News, Discounts, and Fun things to think about
Welcome to the fun section of Julia's website. Come back here when you're looking for the latest deal, want to keep abreast on changes in class times or Julia's availability, or want to see Julia's latest Pilates inspiration.
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12/13/11 - Introducing Fresh Start, a Pilates and Detox Program
I recently sat down with Brooke Leverone, a Naturopathic Doctor whose office is practically around the corner from The Body Praxis studio in Oakland. The purpose of our meeting was simple: how to bring together the services we offer in a way that would help our clients kick start their New Year and lay a platform for health and wellness in the months to come.
As we talked, we became more and more excited about the possibilities. Brooke's experience has lead her to see many benefits of periodic nutritional detoxes in her clients. I love seeing how my Pilates mat class clients get the added boost of support from community as they learn more about their bodies, strengthen, and rebalance. We saw how both Pilates and detox programs are tools to help us reconnect to our bodies and remember what it feels like to function well -- from the inside out.
This is why we're thrilled to introduce our new Pilates and Detox program, Fresh Start. Fresh Start begins January 13th and offers both individual attention tailored to your health and fitness needs as well as group support and community. To fit your schedule, you can choose between a Two-Week Mini Program or a Four-Week Complete Program and one of two class times – either 10:30-11:30am Mon/Fri or 12:30-1:30pm Mon/Fri.
Participants will meet for a kick-off meeting on the 13th, during which we'll introduce the detox program and Pilates and schedule one-to-one consultations with Brooke. For the next two or four weeks, as we detox, we'll also meet twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays for Pilates classes. At the end of the four-week program participants will also meet individually with Brooke and as a group with Brooke and I to discuss their progress and make a plan for continued well-being into the new year.
A full outline of the Fresh Start program is available here, along with info for online registration.
I hope you've enjoyed learning about the upcoming program, and that you might consider joining us! And if you will be joining us, also consider inviting a friend - our success rate at making healthy changes is higher the more we can involve those close to us in the process.
May you have a healthy and happy holidays! Hope to see you in the New Year.
Julia
11/28/11 - How I got hooked on Pilates
Happy Holidays!
Giving Thanks: Given the season, I wanted to spend this e-newsletter
with a quick story of how I got hooked on Pilates! It is something I
am truly thankful for.
I moved to San Francisco a little over five years ago with a single
intention: I wanted to join the vibrant dance community and find ways
to make dance the guiding force of my life. That decision found me
rattling over Donner Pass in a U-Haul the day before I began intensive
training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, from where I hoped
to meet local choreographers, audition for dance projects, and set up a
life as a professional dancer.
Two weeks after joining the Conservatory, I tore my left ACL. The ACL
is a major stabilizing ligament in the knee. You can definitely
survive without one, but fast movement that includes quick changes of
direction, moving with momentum, deep knee bends -- in other words the
dancing I had moved out to San Francisco to do -- is impossible for
most bodies. Dancing was out for the foreseeable future.
My road to recovery included surgery, three weeks of navigating San
Francisco in crutches, over a year of physical therapy, and the vast
unknown of whether it all would result in the ability to dance again or
not. Somewhere along that path I started training in Pilates at the
Dance Medicine Clinic at St. Francis Medical Center.
Pilates became a
source of inspiration for me. The equipment allowed me to take strain
and stress out of my knee as I moved. I was able to both gently rehab
my knee and work my body as an integrated whole. My trainer would also
take me off the Pilates equipment and over to the ballet barre, where
we would apply what I had learned on the Pilates equipment to how I
hoped to use my body in my day-to-day life.
Pilates worked. Today, I spend at least half my time in the dance
studio, rehearsing with several local companies. Since I started
performing professionally, it's been rare that I've had a month go by
without a performance. Like the vast majority of dancers, I also have
a day job, but I am so thrilled that my day job is something that I
love and is deeply connected to my personal story -- teaching
Pilates!
Because Pilates had such an impact on my life, I am passionate about
applying it to help my clients. I've seen my clients feel better
instantly with movement that is safe, fun, and full-bodied; target
specific issues in their bodies; and make them feel better daily as
transfer over Pilate's lessons of body mechanics to their day-to-day
lives. It really is a wonderful tool, and I am thankful for each and
every one of my clients for allowing me to continue investigating it.
THANKS!
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10/28/11 - Holiday Special
Give the gift of Pilates!
Get your friends and family kick-started on their New Year's Resolutions with the gift of body-conscious fitness. Whether a beginner at a fitness routine or advanced athlete, a Pilates gift is a great way to show your loved ones you care about their well being. Help someone feel good in their body!
Through 12/31/11, purchase a gift certificate for any package of mat classes, private session, or semi-private session for 20% off.
To inquire or purchase, email Julia at julia.hollas@gmail.com.
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10/20/11 - More availability! Get your Pilates on Thursdays too.
Julia is now available at The Body Praxis on Thursdays from 3-7pm for private and semi-private sessions. Please contact her at julia.hollas@gmail.com or 415-490-7371 to reserve a session.
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10/3/11 - Semi-Private Fall Special
Welcome to fall! As the days get shorter and we move into the holidays, our natural rhythm is to slow down, seek creature comforts, and rest.
One of my favorite aspects of Pilates is its search for balance. We increase our muscles' strength and flexibility and make sure we are equally strong and functional in all planes of movement – be it right to left, front to back, or top to bottom, our bodies feel best when they have all options available to them.
As fall deepens to winter, I say we borrow from Pilates' focus on balance – embrace the need to slow down, but be sure you still give your body the movement it craves to stay strong and feel good.
Often all we need to stick to those healthy habits we know make us feel good is the little extra motivation of a friend or loved one doing it with us. With that in mind, I am happy to announce:
Semi-Private Fall Special
Single Semi-Private – $37.50 per person
Package of 5 Semi-Privates – $172.50 per person
Package of 10 Semi-Privates – $337.50 per person
*25% off regular rates. Must purchase by 10/31/11.
** Each semi-private session lasts for one hour and is for two people. Semi-privates are appropriate for beginners, advanced practitioners, and mixed-level partners: each session is designed to appropriately challenge both you and your partner.
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"Julia's expertise has corrected my whoopsy posture, strengthened my 50-year-old muscular structure, and (making me come back for more), charmed, amused, and put me at ease during my private sessions with her. I am a dancer and, like too many of us, have pushed myself past healthy limits for years. Injuries that I believed would affect me for the rest of my life have lessened markedly. I carry myself differently. "
-Mantra Plonsey
Contact
julia.hollas@gmail.com
415-490-7371
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