on the frame
Last but not least was Transitions on the mat with Kathy Ross Nash - I have in my notes “ This WAS PEAK “ - who doesn’t love the White Book - in person this lady is all heart - she is so sincere and genuine - you couldn’t not love her - plus could she move and teach. We did every transition between every move - over 34 moves and then we did the whole repertoire with all the transitions in 2 hours - holy crap - she did every bit of it and had the flu the week before.
Holy Cow - Kathy Ross Nash is the Pilates Dealer for sure
Best cue for 100 - lift head, hands and heels - that’s it and by God is it nice to hear simple cues. I mean 4 words and boy were we pumping.
Single Leg Stretch - the heel to seat is lost - find it!
Double Straight Leg Stretch height gives you the height for Criss Cross
A saw doesn’t bounce - it saws!
That was it on the workshops - I have heaps of notes if you want to know more book in with me.
I met heaps of cool people who were so into Pilates and also into Weiner Schnitzel and Kase Kuchen so we all got on very well. I didn’t go to any of the evening stuff cos I needed a bit of me time - yes my social battery has limits. I did find a brilliant restaurant Frenzen - and had plenty of Pilates Beer - he worked in the brewery in the town.
So many more stories but I will leave you with my best ever Pilates moment to date. At the event I bought 10 neck stretchers - I only had a roll on bag but hey it was an impulse buy! If you know me I do wing it alot!!! Anyways I took out all my clothes and put the neck stretchers in my roll on - with my knickers and bras dotted in between. All my other sweaty clothes were in the tote bag we got given and a back pack - so I was squeezing everything in there. Lucky I travel light. Anyways at the airport in Dusseldorf the case gets opened - I wish I had a camera when the guys saw inside my bag. They lift out 3 of the neck stretchers with said knickers dangling off the spring hook - “ what is this?” calm as a cucumber “ Pilates equipment" “ Ahhhh” Ok you can go !!! With that I will leave you as I go and stretch my students necks - which they really love.
As I run the Irish Pilates Convention I found this event so useful to see how the pros do it. We have a fair bit to go on our event but the foundations are there. If you want to experience this kind of event join me in Limerick with Brooke Siler and Benjamin Degenhardt in Limerick 20 March 2027. Help me make the Irish Convention the best Pilates event on the planet.
